Hiring for remote jobs can be a challenge, to say the least. It’s almost impossible to determine who you’re actually speaking with on the other end of the computer until you schedule an actual video call. Sometimes, getting that far isn’t easy.
From communication issues to no-show virtual interviews, we can safely say that while remote work is highly desired, it’s also hard on a hiring team! Artificial intelligence bots like ChatGPT or the Bing Chat Bot can benefit anyone hiring for a remote position.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the common problems that pop up for HR and Talent Acquisition teams and how AI can help.
The Challenges of Remote Hiring
If you’re currently on a remote hiring team, you know the challenges the hiring process can bring too well. If you’re new to remote hires, here are a few standard problems you might run into.
Limited Candidate Pool:
When you hire on a remote basis, your team might have a smaller pool of qualified candidates to choose from, as the boundaries of geography do not limit them. Even if your company has decided to hire within one area only, such as a specific state or city, you’re still bound to get more applicants because they don’t have to worry about the commute.
No In-Person Interaction
It’s not unheard of for remote hires to never meet with the hiring team face-to-face. Although Zoom and Google Meet meetings can be helpful, evaluating soft skills, company culture fit, and overall demeanor is still tricky. The benefits of meeting someone in-person aren’t there, so the hiring team must be more intuitive.
Technical Problems:
We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of a meeting, such as an interview, and you encounter technical difficulties surrounding your connectivity or software platforms that refuse to work. When we get up and go to work remotely, we rely heavily on technology. While these issues are expected occasionally, it gets very frustrating when they’re constant.
Communication Barriers:
Communication can be a serious challenge for some remote hiring teams, especially when working across different time zones or speaking various languages. Again, technology has come a long way in helping us break these barriers down, but we’re bound to come in contact with them now and again. The best thing you can do in this situation is to be proactive and have a backup plan.
Evaluation Difficulty:
A remote hiring team could find it challenging to evaluate work samples or portfolios that applicants submit, especially if you can’t see the work in person. In some cases, it might seem like the work submitted does not match the mannerisms or grammar of the candidate. Sorting through the portfolio can be overwhelming.
Trust Issues:
As a hiring team member or manager, you might struggle with trusting candidates you’ve never met in person, and that’s completely normal and to be expected. There’s obviously a higher risk of fraud or misrepresentation, but there are also tools that can help you identify such things. Either way, you want to practice your intuitive nature and be aware of the warning signs of someone misrepresenting who they truly are.
To overcome these challenges, remote hiring teams may need to adopt new strategies and tools to evaluate candidates effectively, communicate clearly, and build trust with potential hires. ChatGPT and other AI platforms can be of massive help.
How ChatGPT Helps Your Remote Hiring Strategy:
If you plan to hire remote candidates, you need a solid strategy in place. The process will become much easier when you and your team know the plan and follow it accordingly whenever you post an open position or speak with a new applicant.
While AI platforms can’t replace your human resources or hiring manager’s expertise, they can be of great assistance. Here’s how.
Providing Interview Questions:
A list of common interview questions for remote positions can help you and provide tips on conducting compelling virtual interviews. If you’re unsure what to ask, it’s crucial to get some ideas and run them by your team before you start the interview process. Ask questions that will give you a good idea of how they will fit the open position and your company culture.
Evaluation Methods:
ChatGPT can recommend methods for evaluating your remote candidates. If you need advice on reviewing work samples or conducting behavioral assessments, AI is a good resource, as it can pull many methods from every corner of the internet, acting as a phenomenal place to start your research. No matter what, you’ll have to pay close attention to how your face-to-face, albeit virtual, connections match up with work samples and other paperwork.
Onboarding Advice:
Onboarding for a remote company can be a hassle, and AI chats can advise you on onboarding and establishing clear communication channels with your candidates. Set expectations for remote work, and make it evident to your onboarding applicants that you won’t accept anything less. Remote work requires dedication and discipline.
Communication Tools:
ChatGPT can suggest communication tools to help your remote team stay connected for effective collaboration. Video conferencing platforms or project management software programs are necessary for your remote hiring team, and it’s almost impossible for you to communicate with each other without them. Choosing one can be overwhelming, as many are available, primarily since the boom of remote work job positions. ChatGPT can give you the specifics that will help you narrow down the technology that will work for you!
Providing Guidance:
AI can provide sufficient guidance on the practices you should follow for remote hiring. It would be best to build a strong employer brand to attract a high-quality talent pool. You’ll want to offer competitive compensation packages, promote a stellar work-life balance, and clarify your job description. In fact, AI can help you write a job description that catches the eye of your targeted talent demographic, using keywords and phrasing to attract the right audience.
Resume Screening:
ChatGPT can’t screen resumes you upload, which would be nice, but it can point you in the right direction if you ask specific questions regarding said resume. You need to figure out if the qualifications make sense, and AI can get you there by informing you of the skills the perfect candidate should have. Remember, nobody is perfect, but you want someone compatible with your open position.
Interview Scheduling:
AI platforms can point you in the right direction regarding interview scheduling, especially if you’re in different time zones. There are bot programs available that will automatically schedule interviews for you, and ChatGPT can give you insight into which of those work the best for your purposes.
Reference Checks:
Reference checks are essential to any job, and remote positions are no exception to that rule. Carrying out reference checks can be challenging if you don’t know where to start, but it’s essential. Although it’s not the end all be all of the information regarding references, it’s a great place to start. AI can tell you which questions to ask your potential employee references and give you additional tool suggestions for reaching out.
AI Platforms and Your Remote Hiring Process
ChatGPT can’t replace your human team, as it lacks emotional intelligence and has limited industry-specific knowledge, but it can genuinely help you choose the right employees for your company. Overall, AI will assist you in asking the questions that need to be asked and setting up a strict and streamlined process that will make things easier for everyone involved!