For the past few decades, we’ve focused on hiring employees that can thrive in an office setting, run to (and from) multiple meetings a day, and work face-to-face with customers and colleagues. Now, it’s become quite clear that the new normal will be working remotely, whether it is full-time or part-time. Going forward, we must focus on hiring employees that can excel in their own remote environment – whether that’s a home office, a living room, or a kitchen counter.

What to look for when hiring a strong remote worker:

They’re a Self-Starter

When hiring new employees, keep in mind that just because they would excel in an office space, doesn’t mean they are great at working remotely, and vice versa. So, as a Hiring Manager, what do you need to look for when recruiting and hiring new additions to your company? One of the most important characteristics of an exceptional remote worker is being a Self–Starter. Gone are the days of your boss popping into your office or cubicle to see if the work is getting done. Now, employers need to be assured that their workers have strong self-discipline and are productive without supervision. 

They Hold Themselves Accountable

Self-starters are extremely motivated to complete projects, enthusiastic about their work, and don’t need to be constantly supervised. Another great trait to look for in candidates is Self–Efficacy, or the ability to hold oneself accountable. As an HR professional, it’s important to know your hires won’t drop the ball once they’re out of sight. 

They Have Advanced Communication Skills

Remote workers really need to have enhanced communication skills, especially verbal and written. Carrying out the workday mainly over Zoom, Slack, LinkedIn, Monday, or other platforms means that important updates and issues can be lost in translation. If your new hires are warm to others, are socially bold, and are extremely lively, odds are they are great communicators. 

It’s really important for your candidates to have proper problem-solving skills so that they can independently fix issues that may pop up while they are remote. Having an employee that needs to be micro-managed will only lessen your own productivity. Remote workers also need to be great team players, which will go hand-in-hand with their communication skills. For instance, what will be the outcome of a large project where the team is spread out across the U.S, and one or more of them don’t have good communication skills? Transparency and consistency are great indicators of communication.

They’re Flexible and Adaptable

Last, but not least, remote workers need to be adaptable and flexible. While working from home or in a remote location, things are constantly changing with little to no notice. Zoom is down? How do we chat? Google Drive isn’t loading? How do we work? That meeting got pushed to now? But I’m running to get lunch. Adaptability is key.

Are you hiring employees who will exceed while working remotely? Look for these key skills:

1. Communication

2. Problem Solving

3. Teamwork

4. Adaptability

5. Self-efficacy

6. Decision-making

While these traits aren’t going to be written down on a resume or become obvious during an interview, it can be tricky to pinpoint candidates with Remote Working capabilities. The best way to measure specific traits like the ones connected to EI would be a talent assessment, like Bryq. 

How can Bryq help measure Remote Working capabilities?

While helpful in the hiring process, resumes and interviews aren’t going to point out if a candidate is self-reliant, apprehensive, open to change, or warm – all of which factor into being a strong (or poor) remote worker. So, Bryq suggests using our Remote Working Indicator, which can be added to the Bryq Talent Assessment. By asking your candidates to take our talent assessment at the start of your hiring process, you’ll be better able to better gauge how well they would thrive in a remote environment. Our Remote Working Indicator assesses candidates on Communication, Problem–solving skills, Teamworking, Self–efficacy, Adaptability, and Decision–making.

Bryq’s candidate reports are easy-to-understand and will clearly explain how each candidate measures in terms of Remote Working, among other key traits. If you’re hiring for a position that is remote either part-time or full-time, this may be an important indicator for you.