Having a lot of Applicants sounds like a good thing, until you have to check all their resumes and portfolios. Can you imagine going through each in a candidate pool of dozens? Or several hundreds?

Sadly, some of these job seekers sent in applications despite not being qualified for the role. You end up wasting significant resources just to find the few who are actually worth considering. Also, spending too much time on screening may cause quality candidates to eventually change their minds.

To prevent these issues from happening, you must take steps to optimise your recruitment process early on. This way, you can quickly and easily find the best remote worker for the job, even if you do have to choose from a group of brilliant candidates. Here are several methods you can use:

Write a detailed job description

With this, you can deter unqualified individuals from applying. A listing that is too short and vague can be misinterpreted and lead some to think they’re right for the position. At the same time, avoid being too specific to the point that you’ll put off the right person from sending in their resume.

List down the years of experience, educational background or specific skills that you desire your future employee to have. Explain why these are necessary to achieving the long-term goals you’re aiming for. This will also give applicants an idea as to their workload or your expectations if they get hired.

Ask questions through the listing

If you’re posting the job vacancy through your own website, it’s a simple matter to list down questions you want answered in the cover letter. Some platforms like OnlineJobs.ph allow this too although you can’t post your email address directly.

Yes-no questions like “Have you created an SEO roadmap before?” or “Are you comfortable with time-tracking tools?” are highly preferable, especially for technical positions. Leave the essay type questions for when the applicant has passed the first stage of the hiring process.

Give additional instructions to follow

In addition to yes-no questions, you can ask aspiring individuals to follow a set of instructions to qualify as an applicant. You might want them to include a certain word or phrase in their cover letter or as the subject of their email to you.

You can also request materials such as writing samples or certificates of employment. If they’re unable to provide these, remove them from the pool. Gmail, Thunderbird and other email applications allow you to filter messages that contain the words or attachments you’ve asked for.

Perform initial background checks online

It should take only a few minutes to perform a basic background check on a potential virtual assistant. You can start by going over their Social Media profiles. LinkedIn is the best website to cross-check professional achievements.

If you can find them, take a peek at their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts as well. This provides valuable insight when you’re trying to fill in a social media, public relations, digital marketing or customer service position. See if they really know how to interact with people properly.

Conduct video or phone interviews

Since it’s impossible to have an in-person Interview for a remote position, do a video call or phone call instead. If you require your future VA to have a quiet place to interact with clients, a video conference is ideal so you can see what their setup is like.

For a job that doesn’t need to do video, a phone call may suffice. Use a tool like Skype or Zoom, and remember to record the conversation so you’ll have something to refer to if the person decides to reapply for a different job. Just make sure you get their permission first.

Determine their salary requirements

You might encounter a candidate who has all the skills and experience needed for the job you have in mind. The problem is that you can’t afford them, even if you try to negotiate for a lower rate. You’ll also meet individuals who say they can do everything and asks only for a very small fee. You might be surprised when you discover they aren’t what they claim to be.

While you can post the price range that you’re willing to pay along with the job description, there might be cases when you’re willing to negotiate for the right person especially for management positions. You can ask this during the interview to determine if they’re really worth the amount.

Seek referrals

If someone you trust, like a fellow entrepreneur or an existing employee, recommends that you hire certain individuals, concentrate on these applicants first. It’s likely that they’re a good fit for the job and are already familiar with the tasks.

People rarely ever refer anyone they’re not in favour of. Their reputation will also be affected if the worker turns out to be bad, after all. Of course, be careful about crowdsourcing or asking for suggestions on forums. Be sure it’s someone who’s familiar with your business, or with you as a boss.

How Many Are Left?

By following the super effective ways we’ve discussed above, you should have narrowed down your candidate pool considerably. You’ll also have second and third choices ready in case talks with your first option don’t follow through.

Remote Workmate can spare you the trouble, because we’ll do all the heavy lifting for you. We’ll create the listings and put them up. We can check the applicants and brief them about the job too. In this manner, you’ll only have to screen or interview a referral who has passed our stringent standards.