Building a Workforce around a Remote Model

How do you recruit people for your business? If you are like most companies, you usually restrict yourself to a local pool of candidates, with the occasional possibility of somebody else coming in fr om out of town as long as they can relocate. However, those days are rapidly fading. One of the beautiful things about remote networking is that you don’t have to worry about location as much. It’s perfectly possible to use a remote model to change the way you recruit your workers.

Building A Workforce Around A Remote Model

Key Questions to Ask

The biggest benefit that a remote model has when it comes to recruiting is that you don’t have to worry wh ere a potential employee is. If somebody is the most qualified candidate for the position, you can make the job work even if they can’t come in to the office in person. However, before you start considering candidates you need to look at the job itself. How much face to face interaction does the position need? You also need to look at what infrastructure is available to you. Do you have the proper tools to make sure the candidate can participate in teleconferences, meetings, and other important events without having to jump through hoops to do so?

Best Positions for Remote Users

The first question you need to ask is whether a remote candidate will fit in the position you have to offer. Obviously, supervisors and management positions need to be able to speak with employees at any time and at any place. The same holds true for those who are in lead positions with human resources. For that reason, such positions are usually best filled by local candidates. Sales, phone-based customer service, and IT support all fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. Since most of these positions already have a significant remote component to them, adjusting them to fit a non-local employee is relatively easy. All you need then is the equipment to make sure the job runs smoothly.

Hardware and Software Needs

The essentials of remote business include a good virtual desktop system, the proper phone equipment, and preferably some sort of video interface. Using a cloud storage system for your network files is a good way of making sure employees near and far both have access to everything they will need. Any conference room or major meeting space should have a phone capable of handling conference calls. A “pod” design with a speaker facing upward is usually best, since this captures acoustics well. Those meeting spaces should also have some way for the remote user to visually communicate with others. An LCD monitor and webcam works well with free programs like Skype and Google Hangouts.

Getting the Word Out

Once you have everything you need on your end to post a remote position, how do you get the word out? If you don’t distribute the information about this position as widely as possible, you’ll wind up getting the same pool of local candidates you normally would. Job sites such as Indeed.com and CareerBuilder.com have options that allow you to note when a position isn’t tied to a specific region. If you have a specific area you want to target for future endeavors, such as when you might be planning to open up a new office in a certain area, you can check state employment agency websites and post positions there. Sites like Craigslist.org and trade specialty sites are also good places to get a listing.

Qualities to Look For

While certain qualities are universally desirable, such as self-motivation and the ability to multitask, there are certain ways that a remote employee has different qualification needs than a local employee. The candidate needs to be able to communicate well without necessarily using body language or eye contact. A phone interview is a good way to start things so you can get the feel for how the person will react to dealing with people remotely. There is also an increased need for somebody who is familiar with different kinds of technology. Familiarity with remote networks and virtualization is a must, and the willingness to learn new software is also needed.

Thanks to remote networking, you have the ability to recruit people throughout the world for your business. All you need to do is make sure you have the right setup in place and that you know which skills to look for. From there, the world is your oyster when it comes to recruiting people who best fit your company’s needs.

Mar 19, 2014 antony-hayes business, remote access
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