How Does The Recruitment Process Work in a Virtual World?

This depends on the firm and what traditional methods the firm uses and is also prepared to include or modify in order to find prospective candidates for their active or passive vacancies. We have outlined a few points for consideration when looking to handle a remote hiring process, which enables employers to take extra safeguarding measures whilst embracing modern-day resources.

Everyone wants to make the right hire, so make sure you are open to effective change to ensure you do not lose out on top talent. So, don’t just stick to the “we have always done it this way for our recruitment” mentality.

We have put together a short guide of questions you can ask to ensure you successfully and efficiently hire employees remotely.

1. Do You Trust the Source of the Candidate Application?

Direct Applicants

This may be via your firm website, LinkedIn Adverts, Careers portal etc.

• What screening criteria has the candidate had to complete or provide in order to be considered for your vacancy?
  • Is this as robust as it could be?
• How accurately will your screening questions reflect the candidates work ethic or personality?
• Has the applicant provided detailed references in their application?
• Has the candidate completed tests as part of the screening process?

Internal/External Recommendation

An employee or colleague, or someone you know personally outside of your company, recommended the candidate.

• How highly do you value the recommendation from the internal or external source?
• Has the individual making the recommendation had a successful track record of previous hires to you firm?
• Do you trust the individual making the recommendation?
• Has the individual met the candidate they are recommending in person?
• What relationship does this individual have with you or the firm?
• Will the candidate then be subject to some sort of screening process or test?

Recruitment Agency

An agency that sources candidates & screens them on your behalf.

• Do you trust your recruitment agency?
• Has the candidate been submitted via the formal recruitment channels and in line with your agreed terms of business with the firm?
• Has the agency met the candidate face-to-face in person prior to CV submission?
  • If not, why not and have they clearly outlined the extra measures they have taken to overcompensate this?
• What is the level of relationship the candidate has with their recruitment agency representing them?
  • i.e. do they work with them exclusively or have they worked with them for years & years or is this simply a one off etc.
• Has the agency taken additional references on the candidate (i.e. character references) to mitigate any lack of face-to-face screenings?
  • What is the level of validity of the references provided?
• Have they reviewed all their relevant documentation (e.g. transcripts, visa documentation etc) and can they provide detailed notes on their screenings & process prior to the submission for your vacancy?

2. Adapt your Remote Hiring Process

Be flexible. Dealing with the hiring process for a remote employee is probably completely different to your typical hiring process. Don’t be afraid to be flexible and adapt to new ideas or situations that arise.

• You may need to introduce extra video calls with wider team members to assess the overall cultural fit of the candidate.
  • In theory this should be easier to facilitate with everyone being stationed in one place (i.e. at home). For example, the usual hard slog and logistics of getting everyone in the same meeting is removed as you can meet remotely rather than face-to-face.
  • Having more trusted internal voices who have met your candidate will help in forming & shaping your final decision making.
• Facilitate virtual drinks or coffee meetings for the more informal parts of the recruitment process to inject a sense of cultural fit (as much as possible).
• Ask your candidate for feedback. They may have new & interesting ideas about or experience of other remote hiring processes.

Remember, culture is incredibly important. Especially if this new employee will eventually be joining the rest of the team in an office environment. Ensure you observe the candidate throughout the application process. The way they respond to phone calls, emails and video interviews will indicate how they’ll behave on the job and in the office. Don’t be afraid to adapt your remote hiring process to be as rigorous as you can in order to effectively safeguard your business.

3. Safeguarding Your Business

Most businesses that have remote employees will agree to a trial period as a precautionary measure. A trial period enables you to see how skilled the candidate is for the role, how well they are able to learn and hw effective they are at working remotely. Most Lawyers will not agree to a trial period or Fixed-Term Contract (FTC) if they are already in a permanent role. As a result, the best way to safeguard your business will be through a probation period, which most businesses already have.

• Have you thought about adjusting your probation periods to protect both sides?
• Have you implemented a firm-wide standard for remote hires?
• What other steps are in place to safeguard your firm if the new remote hire doesn’t work out?

4. Remotely Onboarding New Employees

Employees that are taken on remotely may struggle to feel connected with their employer. This is heightened if they have never met in person or visited their offices. Make sure you take your new employee through an onboarding process to ensure that they transition smoothly into your business.

• Have you created a detailed onboarding process for your new remote employee?
• Are the rest of the team briefed about how they can help the new employee adjust to the business?
• Have you done anything to ensure that the new employee feels welcomed?

Check out our article on how to remotely onboard new employees here.

5. Remote Hiring is a Two-Way Process!

There is always a risk with any new hire, and whilst as the Employer you may feel you are taking on all the risk, that is simply not the case all the time. Candidates in stable jobs have typically built up goodwill, are highly regarded and well remunerated in their current firms. As a result, they too share some of the risk when considering a career move via a remote hiring process. Particularly if the candidate was more passive than active during the point of submission.

Above all, it is important that you, as the employer, conduct a professional, robust virtual screening process and adopt a number of strategies to ensure the candidate feels the move is right for their overall career development. Thus, mitigating potential risk.

At KC Partners, we thoroughly screen all of our candidates to ensure they are the right fit for our clients. We have also tried & tested this method for our own team, and successfully onboarded a new employee remotely.

Find more of our helpful resources here!

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general guidance and should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances and is not intended to be relied upon by you in making (or refraining from making) any specific decisions. Thus it is not legal advice.