Remote recruitment

Remote recruiting is the utilization of technology to interview, hire employees, source and connect with applicants regardless of their location.

Previously, some companies were reluctant to consider the possibilities of remote recruitment, due to concerns such as remote workers being difficult to manage and communicate with, and that without being managed in person, employees may be less productive.  

With the recent surge in companies adopting remote working, businesses are beginning to discover the benefits that accompany a remote working model. Employers and employees alike are enjoying the freedom, flexibility and money-saving opportunities.

The SMLWRLD recruitment journey

I am from South Africa and started working for London-based company SMLWRLD in February. Due to my location my interview, training and day-to-day working have been carried out remotely. 

Before I started with SMLWRLD, the company had hired Jasmin Castles, a Project Manager living in Australia, and have also recently hired two more Project Managers; Hussna Tariq and Nicole Baines-Knox, who both live in England. The entire recruitment process for all four of us has been carried out remotely by Managing Director Dan Jones, who lives in Scotland.

For me, the opportunity to work for a UK company from the comfort of my own home in SA has been invaluable. I wanted to speak with my colleagues who shared the experience, and with our Director, to compare their views with my own. 

The Interview process

From an employee’s point of view, Jasmin, Nicole, Hussna and myself all felt that the interview process was seamless and comfortable. Being in our own environments gave us a sense of reassurance, and encouraged us to act naturally throughout the interview.  

Dan – who interviewed us - A paragraph from Dan’s POV here

Training

The training was carried out via video tutorials and video calls with experienced colleagues, who were able to share their screens and deliver real-time training. The calls were also recorded, so that they could be referred back to.

Jasmin said that ‘being able to record the training made the process more efficient and easier, as you can go back to the recording to gather any information you may have missed’. 

Nicole pointed out that ‘with remote training there is the ability to have induction sessions and breathing time for you to absorb the information, making the training process more beneficial.’

Team relationships

Although there is a lack of ‘in person’ contact within SMLWRLD, we are able to make use of applications such as Microsoft Teams to communicate, and our intranet to collaborate on projects. By using the technology available to us we are still able to work as a team, and bond with our other colleagues. 

We all agreed that within SMLWRLD every individual is valued, and we are actively encouraged to reach out to our co-workers. Being in a positive environment with positive team members allowed us – as the new employees – to have no hesitation around asking for advice or assistance.

I have removed ‘Does remote recruitment work?’ as the points were closely related to previous articles and guides we have written on remote working.  

Conclusion

As employees, we all agree that we prefer to work remotely. Apart from the obvious benefits such as being able to wear comfortable clothing and spend more time with family,  it allows us to remain focused on tasks, and provides the benefit of being able to break away at times that suit us as individuals. Over time this means that you carve out your own productivity pattern. 

Initially we all faced concerns around isolation, but with the use of technology and regularly scheduled ‘catch-ups’ we are able to get to know our colleagues, and feel comfortable to reach out when we need to.

Dan added ‘a company that works remotely offers its employees a more balanced work/life ratio, which increases employee satisfaction and employee retention. It enables us to access a global talent pool, employ people from all over the world, and integrate them easily into the business. Having global employees has increased SMLWRLD’s reach, and we are now able to offer our services to customers all over the world, who can be assured that we are able to support them regardless of their time zone. Further to this, we have reduced our carbon footprint, our business expenses are lower, and there is an increase in productivity.’