Remote contractors have become highly sought after.

‍Upwork estimates that by 2025,  22% of American workforce will be remote

There’s a similar trend around the world - and testament to the fact that more workers are seeking flexible environments.

But there’s a problem with our current remote hiring practices

WHY? It looks like we just took traditional hiring methods and brought them to the virtual world

However, just because they worked yesteryear, doesn’t mean they are sustainable

And in most cases, these traditional methods may not be enough to assess a candidate's true skills and fit for a remote role.

Which is why the future of work needs its own hiring practices that stand the test of time

Here, we’ll dive into advanced screening techniques that can help you go beyond the basics and create a strong, cohesive remote team. But first, let’s understand why traditional methods are failing.

Why Traditional Hiring Practices In Remote Work is Not Keeping Up

Once upon a time, employees would submit their CVs, go through a series of physical and phone interviews to land the job.

The process is not much different today - just that we’ve carried this entire hiring process to the online world

And while it’s working with all the virtual interviews, it doesn’t mean this is a sustainable hiring practice

Don’t get this wrong, old hiring models are still important and serve as the backbone for the design and implementation of new talent practices.

However, relying solely on traditional talent acquisition practices can be limiting for several reasons:

  • Limited insight into soft skills: Resumes often focus on hard skills but reveal little about critical soft skills like communication, teamwork, or problem-solving.
  • Difficulty in assessing cultural fit: Traditional methods are gradually falling short in evaluating if a candidate aligns with your company’s values or work ethic—essential elements for remote work.

To put it in simple terms, think of it like hiring a person only by seeing a photo. That is exactly what a candidate’s CV does. 

Resumes will give you a snapshot, but you need the whole picture. While some candidates may look perfect on paper, they could actually be struggling to communicate effectively in a remote working environment.

Advanced Screening Techniques for Remote Talent Acquisition

If you want to hire the best of today’s talent, you need something advanced. Not the traditional screening methods that are losing their effectiveness. Rather, screening techniques built for the future of work.

Here are some effective screening techniques for remote contractor hiring

Skills Assessments

  • Technical Tests like coding challenges are still effective in the remote work environment. They are Ideal for tech roles, and usually test not only a candidate’s skill but also their problem-solving abilities.
  • Role-Playing scenarios and simulations: How about creating a simulated environment to see how a candidate handles their day-to-day tasks? Here, you should set up realistic scenarios that replicate actual tasks. This helps you see how candidates respond to real-world situations.

For example, a sales candidate could role-play a customer call. This will allow you to gauge their approach, adaptability, and interpersonal skills. Remember to always assess them on their level of experience. 

Personality and Aptitude Tests

  • Take advantage of personality texts like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): This assessment can help you understand a candidate's personality type, which can give insights into how they interact with others.
  • Another great tool is the Big Five Personality Traits test: This test focuses on openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. These are all traits that can influence how well a person works remotely.

Video Interviews

You shouldn’t always focus on one video interview approach. Try to alternate between two options or use both.

  • One-Way Video Interviews: This is where you allow candidates to record responses to preset questions. An approach like this will give you a chance to evaluate communication skills at the pace of the candidates themselves.
  • Live Video Interviews: Simulate real-time interactions, which can reveal a candidate’s adaptability and their comfort level with virtual communication tools.

Reference Checks

  • Structured reference checks: This one can come in the form of a one-on-one video meeting. Here, you’re trying to know the people and teams the candidate has worked with. Doesn’t necessarily have to be their names, but how the candidates describe their current or previous co-workers can serve as a great reference for judging one’s work ethic and relationship. Ask targeted questions to get a deeper understanding of a candidate’s past performance, work ethic, and skills.
  • Peer reference checks: Speaking to a candidate’s former coworkers or their superiors can provide insights into how they collaborate within teams—a key factor for remote success.

Building a strong remote Team culture

Think you’re done once you crack the skills and aptitude screening process? Not so fast.

After candidate screening that we’ve explained above, you’re only halfway through the story. 

To create a productive, motivated team, you also need to focus on cultural fit and effective management.

Here’s how to go about that:

  • Cultural fit assessment: This is about looking for candidates who align with your company's values and work style. With shared values, you’re assured of a team that can co-exist, remotely.
  • Remote Onboarding: Make new hires feel welcome by creating a structured onboarding process. To do this, you need to set clear expectations and make sure you provide the necessary tools to get things running.

Remote Team Management:

Once you’re done with hiring and making sure they’re a culture-fit, your next move is to ensure their working environment is conducive for their work-life balance. This is where you implement sound remote team management practices. Here are two main techniques you should never ignore:

  • Establish effective communication channels and strategies: Establish regular check-ins and encourage open communication. Tools like Zoon, Slack or Microsoft Teams can facilitate ongoing conversation.
  • Building trust and fostering collaboration: Trust is never built overnight. It takes a lot of time. To create the enabling environment for trust, you need to constantly encourage team members to share their wins and challenges. You should also foster a collaborative environment through team-building activities, like trivia games and online quizzes.
  • Managing remote performance: Define performance metrics that align with each role. Regular feedback sessions help remote workers stay aligned with goals and improve over time.

Conclusion: Using advanced screening for better remote hiring

Today’s traditional hiring practices are not completely outdated, but they’re getting less effective overtime, especially for a company engaged in remote contractor hiring. 

That is where the advanced remote contractor hiring and screening techniques we shared above come in.

By implementing these advanced techniques—such as skills assessments, personality tests, video interviews, and cultural fit evaluations—you’re better equipped to find the right people and create a cohesive remote team. 

And remember, a great team culture isn't just about shared work tasks but shared values and mutual respect.

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