As we discussed in our recent articles, one of the main reasons we prefer to operate as a distributed business, with a fully remote team, is that we can tap into a global talent pool.

It’s easy to understand the benefits.

People don’t need to be around a specific area for us to hire them. We operate globally so we can hire globally.

On paper, having access to a global workforce, without limits sounds good. It’s fantastic that we can hire the best people regardless of where they live. However, in real life, the story looks a bit different.

Having such a big talent pool we can choose from has its challenges! We have to be careful with our hiring process.

There are five main insights that I can give you if you’re hiring remotely. These strategies have worked for us, and I believe that they can work for ANY hiring setup you do, regardless of the position you are trying to fill up.

Do the hiring yourself

It sounds obvious, but not everyone understands the fact that hiring someone is a challenging, time-consuming process. It should be. You’re adding someone to your team and it has to be the right person for the position.

Big companies work with recruitment agencies, and medium-sized companies have HR departments because the hiring process is so hard and time-consuming. We don’t have a dedicated HR department at KISSPatent, but we prefer to keep it that way because we believe it’s more personal. It’s a luxury we can have now that we’re a small team, we take advantage of it meeting our candidates personally.

Create a great job ad

Our hiring process starts with a great job ad. Now, every job ad is different, but make sure yours will reflect the following:

Company profile. Explain why people should apply to work with you, explain how you work, and add details about your team culture
Job requirements. Tell applicants about the tasks they’ll be performing, what they need to know, and any other details you need people to know
Their place in your team. Be transparent about the salary, benefits, and terms

In terms of where to post, we have our preferences but that might differ from your needs. We usually favor job boards that are remote-only like RemoteOK or Remotive, since people that look for jobs there might be more aligned with us.

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Have a predefined process

Define a robust process for every position — I recommend a 3-step approach:

1. Recruitment screening, or initial screening

If you wrote a great job post, and posted it to job boards, you should have applicants coming in. Ask as much information as you can — make sure that only committed applicants will apply, and fewer people will send their CV via a template cover letter. Automatically disqualify everyone who didn’t apply according to your terms.

Imagine who the best applicant would be for the position. You probably receive applicants that are close to that and others who are just slightly fitting to your needs. If you have doubts about a person at this stage, they should be disqualified - you don't want to waste time on applicants who won't be the right one at the end of the day.

2. Test work to evaluate the necessary skills

Regardless of the position you’re hiring for, there should be test work involved. Test the crucial skills and expertise needed for the job. For example, when we were hiring for our marketing manager position, the test involved writing an article and creating social media posts.

Consider that this will help the applicant better understand what kind of tasks will be expected of them. Remember job applications are a two-way process. The candidate is also considering if you are a good fit for them.

All applicants should have the same terms: the same amount of time to solve the test, the same requirements and brief for the test, and the corresponding deliverables. It ensures that you can evaluate everyone’s test work with the same process.

3. Screening interview

Those who completed the test work and meet your standards should jump into a screening call. The more senior the position is, the higher number of screening interviews you should do with one candidate. How to conduct a proper screening interview is an art form of its own — it depends on your needs, your company, your style.

The interviews at KISSPatent, similar to our remote meetings, are not super uptight and they serve as an opportunity to understand how a person would fit into our team culture.

At the end of the screening interview, you will end up with a smaller list of possible applicants — which can help you make a better decision.

Working remotely shouldn’t be the motivation—it should be the perk.

To be able to work remotely with us is one of the best perks we can offer as a company. However, it shouldn't be the primary motivation for the applicant to work with us. It leads to several other insights, which are essential to discuss.

1. Prefer candidates that have remote work experience

Those who have worked remotely for more than half a year, at least, will have a better grasp of how it is to work this way (and if they’re good at it). Working remotely requires a different mindset: people have to be more confident in their time management skills, they have to be independent, and they have to be reliable.

If someone spent at least half-a-year working remotely, it is a good sign that they can be "able to survive" in a remote-only working environment.

2. Skip the freelancers

I’d recommend working with freelancers on very specific tasks that don’t require their constant involvement. If a job requires a part-time commitment, hire a part-time employee, don't delegate it to a freelancer. The remote world is filled with freelancers — you want someone to be part of your team as a full team member. A freelancer is a supplier, not a team member. Make sure when you hire remotely, you hire employees, not freelancers.

3. Cultural fit is essential, you’re hiring humans!

Skills are the bottom line for the application, but you should hire someone with the right mindset and chemistry with your team. Make sure you hire only those who enrich your team culture, not distort it. Chemistry is essential, even online.

Take it slow, but act fast

Your remote hiring process should be very well-thought, in-depth, and efficient. I’m personally a big believer in the "hire slow, fire fast" mindset. If you take your time to find the perfect candidate for your job opening, you will be much more satisfied with your team in the long term. The more time you spend on the hiring, the less time you need to work on team adjustments.

When you have found the right applicant, hire quickly — the sooner you start the full onboarding process with the candidate, the sooner you will have a growing team with full capacity.

We take great pride in sharing our team culture with everyone!

Make sure you check out our Careers page to learn what are the main benefits of working with us. We also post our new job openings there — subscribe to our newsletter to get notified early!

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