Looking to Hire for Your Virtual Team? Remember These Three Things

With what seems to be a new headline a day sharing a new major company moving their return to office date into late 2021, the in-person interview is becoming more and more distant. With many of the conversations happening over Zoom or a phone call, there are a few things we must talk about that might have been shared more easily, had the individual been able to come into the office and chat with the team. When hiring your next employee via a virtual meeting, be sure to remember these three things:

1) Talk about communication style

Is your team default-Zoom or do they prefer to talk via Slack or email? Does work from home mean work from anywhere, or do they have to be at home within a reasonable commute to the office? While these may seem fairly basic, understanding how the team regularly communicates is critical when choosing the right fit. While some people love a video component as often as possible, others burn out quickly. When it comes to communication style, there isn’t a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ way of doing it; it just has to be clear and consistent right from the start. 

2) Talk about realistic expectations with the office and hours

One of the bigger surprises of the past few months is that despite a significant decrease in commute time, work hours for the average employee have gone up! When looking to bring on that next individual, ensure they know what the expectations are in terms of time working, where boundaries are going to be set on the weekends and after 5:00, and how often they might be coming into the office. Again, coming into the office a few days a week might not be a bad thing (assuming safety measures are in place), but if the new hire isn’t expecting to come in and has a significant commute or a family that is staying home and needs help, this can be a deal-breaker. 

3) Engage the team as much as possible

What I often forget is that many of us spend more time with our colleagues at work than we do our families at home. If the recruiting process bypasses the team, how will we know what the chemistry is and whether or not we’ll enjoy the work we do with the people we spend so much time with. Instead of just talking to the leader or the recruiting manager, consider a meeting (or two) with the people the new hire will be working with most. Let them talk about the job, but also let them get to know each other and what their interests are. Especially in these times of change and uncertainty, it is important to know not just what we do at work, but who we are as people too, so that we can build a deeper sense of trust and community. 

As we all try to navigate an uncertain tomorrow, know that sometimes the fastest thing we can do to speed up human connection and really get it right is to slow down. Be sure to ask questions, get to know people, and offer ample time for any questions they might have. 

Questions to ponder:

1. Have I given enough time in the call to answer questions the interviewee might have?
2. Has the team had a chance to talk to this person?
3. What is the team’s communication style?
4. When will we be back in the office and can people go in now for a day or two a week?