The Interior Designer’s Guide to the Remote Hiring Process - Episode 277

How do you navigate the remote hiring process for your interior design business? What should you include in the interview process? How do you retain a remote team once you hire them? Anna Shcherbyna joins Darla in this episode of Wingnut Social to tackle these questions head-on. 

Anna Shcherbyna has over 10 years of experience in international operations and recruitment. She is the CEO of Remotivate, a recruitment agency that helps remote-friendly companies hire top remote management and leadership via a done-for-you service. Don’t miss her expert insight! 

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[1:24] Housekeeping: Wingnut Webinar Announcement

[2:25] Subscribe to Designed by Wingnut Social on YouTube!

[2:52] Mini News Sesh: How to Boost Instagram Reels

[6:55] Learn all about Anna Shcherbyna

[8:30] How the pandemic accelerated remote hiring

[12:03] The best places to hire remote employees

[14:00] What to look for in a remote candidate

[16:41] How to screen candidates remotely

[22:27] The advantages of hiring internationally

[26:49] How remote hiring can apply to designers

[28:43] How to nail the remote hiring process

[32:32] Ways you can retain your remote employees

[34:48] The What Up Wingnut! Round

Connect with Anna Shcherbyna

Remotivate

Book a demo call with Anna!

Connect by email at [email protected]

Connect with Anna on LinkedIn

Resources & People Mentioned

August 24th at 11 am: Wingnut Webinar on Instagram Reels

VideoAsk

Remote 

CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder)

The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

Record your podcast episodes on Riverside

Why hire a remote workforce? 

As of early 2022, 50% of applicants on LinkedIn have been for remote jobs, but only 20% of the jobs posted are actually remote. The #1 reason why candidates are applying for new jobs is because they’re being forced back into the office. Why are employers still resistant to remote work? 

Anna points out that when people work remotely, productivity goes up, flexibility goes up, happiness goes up, and morale goes up. But the one thing that you do lose out on is that quickness of communication.

How to screen candidates remotely

Anna recommends that you screen for soft skills. It isn’t just about experience anymore. You can’t just look at someone’s resume and LinkedIn profile and determine if someone is a good fit. You need to look for a hunger to learn, time and effort, independence and drive, and someone who is self-motivated. 

Obviously, you still want to screen candidates to make sure they’re a good fit for the position you’re hiring for. To do this, Anna loves using VideoAsk. You can see if a candidate is comfortable on camera and better assess their passion and interest in the role. 

Anna also recommends using some personality tests (DiSC and Clifton Strengths, which was formerly StrengthsFinder). CliftonStrengths asks direct questions, such as what you enjoy—and what you don’t—and how you act in different scenarios. It’s harder for you to answer questions from the lens of what you think the potential employer wants. 

Lastly, she always recommends a test project that is actionable and strategically related to the position being hired for. Give them an actual scenario you’re facing within your business and ask them how they’d resolve it. What steps would they take? Have them create a strategic plan. 

What are the advantages of hiring a remote employee internationally? Anna shares a few factors you might not have considered!

How to nail the remote hiring process

Step #1: Start with a questionnaire that tackles what a candidate has experience in, the tools they’ve used, industries they’ve worked in, and more. It’s about covering the logistics. Doing this can eliminate 70% of the people applying. 

Step #2: Ask the remaining 30% to record a short video where they present themselves and answer a couple of questions that you’ve provided. 

Step #3: Set up a conversation with the potential team member, interact with the