{"id":22948,"date":"2021-05-19T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T13:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxprocenter.proconnect.intuit.com\/?p=22948"},"modified":"2021-05-05T08:28:14","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T13:28:14","slug":"tips-for-finding-remote-employees-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accountants.intuit.com\/taxprocenter\/practice-management\/tips-for-finding-remote-employees-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"3 tips for finding remote employees during COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most tax and accounting firms, COVID-19<\/a> has been a significant catalyst for change. While some firms may not have thought about having remote employees<\/a> before March 2020, many have adapted to having their employees work remotely<\/a> from home. Hiring employees who may never step foot in your offices requires a recruitment process that is radically different from how you have typically found and hired employees. Here are three tips for finding remote employees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tip #1: Redefine your employees<\/b><\/p>\n

Finding and hiring employees the traditional way will not necessarily work when you look to hire remote employees. Traditional recruitment channels may result in finding employees who are best suited for working in an office environment. When hiring remote employees, you need to first start with redefining the job description and the type of candidate you are looking to attract for that position.<\/p>\n

Your job description should highlight key attributes that a remote employee would need to have in order to be successful, including organizational skills, time management<\/a>, and the ability to work with less direct supervision. Remote employees also need to be excellent communicators. Working remotely routinely requires employees to proactively communicate in a variety of ways and to be able to successfully communicate asynchronously with your co-workers as you both may not be working the same hours The job description should not only note that this job is for a remote position; it should also describe how your firm handles managing remote employees, whether there is any required travel to your offices, and any additional perks specific to remote work, such as a stipend for their home office<\/a>. Having your job description focused on how your company handles remote work will allow potential employees to get a sense of what to expect when working remotely for your company, and make it more likely to attract the employees you are trying to hire.<\/p>\n

Tip #2: Broaden your search channels<\/b><\/p>\n

When finding potential remote employees for your firm, it’s important to look beyond your normal search channels. If you typically post on traditional job boards or recruit through local headhunters, you will need to change how you advertise your remote position. Those more traditional channels will likely yield local candidates, but does not get your position out to those looking for remote work. Posting your position on remote-only job boards, or using social media<\/a> to get your position out to various groups or individuals across the country can yield better results and broaden your search base. A search channel that you might not think of is networking with your peers. One of the best ways to find remote employees is by talking to other firms and firm leaders. With firms looking to hire across the country, you might be able to find qualified candidates that might not have been a good hiring fit at another firm. Maybe a firm is only looking to hire in-office positions, but during their search, they may have found some qualified candidates that could only do remote work. By discussing your hiring needs and preferences with other firms and their leaders, you may be able to find talented candidates that fit your firm better.<\/p>\n

In my firm<\/a>, we have hired exceptional candidates I found by talking with other firm leaders. While you may think another firm is not just going to hand you resumes of qualified candidates, the reality is that every firm is different, and their hiring needs are also different. With this approach, you\u2019ll get the added benefit of having that firm qualify a candidate and understand what that candidate is looking for.<\/p>\n

Tip #3: Up level your interview process<\/b><\/p>\n

In trying to find and identify the right employees for your firm, your interview process needs to change to ensure that you are bringing the best talent into your firm that can succeed in a remote environment. Beyond the normal interview questions, your interview should also cover several other items:<\/p>\n