Hiring Strategy: What to Look For

The best hiring strategy specifies all potential aspects of your dream team, including the characteristics needed of the collective members. As NanoTecNexus.org founder Adriana Vela puts it, “Be savvy about identifying the right sort of profile and mind set for new hires.”² So, who are the “right sort”? For starters, the best people you can find.

Hiring the wrong person is the worst thing a business can do. One of my clients wanted to hire more people. I looked at the résumés that came in and I could see that the candidates weren’t qualified. The company also knew that the candidates weren’t good enough. But instead of continuing their search, they said “We need bodies! We can train them.” The thing is, when people aren’t qualified, you simply can’t train them to do what they need to do.

—DIRK-JAN PADMOS, director, Padmos HR Consultancy³

From my interviews as well as from research aggregating the views of nearly one hundred different sources, I’ve identified the eight most important traits to look for in hiring ,⁴ which fall into the categories of both skill set and mind set. Regarding skill sets, the best people for the job are sufficiently tech-savvy and excellent communicators. They also most often have a few indispensable work habits: they’re organized, they’re able to prioritize their tasks, and they manage their time effectively. In addition, it helps if they’re good at problem-solving and troubleshooting on their own. Ideally, they also have previous experience working remotely.

As for mind set, it’s essential that they be proactive. They must also have team-focused work ethics in being reliable, results-oriented, and highly responsive. And they need to be good team players in that they are pleasant, collaborative, supportive, and receptive to feedback.

So let’s take these one at a time. (In the Interviewing  section to follow, we’ll look at ways to confirm that candidates have all the preferred skills and traits.)

To start, it’s important that a worker be sufficiently tech-savvy for the position. While some might think for some industries that could amount to just decent skills with phone and email, note that any position that calls for some level of team spirit greatly benefits from face time. As such, a remote worker with minimal video chat facility could prove to be a drag on the team as a whole. The two worst scenarios cited in my interviews concerned team members who were hesitant to use video or who demonstrated a lack of professionalism when they did. Also, video isn’t just highly preferred in active dialogue; some organizations keep the screens on all day just to help the team feel more connected in general—even if they’re all just working on separate tasks.

It’s also crucial that the worker have solid writing and communication skills. Since much of remote interaction is done via email and instant messaging, a lesser writer can slow down the whole team—whereas a skilled one keeps the lines of communication flowing freely.

There are many good work habits that are ideal in a candidate, but three in particular are important for remote hires. First, they need to be organized. Most on-site offices are designed for organizational efficiency, so remote workers need to be able to assert a similar efficiency in their preferred workspaces. Second, they must be able to prioritize their activities, which applies as much to which work tasks to do first as it does to prioritizing work over non-work distractions. And third, it’s crucial that they have excellent time-management skills—in part because meeting deadlines is even more important for remote workers than for those on-site. Why more important? Because everyone needs to know the work is getting done.

The final two skill set items, though not required for all organizations, are important to some. For many it’s highly preferable that team members can troubleshoot on their own—at least in the moment. According to Siofra Pratt, writing for SocialTalent: “Great remote workers are also great problem-solvers/troubleshooters. They have an inbuilt initiative to seek the answer to any problems they face and are comfortable doing so. That said, they also know when it’s more efficient to troubleshoot on their own and when it’s necessary to seek the assistance of someone else.”⁵ Other sources particularly name the ability to be decisive when called for—such as when a choice needs to be made before the rest of the team is available to weigh in.

As for the mind set category, the most commonly referenced ideal trait is that the candidate be proactive, an “independent” “self-starter.”

I want people who don’t need to be led. That means self-starters who are accountable. I’d rather have the right kind of person than the right kind of résumé. I’ll take people who aren’t a fit skill-wise as long as I know that they’ll fit the culture—and that they’ll attack whatever problem I’m hiring them for.

—JEREMY STANTON, SVP of engineering, Amino Payments⁶

Find people who don’t need a lot of day-to-day handholding, who are self-motivated, and who will know when to reach out and ask for help versus when they need to figure things out on their own.

—CARRIE MCKEEGAN, CEO, Greenback Expat Tax Services⁷

In a post on Chargify’s Bullring Blog, Lance Walley notes that it’s not enough for motivated self-starters to be “doers”; they also need to be “finishers”⁸—proof of which you might want to tease out in an interview. Regardless, keep in mind that in most cases a self-starter still needs to be brought onboard properly, not left to sink or swim. (We address onboarding later on.)

