What Is The Key To Managing Your Time And Schedule
The benefits of remote work include increased autonomy, independence, and flexibility, making effective time management, schedule adherence, and organization crucial skills for remote workers. Interviewees should have a proven track record of task prioritization and successful time management, demonstrating the ability to focus on the appropriate aspects of a job and complete assignments on time.
What Are Your Interests And Hobbies
This is a question that I was asked in my remote interview. A simple question with a simple answer. When asked this, let your interviewer know of all the things you like to do when not working. From reading to watching movies, playing games, and gardening, anything that is your hobby takes place in this answer.
What you might not realize is that this question isnt just a regular get to know you better question. The interviewer is trying to gauge if youre a good cultural fit for the company. Even though youre applying for a remote job, there will be other people in your team and organization that youll interact with on a daily basis. Knowing your interests helps the interviewer understand if youll gel well with other employees in the company or not.
Dont make anything up. If youre not a reader, but you say reading is your hobby, a follow-up question will be, what are your favorite books? Youll get stuck if youre just saying things to create an impression. Be honest about your passion and hobbies, even if you think theyre unusual.
My answer was simple. Reading, playing musical instruments, and playing MOBA games. Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty was the book I was reading at the time and League of Legends and Mobile Legends were the games. What followed was an interesting conversation on games and books.
Whats The Most Important Thing You Can Do To Make A Project Successful When Youre Working Remotely
This interview question will give you an idea of how a candidate approaches a project when theyre not able to collaborate in-person. Perhaps they like to ask a lot of questions up front. Perhaps they stay in touch with their manager and coworkers at every step in the process, so everyones on the same page. Or maybe they have a particular gift for managing expectations around timelines. Their answers will give you a sense of their communication style and approach to complex projects, as well as what kind of a collaborator they will be.
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How Do You Overcome Moments When You Lack Motivation
Instead of the usual question regarding how to stay motivated, this question provides an additional piece of information about an employees ability to overcome failure in a position of remote work. Typically, an interviewee is caught off guard by this question because they have to come to terms with the fact that they will indeed run into moments when they lack motivation which is difficult to admit. However, its very common in remote work and at-home employees have to be able to self-motivate, so this question will give valuable insight into how well a potential hire can do that.
Kristaps Brencans, Chief Marketing Officer, On The Map
The bestinterview questions require a bit of introspection or catch candidates off guard, but are still relevant to the job. This is a great way to gain authentic insight into what drives a potential new hire.
How Do You Ensure You’re Communicating Effectively Throughout Your Day
Remote work is mainly independent, so the interviewer wants to know how you ensure your managers and teammates are up-to-date on your contributions and how you make decisions on the job. Give examples of how you dedicate time to regular communication sessions and the tools you use to ensure you and your team are staying in touch.
Example:“I always start the workday with a quick update in my company’s communication channel to let my teammates and supervisor know what I’m working on for the day. For something that requires immediate communication, I mainly use our instant messaging platform. I keep my team leads updated with weekly emails of my progress, what I’ve completed for the week and any additional information that I need to pass along. If I feel like I’ve missed something, I immediately reach out to whoever I need to. Doing this has helped me avoid miscommunication and stay on track with important information.”
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How Do You Stay Productive And Focused
The biggest argument against remote work for years has been its potential impact on productivity.
Despite several studies over the years and employees themselves asserting the contrary, some employers still worry we cant get work done without direct supervision.
aspect that cannot be overlooked is level of maturity and work ethic, said Rahal.
Be prepared for questions that help interviewers assess these qualities, and respond with examples to show that you:
- Take initiative.
- Stay on top of work with minimal supervision.
- Self-assess your productivity levels.
- Make adjustments when your productivity slips.
Sonya Schwartz, founder of dating and relationship site Her Norm, said supervision isnt a concern for her.
When I hire my staff, I really put my trust in them, she said. Whether they get supervised or not, I am more after the quality of their deliverables.
Inspire that kind of trust in your interviewer by sharing specific tactics you use to work efficiently and effectively in any environment.
How Do You Unwind After A Stressful Day At Work
This might seem like an odd one, but nowadays, I think its important to get a mental snapshot of the way in which employees treat work. Especially with remote positions, its important for me to know that they have a clear work/life distinction and will approach their job professionally. Ive found that people who havent put much thought into this distinction tend to struggle with more complex job roles.
