Hiring Telecommuters Over the Phone

This is the second in a series about how audio and web conferencing can help you realize the benefits of hiring remote workers while avoiding the common pitfalls frequently cited by those making such hires.

When interviewing candidate for virtual work, it is vital you look for certain qualities that will ensure you gain a highly focused and productive worker. Not only will you want to set up a web conference to assess the employee's attitudes and communication style, you will also look for particular personality traits and skills.

Personality Traits

Candidates for virtual work must understand your mission and take it up as their own calling. Look for candidates whose rewards systems are dependent on internal factors, not outside approval. Find out what types of work they truly love to do and make sure those jobs fit in with the job description.

You should also look for confidence in your virtual workers. They must be able to evaluate difficult situations and make good decisions. Be sure to find out about past difficulties and how the candidate handled those problems.

Skills

Virtual workers need superior communications skills to be effective. In order to assess such skills, be sure to communicate by all channels in separate interviews. Exchange emails, schedule a telephone interview and perform the final interview by web conference - allowing for the candidate to share past work, documents and other relevant items. During each interview, ask questions about specific workflows and motivations, and then observe the employee's communication skills.

Technology

If the candidate does not have an in-depth grasp of technology, telecommuting will not work. They must learn and apply new skills quickly. They must understand email, web conferencing and telephone communications. Find out about the employees preferences in hardware and software to see how deep the understanding of technology goes.