Interview Questions For Remote Workers

Every business has a different set of requirements when it comes to the skills and experience of people they choose to hire. However, if you are wondering how to hire remote employees within the context of a remote interview process, I would say that these are the most common soft skills and characteristics recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals are looking for when they create interview questions for remote workers. So, if you are looking to hire a remote worker, I would recommend you keep these traits in mind when interviewing candidates.

Communication

The most fundamental distinction between office and remote working is how a person communicates. With almost all forms of communication being performed via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and email when working remotely, a person’s ability to communicate effectively via these mediums with purpose is key. Your future remote hire should be able to give multiple examples of how they have effectively communicated whilst working in-person and remotely.

Ability to resolve conflict

Even the best communicators unintentionally miscommunicate at times. When working in a remote setting, it is easy for conflicts and emotions to heighten. A quick comment on Slack, or an ill-fitting remark at the end of a video call, could be misinterpreted several times over and result in an unhappy team. Your future remote hire should be able to sense conflict and untangle it quickly. I would certainly not recommend you try to instigate conflict whilst interviewing your candidate, but you can ask the individual about when they have managed conflicts in the past, and how they have built a rapport with team members.

Reliability

You must be able to count on your future hire. They should always be present and ready to contribute during meetings and stick to agreed deadlines. Ideally, you want to see this reliability reflected at the interview stage. This might include them showing up to interviews on time and prepared, and being able to give examples of when they’ve been a reliable employee in the past.

Independence

Working remotely is very different to functioning day to day in an office environment. Your remote hire will not be able to constantly lean on their colleagues for support, they must be comfortable working largely independently and happy to find the answers themselves. If your hire is constantly sending messages or calling people for reassurance, they will quickly become a distraction to your wider team. I would recommend asking candidates you interview for examples of when they have been resourceful, and when they have understood that they need to ask for help.

Proactiveness

With remote workers, you do not have the ability to glance over at them to check if they are confused or lost. Your future hire must be a proactive worker who knows when to take initiative and when to look for support. Ask candidates you interview for examples of when they have been proactive in their working life and what the end result was.

It might seem strange that I have only included soft skills on this list of remote interview questions. Yes, technical skills and experience are incredibly important to any interview, but I would urge you to increase the number of soft skill-focused interview questions for remote workers, given that they’ll need to utilise these skills consistently and effectively on a daily basis.

My Top Ten Interview Questions for Remote Workers

• Have you ever worked remotely in the past?
• Do you have experience using remote team working tools or software? How did you use them?
• What do you find challenging about remote working?
• What do you enjoy the most about working remotely?
• Tell me about a time you took initiative at work?
• Can you give me an example of a time when you identified that you needed to ask another team member for help? How did you go about it?
• How do you like to collaborate with your team when working remotely?
• Tell me about a time you had to adapt your working style.
• How do you remain motivated and engaged in your work when working remotely?
• How do you find disconnecting from your work when working remotely?
• Tell me about how you set boundaries between work and home.

Remote Interview Questions to Assess Communication

• How often do you like to check in with your team and how do you go about it?
• What communication tools have you used in the past when working remotely? Did you find them easy or difficult to use?
• How do you create relationships and connect with team members?
• Tell me an example of an excellent working relationship with a team member? Why was it so effective?

Accountability and Reliability Interview Questions to Ask Remote Employees

• How do you handle deadlines?
• What do you do to stay motivated in your role?
• How do you like to be held to account?
• How do you stay organised? What tools or techniques do you utilise?

Team Building Questions for Remote Employees

• How do you bond with your colleagues and team members when working remotely?
• Have you ever had a conflict with a team member whilst working remotely? What actions did you take to resolve it?
• How do you train and upskill team members when working remotely?

Interview Questions to Ask Remote Employees About Work-Life Balance

• What set-up do you have in place to support remote working?
• How do you like to structure your day when remote working?
• How do you switch off from work and relax at the end of the day?

The recruitment and hiring process for remote workers is tough. At VIQU, we are experienced in identifying the right individuals for remote and hybrid positions. We handle the full recruitment process, and we’ll be more than happy to support you in choosing the right interview questions to ask remote employees too. Please contact VIQU for further information.