Mental health is a priority for many employers. But your company can only do so much to control employees workload and balance their remote workday. Its critical candidates recognize the importance of putting down the stress of work and regrouping after a hard day in the home office.
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How Long Have You Been Working Remotely
Experience matters when youâre hiring someone for a job, and it extends to an intervieweeâs experience as a remote worker when searching for remote talent. Someone adapted to working in a home office understands what it takes to succeed and be reliable and happy in a virtual work environment. Start by asking a candidate how long theyâve been working remotely, then transition to more specific questions to allow them to elaborate.
What Can I Expect The Day
If you havent already discussed this, ask your interviewer what a typical day or week would look like. Not only will this give you a sense of the role, but it might also prompt your interviewer to picture you in the job.
The answer could also spark more conversation. If part of the day involves writing articles, for instance, you might share talk about how you spent mornings writing in your last job and discovered the hours when you were laser-focused.
Asking about the day-to-day responsibilities will help you understand what the work will involve beyond the broad strokes picture you got in the job description.
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Choose A Quiet Place For The Remote Interview
Avoid public places. Have your interview at your home, in the quietest room with the best light.
If your home is too noisy, then go to a friends house. It will look highly unprofessional if your kids make a racket in the background or if the TV is on. Try to have a quieter place for the interview as it adds to your image formation in the interviewer’s eyes.
Internet calls are not always smooth, so speak clearly and keep your end of the line noise-free. All this will only make you look responsible in front of the interviewer.
Whats Your Personality Type Do You Like To Work Around People Or Do You Prefer Working Alone
This question has no right answer. You can be an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert. It doesnt matter because remote work can work for everyone. So, whats your interviewer trying to understand with this one?
This question is asked to understand your work style. Will you be a good team player or better with individual tasks that dont require much direction? The interviewer wants to know the role youll fit in. No matter the answers you give, dont appear needy for physical presence. Thats the one thing that will showcase that youre not comfortable without the physical presence of people around you when it comes to work.
If you do like talking to a lot of people, you can always express that youll make good use of the virtual platform to get in touch with your coworkers to plan team activities!
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Since This Team Is Remote Whats Your Approach To Communication What Methods Do You Use To Keep People Connected And Enable Collaboration
As a remote employee, youll probably need to know how to use communication apps, such as Slack, Zoom, Asana, Skype, and of course, email. Asking about the channels of communication will show that youre interested in how the team interacts.
You might even share an idea for a new technology that enables collaboration across different locations.
Market Yourself As The Most Accessible And Responsive Candidate
As a candidate, the key is to market yourself as someone who understands, better than anyone else, that dependability and reliability are must-have characteristics. During business hours, show that youre someone whos available via collaboration tools or by phone.
Highlight instances when you made yourself accessible and responsive to coworkers, bosses, and clients. Give concrete examples of what you did, what technology you used, and how you solved the problem.
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How Do You Structure Your Work Schedule How Do You Stay Focused When Remote What Is The One Thing You Struggle With
Knowing how candidates work — and how they work best — matters, whether remote or on-site. So does understanding how they overcome the challenges of remote work.
In addition, Kiera makes a video interview — not just a phone interview — a requirement. That way she can see how they present themselves, and how structured their office space is.
An unstructured space isn’t always a problem, but generally speaking, people who have worked to at least control their space in the way that works best for them do tend to perform better.
While not a perfect guide, it is at least an indication.
Smart Questions To Ask Recruiters Before An Interview
by VanHack Admin | Oct 26, 2021 | VanHack
Recruiters are a vital link for those looking to learn more about a prospective employer. Whether youre directly seeking out a recruiter or if youve been paired with one after submitting an application, these people are great resources.
Recruiters can provide insight about a company so that you can get the inside scoop about the culture and mission. But be aware that talking to a recruiter doesnt mean that youve gotten the job. Theyre the first step towards getting an interview.
Knowing which questions to ask a recruiter can help you get a better idea if the position and company is a good match. Here are ten of the most important questions to discuss when meeting with a recruiter.
1. What details can you provide about the job?
After you know the basic details about the position, dont be afraid to ask more specific questions. This is also a great time to get insight about company values and cultures as well as the daily life of an employee.
Some key questions to ask include:
- What are some of the specific projects Ill be working on?
- Who will I be working with?
- Whats the company culture like?
- What kind of role is the position?
