This article will discuss why hiring remote candidates are still, and will always be, a great alternative to in-house employees? Why must an employer take an interest in hiring passive remote candidates? And finally, what are some efficient ways to achieve these things and improve the overall hiring strategy in your company.
Why Hire Remote Candidates?
So the big question is; are there actually any proven benefits of hiring candidates remotely?
Simply put, yes. According to a report by Global Workplace Analytics, teleworkers were found to be almost 25% more productive than on-site employees. Moreover, a report by TINYpulse revealed that employers saw a whopping 91% rise in productivity when their employees were working remotely.
Hiring remotely doesn’t only increase productivity but also saves time and money. Studies reveal that, on average, hiring remote workers saves about $10,000 for the company in real estate costs. At the same time, other research shows that on-site employees waste over 8 hours per week on irrelevant activities.
Why Hire Passive Candidates?
Passive candidates are people already working for an organization, and they’re not necessarily in a rush to jump ship. Since these candidates are already working in a position for which you are hiring, it’s pretty likely they are ideal candidates for the job you’re trying to fill. Moreover, recruiters have found that usually, the highest-performing candidates are passive.
You’d be surprised to know that almost 85% of the workforce comprises passive candidates. Yet interestingly, 45% of them are open to the prospect of changing their jobs. These statistics reflect what excellent potential there is when it comes to hiring passive candidates.
3 Effective Ways To Hire Remote Candidates
Create an Attractive Digital Footprint
Whether you are a small-town organization or a big name brand, having an online presence and a reliable brand is absolutely necessary for remote hiring. Your local candidates might know you, but a highly qualified candidate in a different country or even region might overlook your job opening because you don’t have a credible digital presence.
When creating your employer brand online, make sure to reflect your values, culture, and trustworthiness to potential candidates. Getting reviews and testimonials from your current employees and clients can allow you to capitalize on their experience with your company. Make use of social media and create compelling and attractive campaigns that will catch the eye of remote candidates.
Give a Clear View of the Job
If your remote candidates are confused about the job, what your company is about, and what kind of culture it encourages, they are more likely to drop out of the recruitment process. Give your candidates a clear view of what working with you is like.
This can be achieved in various ways. During the introductory phase of the recruitment process, you can add a video showcasing the working environment (or the remote work package if it’s a fully remote role), the people, their experiences, and things that make it worth working with you. Personal stories go a long way in attracting remote candidates. By making your company feel more human through stories of success, ambition, and fulfilled dreams, you stand a better chance of securing capable remote candidates.
Check Out Their Remote References
References are a credible window into how a candidate can turn out for your company. Unlike on-site candidates, you can’t ask your connections in the local industry about what your candidate is like. When hiring a remote candidate, ask for references from colleagues, managers, and coworkers. Ask them about the candidate, their remote experience, and their skills so you can understand if they will be able to succeed in the role at your organization.
Apart from the technical and any job-related experiences, make sure to ask about soft skills as well. These can include the qualities of collaboration, work ethic, communication, and creativity. Getting this information through references will make for a smooth hiring process for you and your remote candidate.
3 Effective Ways To Hire Passive Candidates
Targeted Social Media
Ideally, you should be well connected on professional social platforms like LinkedIn. In general, passive candidates are always looking for better opportunities, and for them, like most professionals, LinkedIn is their primary digital presence for professional engagements.
But there’s a catch. Employers are where candidates are. So there is massive competition on LinkedIn, and with many candidates becoming fatigued by recruiters “reaching out” with generic messages and unrelated jobs, it becomes overwhelming for some. For those who ignore the rubbish and respond to genuine inquiries, they’re likely to be snapped up quickly by your competition — so it pays to be active on LinkedIn.
Therefore, targeting other social media platforms like Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook, can lead you to find other candidates who could be suitable. Search for candidates using industry-relevant hashtags, and get insights into whether they want to switch or if, for example, they’re part of groups or conversations about job-hunting, etc. Even though it might sound like a lot of work, the competition there is low, making it a great way to land qualified remote passive candidates.
Using Past Applicants’ Data
Every organization should have an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) in place. It is a great resource for hiring people you couldn’t previously hire for one reason or another. Most probably, they are now working somewhere else. Having an ATS will allow you to have their contact details, be sure to check that your using these is still compliant with any data protection laws. When you have an opportunity that matches their experience and skillset, simply reach out to those candidates and make them an attractive offer.
Employee Referrals
You can convert your employees into a group of people always on the lookout for passive clients that will be a great fit for your company. Employee referrals have proven to be effective time and again in this purpose.
What makes employee referrals so successful is that your employees know all there is to know about the company. They can show potential candidates an attractive picture of your company. Using their experience with your company culture, benefits, environment, and other strengths, they stand a great chance of securing candidates for you.
No matter where you are in your hiring plan or whether you’re actively hiring or not, strategically it’s a great idea to continuously look for and engage with active and passive candidates — you never know what roles may open up and when.
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Originally published at Upstack.co on Feb 20, 2022, by Joanna Blomfield.