The remaining mind set items concern the team dynamic. And though they are characteristics essential to members of any highly functioning team, they are all the more important when even just one member of that team works remotely. Ideal hires will have team-focused work ethics: that means they’re reliable, results-oriented, and responsive to communication. And, on the interpersonal level, top candidates are also good team players: they’re pleasant to be around (at the least), happy to work collaboratively, supportive of other team members, and receptive to feedback.

AS NOTED in the previous chapter, the Remote.co website shares the answers to a variety of questions posed to 135 remote-friendly companies —meaning they are either partially or fully distributed. When it comes to hiring remote workers, many companies emphasize the importance of a candidate having experience working remotely, for reasons of both efficiency and temperament. Yet some companies prioritize cultural fit. For example, product design studio Melewi cites “values and attitude fit” as more important than particular skills, for which they’re happy to offer training. Developer staffing agency X-Team says: “For us, the time investment of training them is worthwhile compared to hiring people who aren’t extraordinary but have remote experience. Just remember to have patience and allow people without experience the opportunity to fail and pick themselves back up a few times.”⁹ AirTreks, a multi-stop travel planning service provider, offers specifics on the HR angle of this. “We added more steps to our hiring process: core value panels, reference checks for specific people, and questions to screen for harmony-breakers.” ¹⁰ Regardless, many companies recommend a trial period as beneficial for both employer and candidate.

THOUGH WE’VE covered the most commonly identified traits sought in remote workers—according to nearly one hundred sources¹²—there’s still more we can say to round out the ideal hire.

Another angle on the highly favored trait of self-motivation is the passion that candidates bring to the work. Retrium CEO David Horowitz shares how “people who are passionate, even if they have slightly fewer technical skills, will be better fit for your company than people who are technically brilliant but who think of the work as just a job. I would hire the former over the latter any day.”¹³ Indeed, it’s those passionate about the work who finish the projects they start—and who bring a contagious optimism to boot. (Note that in advocating such dedication David does not lessen the importance of candidates being tech-savvy; he simply referenced “slightly” less than “technically brilliant.”)

In that same Bullring Blog post noted above—titled “Hiring & Firing for Small Business Success”—Lance Walley applies his twenty-five years working in nine small businesses to identifying additional traits to look for—as well as veer away from—when hiring for “smaller” teams (namely, teams with no more than seventy-five workers). To the passionate category he adds that ideal candidates don’t just continue to expand their skill sets to remain competitive; they further their personal development because they genuinely enjoy learning. That sort of person brings another necessary element: a positive rather than negative mind set, which goes hand in hand with being an optimist rather than a pessimist. This is because someone who believes there’s an effective solution to be found adds creativity and productivity to the team effort, whereas the risk-fearing pessimist shoots down suggestions before giving them fair consideration. This isn’t to say seek out Pollyannas for your workforce; this is to say seek out those curious to see what’s behind closed doors—rather than those inclined to close open ones.

Lance rounds out his advice with two caveats. First, treat people well. Second: “You can form a great team, but that team needs leadership and alignment if they’re going to do great work.”¹⁴ We cover leadership and alignment in the chapters to come; first, let’s form a great team.

Interviewing: How to Screen for Desirable Traits

So how do you “accurately identify” the best talent? Armed with a clear picture of exactly what you need, you craft an interview to help you assess as well as possible how the candidate would fare on the job—down to replicating the remote communication that team members employ every day.

For example, as manager/owner Derek Scruggs shares:

There are a lot of little things to look for when hiring remote workers. Let’s say you’re trying to schedule a time to meet. Are they mindful of the time zone? Do they show up on time? Are they comfortable with video? These things are indicators of whether or not they’re used to working remotely.¹⁷

CEO Carrie McKeegan agrees:

In the beginning, I definitely took for granted a lot of the tech skills that our team has gathered from working remotely. Plus, we didn’t know to probe that with candidates as much as we do now. Now, I interview using video, which helps me get a sense of a person’s professionalism. I’ve interviewed people who don’t realize there’s inappropriate stuff in the background, or that there are kids screaming and running around behind them. These things make it clear to me that they don’t know what it takes to work virtually.¹⁸

The main point is that every new job can be a steep learning curve for new hires; you’ll simply want to ensure they’ve got the “how to work remotely” part down already.

Similarly, since communication is so vital in any team, Zingword cofounder Robert Rogge recommends that the hiring process involve tests to ensure a candidate can communicate well at the level appropriate for the position. That means interviewing people using the full variety of different mediums (email, video, apps) that you commonly use at your company. You’ll want to know from the get-go how fluidly they’ll blend with your team’s established lines of communication.

I do this myself when hiring someone. Before I talk to job applicants in person, I ask them to make a five-minute video answering a few questions. Those videos tell me more than half of what I need to know about how they’d fare on the job.

