If you are interviewing for a remote job, the company’s culture becomes even more important. Why? The culture at the company will play a big role in how successful a person will be in such a job because collaboration, communication and teamwork become that much more important when everyone works remotely.
Here are some important questions to ask about the job to make sure the company is providing the support you need to be successful.
- What kind of hours will you be working?
Most people assume if they are working remotely that they would have greater flexibility with their hours, being able to decide when they work. But the opposite tends to be the case. You will need to establish a regular schedule, one that coincides with the rest of your team.
Another thing you need to take into account if everyone on your team is working remotely across different time zones is the communication set up among everyone. If the time zones are different, it may require you to work at times outside of traditional work hours.
- How many people are working remotely?
You need to determine how common remote work is within the company. Is everyone working remotely, or will you be one of just a few people who are working from home? If everyone is working remotely, you will be working under the same conditions as everyone else, with the same opportunities as everyone else.
If, however, you will be just one of a few who are working remotely, it is more likely that you will have to make the effort to ensure you remain connected and are not missing out on any opportunities.
- How do people communicate?
It is important to ask about your supervisor’s management style because this acquires even greater importance for remote workers. Your supervisor cannot just drop by your desk to fill you in on something or give you an update. So, how they plan to keep everyone working together and informed is of primary importance.
You also need to find out what kind of access you will have to your manager. Ideally, you want to have the same kind of access that you would if you were working in an office. How often does he or she have meetings, and what kind of network platform does the company use? Do managers communicate often individually with the people on their team? How often do team members communicate with each other
If you ask how the supervisor plans to keep you connected and informed while working remotely, and he doesn’t have a good answer, that should raise a red flag. This is exactly the kind of thing that should have been worked out. If it isn’t, it shows the company doesn’t value their remote workers as much.
- How would you get feedback?
Ask them how they plan to give feedback to remote workers. If they have no procedure worked out, you can suggest one to them, such as getting together every few weeks to talk about goals and performance. If they balk at this idea, this is another red flag that they are not ready to invest in the growth of their remote workers.
- How is the company improving the remote work environment?
Working remotely presents its own unique kinds of challenges and obstacles. The hiring manager should be able to describe how the company is responding to those problems and what they are doing to enhance the remote work environment.
If you’re looking for work – whether it’s a remote job or not – make sure to check out Helpmates’ latest job opportunities. If one or more appeal to you, apply online or contact the Helpmates branch nearest you.
