Question: Tips for Hiring a Virtual Employee

Looking for unique insight from experts on some of the best tips on how to find and hire the best-fit virtual workers. This is for an article that will be published on Spark Hire's home blog and promoted to over 10k subscribers/followers. Please answer the following questions:

1. What are your top tips for hiring virtual employees?
2. How does one assess a virtual candidate's ability to perform or fit within the company?

Expert Insight

Steve Smith

Business & Executive Coaching | Leadership & Management Coaching | Management Team Training | Organizational Expert

16 insights

Locating and hiring a virtual employee includes many of the same approaches as an on-site employee.

Here are my best tips for hiring a virtual employee:

1. Have a very clear, accurate position description.
2. Have systems that can measure and monitor the employee's work.
3. Go to your existing staff, clients, network or professional contacts to solicit candidates.
4. Interview your candidates using a video conferencing service.
5. Hold regular meetings with them using video conferencing.
6. Set up specific reporting and follow up expectations that your virtual employee is responsible for managing.
7. Pare your virtual employee with another staff member so they have a peer to connect with.
8. Keep them included on all announcements and communications, just as you would an on-site employee.

Bottom line, don't be overly consumed with how they are doing the work. Focus more on the result. If the results are not what you expect, examine how they are working.

I had a highly successful career in the consumer products manufacturing industry and held many executive level positions in sales, marketing and logistics designing strategies and developing people. I turned all that into a blossoming business and executive coaching business.