Onboarding: Set Them Up to Succeed

The value of having a deliberate hiring strategy extends to the onboarding process as well. Following an established plan during the ramping-up phase eliminates as much risk and uncertainty as possible, while also enabling a smooth and productive transition. Most important, an effective onboarding process will both clarify what you expect of new hires and help them integrate into the organization.

Now, some might consider that a no-brainer, but in fact many companies don’t have an onboarding plan. As Jeremy Stanton puts it: “Onboarding is where a lot of companies drop the ball. They figure, ‘We interviewed and now, we hope this person works out.’ And then there’s no follow-up.” ²³ This is not a recipe for success.

For example, years ago I got hired at a company in the Netherlands. (Though this concerns an on-site position, it’s applicable nonetheless.) On the first day, the entirety of my instruction amounted to showing me to my computer station—which lacked both a chair and a monitor. No one gave me any direction; I was left to figure out the rest for myself. Now, this was not a welcome that inspired me to immediately tackle what I was hired for—so imagine how even less inspiring a similar treatment would be in a remote scenario.

Jessie Shternshus, owner and founder at Improv Effect, takes the long view for every new hire: “When onboarding new people, think about the value proposition you offered to get this person to come work for you. How can you make that come to life the second the gig starts? Or even before it starts?”²⁴ How indeed.

A deliberate onboarding strategy gets your newest members integrated into the team and contributing as soon as possible. To do that we want to:

• offer a thoughtful and generous welcome;
• ensure they have the chance to get to know the team, who should extend that welcome;
• provide them with what they need to learn about the company; and
• set expectations.

First, as self-employed creative collaboration agent Yves Hanoulle puts it: “Make people feel WELCOME. You hired them because you thought they were a good fit for the job. Invest the energy to introduce them to their colleagues and show them where everything is. A surprising number of companies don’t do this.”²⁵ The most salient angle on this advice concerns first impressions. Most new hires won’t know entirely what to expect, and so their first impressions could be lasting. Help them feel good about the job; make them want to be a part of your mission.

Next, INTRODUCE them to their new team members, who should also extend the welcome. Agile coach Ralph van Roosmalen, who simultaneously manages teams in three countries, recommends assigning buddies to new employees to help them get oriented. Web-development company Automattic does this as well; they “pair people with a mentor in [the same] time zone when they first join, so they have a designated person to chat with if they have questions about how we operate, or if they just want to chat.” ²⁶ Similarly, each new scientist at NASA is assigned a member of support staff so they know who to turn to. Web-application consulting team Bitovi goes even further: “We’ve learned that the ideal time to onboard a new hire is right before a company-wide event, so they can meet the entire team in person in the first month or two. We constantly get feedback that the company events are the clincher to making someone new instantly feel like part of the team.”²⁷

Next, INFORM them: provide them with the materials they’ll need to learn about your culture and processes, perhaps compiled into a welcome document. Note, though, that such should be crafted as part of the welcome; generic information found on the company website won’t feel personalized—and won’t inspire immediate contribution.

And finally, most new hires aren’t likely to jump in full force; they’ll often wait for your cue. So be sure to SPECIFY precisely what is expected of them, and when, and to whom they can turn for additional guidance. A worker who feels stranded—like I did in that Netherlands office park—won’t start off with sure footing.

For example, I am the remote team manager at Happy Melly, a global professional happiness association. We give new employees a task list to work through in their first two weeks, including such items as setting up virtual coffee sessions with team members, getting access to the Google Drive folder, and learning how to send invoices. By providing clear expectations—as well as the means via which to fulfill them—you set up the new hire to succeed. And since clear expectations are essentially measurable goals, they also help readily identify whether the recruits have both the aptitude and the attitude desired for that position—which helps determine sooner rather than later if they’re a good fit or not.

An additional angle concerns having the onboarding process be a team effort. For this the Happy Melly team uses a Trello board (see figure to follow) to which anyone on the team can contribute. Trainees are added to the Trello board—and they, together with the team, ensure the onboarding process is completed. A team effort is important because a new employee isn’t just an additional worker; when somebody joins a team, that team basically becomes a new team. The members’ collected skills and personalities make up a new combination, one that everyone needs to adjust to.

We close with a quote from Remote.co, this one from their Companies Q&A page, which asks: “What is the hardest part about managing a remote workforce?” Fog Creek Software’s Allie Schwartz, VP of people & operations, responded: “Managing a remote work force isn’t terribly hard as long as your rapport with your remote employees is strong. Doing the initial work during onboarding … to build trust amongst employees and managers goes a long way toward making remote management simple.”²⁸