With Covid-19 still around (and evolving), it appears remote interviewing and remote work are also here to stay. This, in turn, is resulting in a changed workplace, with companies scrambling to fill remote vacant positions (made worse by the Great Resignation), and job-seekers looking for more flexibility in their remote work.
Without the benefits of an in-person interview (like a handshake feel, as an example), both employer and candidate are striving to develop new strategies to determine if the other is a good fit, from a distance.
While the internet has a zillion tips on how to size up skills, emotional intelligence, etc, from the perspective of remote work only, some specific questions that I have found useful include
Have you worked remotely in the past?
Where do you prefer working from, home or the office?
How do you schedule your workday, when working remotely?
If you have worked remotely, what were the challenges? How did you overcome these challenges?
While working remotely, can you remember a time when something unexpected or distracting came up? What was it, and how did you respond?
Tell me about your worst Zoom nightmare. What happened, and how did you respond?
How do you focus on your goals and tasks, while working from home?
How do you switch off from work?
Have you worked with a remote distributed team? How did you make it work?
How do you feel about starting a new role, where your team is dispersed?
What’s the most important thing you can do to make a project successful when you’re working remotely?
What are the various communication tools you have used, when working remotely? Which is most effective and productive?
What have you been doing to stay current, since you started working remotely?
Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a remote coworker. How did you handle and resolve it?
Are you willing to travel occasionally to the office, when needed?
How many of you recruiters have used such questions? What about you candidates? Have you encountered such questions? Are you equipped with suitable answers?