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How Has The Organization Overcome Challenges With Remote Work
Its unrealistic to expect a company to create a flawless remote work environment instantaneously. But you can expect your potential peers, managers, and company leadership to recognize and acknowledge challenges and make an effort to overcome them . If an interviewer is able to talk openly about whats been difficult and what meaningful steps the team has taken to adjust, that can also be a good signal for how theyll handle any other problems that might arise in the future.
Asking your potential manager this question is all about the phrasing. So keep the tone positive. Youll find out things that are going on, but ask in a way that youre not sitting as a judge, but as a team member, Klimkiewicz says.
What Resources Do You Need For Your Home Office To Help You Succeed In A Remote Position
The interviewer may want to know if you have everything you need to perform the job effectively and successfully. If the job requires something that you don’t have access to yet, let the interviewer know. They want to support staff and ensure everyone has the tools they need to meet objectives and make their work more efficient.
Example:“I rely on a VPN for company work, and I sync my calendar to my work calendar so I can keep track of all my events, meetings and brainstorm sessions. Additionally, I find that I thrive with proper communication channels, document sharing and video calls to go over reports and data with my team and managers. With document sharing, I find that it’s easy to organize and maintain important files efficiently. I do feel that a separate phone line would be more conducive to my home office, so that’s something that I will be doing in the future.”
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Tell Me About A Time When You Had A Conflict With A Coworker
The employer wants to know whether you can recover if things break down, Leech says. Disagreements are inevitable, so knowing how to navigate and defuse misunderstandings before they get out of hand is an incredibly important skillespecially when youre part of a remote team. Coworkers who see one another on a regular basis tend to have more opportunities to resolve misunderstandings, while folks who work from home will need to be more proactive about getting things straightened out when conflicts arise.
How Do You Prepare For Meetings And Facilitate Meetings What Do You Make Sure To Do During A Meeting
Just as communication is crucial when you work remotely, meetings are also huge. Because you wont have those chance encounters in the elevator or informal conversations in the lunch room, you have to take full advantage of the limited time you do have during video or phone meetings with team members. And your future employer wants to know that you know how to do that.
Leslie says:My top tips for remote meetings are:
- Always create an agenda. Without an agenda, meetings can go awry fast.
- Stay on time as much as possible. When you have two-hour long meetings, it can be easy to dread them!
- Do time checks with 15 minutes to go before the end of the meeting to stay on track and then 5 minutes to go to define next steps.
- Ask everyone for their input. Just like in a real meeting, sometimes people can hang back and not add their perspective so do a round robin to ask everyone to contribute to the conversation!!
And, if you want to really impress your future remote employer when you answer this question and in your remote interview in general, dont miss Leslies fantastic blog post Tech Tips for a Stress-free Video Interview.
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Would I Be Working Traditional Office Hours If Not What Are The Hours
If youre a full-time employee of the company, remember that flexibility in where you work doesnt necessarily translate to flexibility in when you workso ask about your teams schedule and the expectations around yours.
Its a common misconception that if youre working remotely, you get to pick and choose your own hoursand its quite the opposite, says Ashlee Anderson, a certified professional career coach at Work From Home Happiness. In many cases, youll have to maintain some sort of consistent and regular office hours, and those hours will depend on your teams schedule.
If the team is fully distributedmeaning everyone is remoteAnderson also recommends asking the recruiter or your potential manager how the team collaborates across time zones. That way, youll discover if working outside of 9-to-5 office hours will be a requirement of your role.
Ask The Question But Tread Lightly
Its OK to ask about remote work arrangements in a job interview, but the key is to do so unobtrusively. A good way to broach the topic is to ask the question on a general basis, along the lines of: Do most of your employees work full-time from the office, or is there a lot of telecommuting? Posing the question this way will make it sound like youre asking from a place of curiosity rather than demand.
If your interviewer responds by saying that remote work is largely supported, you might choose to leave things at that. After all, if most of the companys employees get to telecommute, why would you be the one exception?
That said, if not being able to telecommute is a major deal-breaker for you, you might follow up that general question with a more loaded, Do you think the role Im applying for is conducive to a similar arrangement? Its not an outlandish question to ask, and with any luck, youll get the answer youre looking to hear. That said, you might choose to qualify your question by asking: Do you think the role Im applying for is conducive to a similar arrangement once Im up to speed? This way, youre making it clear that youre flexible, and that you dont necessarily expect to be given the same freedom that companys seasoned workers have earned.
This article originally appeared on The Motley Fool and is reprinted with permission.
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