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How To Assess An Employer During A Remote Hiring Process

How To Assess An Employer During A Remote Hiring Process

During a traditional hiring process, one where you interview with a prospective employer in person, it is pretty easy to get a feel for the company. You get to see how co-workers interact with each other, what the office environment is like, and get a general feeling for the company. However, with most interviewing processes becoming remote, it can be challenging to understand these things and evaluate if this company is a good fit. If you are trying to determine if a company you are interviewing with is a good match, here is how to assess an employer during a remote hiring process.

Do your due diligence

Before you even apply for a job, take some time to do your due diligence for the company. Check out their website and read their mission, vision, and any information you can find about their culture. You can typically find this information on “about us” or “career” pages. See if they have a blog or social media to find some behind-the-scenes posts about their team. You may even get some great examples of how their team interacts or bonds with one another while working remotely. 

If you want some examples of the company’s culture from the horse’s mouth, take a look at company reviews. You can find reviews from current and past employees on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Google. Take a few minutes to read some reviews and see what employees are commenting about their culture.

Ask specific questions during your interview

One of the best ways to get a feel for a company during a remote hiring process is to ask specific questions. You will likely have some questions you want to ask the hiring manager or recruiter after doing your research. Write these down and prepare yourself to ask them during your interview (if they don’t already come up naturally). These questions must be specific to be effective. If you ask cookie-cutter questions like “what is your company culture like?”, you will get generic answers. Ask questions about the things that matter to you – the aspects of an employer that will impact your decision to work there or not.

Here are a few good example questions you can ask:

  • What was the most significant obstacle your company had to overcome after the pandemic hit?
  • How does your team remain close, even when working remotely?
  • How has your company culture changed with parts of the team working remotely?
  • What does the team do for fun with the lack of in-person activities?

Pay attention to what you can

With a remote hiring process, it is more challenging to pick up on red flags or cues. However, as you navigate through the process, you have to pay close attention to what you can. Observe body language during virtual interviews to gauge the excitement of the team and hiring manager. Are they excited to meet with you and have positive energy? Or does everyone seem disengaged and act as they’d rather be anywhere else? Interviews are serious interactions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t determine if the team gets along well with each other and has fun.

Looking for more job search tips?

These are three ways you can assess an employer during a remote hiring process. If you are looking for more job-search advice, take a moment to review our candidate resources! We have hundreds of useful tips to help you excel through your job search. Or, if you are ready to find a new opportunity that’s right for you, take a look at our job board.

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