Remote employees are becoming increasingly common in businesses around the world. Recent situations have forced workers to stay out of offices, and companies have capitalized by making their work remote-viable.
However, while remote working does tend to lead to more productive workers, some are clearly more successful than others. On investigation within your own workforce, you can likely spot the most successful individuals. What's less noticeable is that these successful workers most likely share some common traits.
Thirteen members of Forbes Human Resources Council talk about the common characteristics of their most successful remote workers and offer insight into how to spot them in interviews.
Members share the most important traits to look for in remote hires.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Integrity
To truly succeed in a remote work environment an employee needs to have integrity and internal motivation. Ask the employee in the interview to describe past experiences where they had to complete a project without any oversight. Ask them how they motivated themselves. Ask them their definition of integrity and to describe a time when their integrity was challenged in a work setting. - Karla Bylund, Soaring Bird Solutions LLC
2. Agility And Passion
Successful remote workers are self-motivated and agile. They are extremely passionate people who can pump themselves up and get themselves inspired because they are self-aware and go after their aspirations. They are also flexible in where, when and how they work. They don't let the little things get to them. - Lotus Buckner, NCH
3. Personal Accountability
Remote employees need to have deeply-ingrained personal accountability. This means delivering on commitments and demonstrating that they can be relied upon to achieve results. Accountable employees don't seek excuses or the easy way out. The best way to identify this during the interviewing process is to ask a candidate to provide examples of how they have demonstrated strong accountability. - Heide Abelli, Skillsoft
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4. Self-Awareness And Grit
It used to be strong communication and drive. Now, self-awareness and grit are traits I look for. To succeed, they'll need a firm grip on strengths and weaknesses. I'll ask the candidate to tell me about a time when they wanted to blame someone else for something that went wrong, but instead, responded with what they did to cause the issue. Also, I ask them to share one of the hardest things they've ever had to overcome. - Sidney Bruce, Everee
5. Self-Motivation
More than ever, being self-motivated is key to being successful. When you are in the office, you can be energized by the people around you and the pace of the office. Working from home, it can be very easy to be distracted. I look for people who have overcome real hardships in their life and, as a result, developed strong perseverance. - Thach Nguyen, SWORD Health
6. Drive And Collaboration
All remote workers need to be results-driven, proactive, collaborative and have excellent problem-solving skills. We provide situational-based questions to assess these candidates. Lastly, we are also asking candidates if they can permanently work from home in case we never go back to the office. - Jacqlyn Nedvin, Autism Speaks Inc.
7. Independence
The proven ability to be autonomous and operate independently are critical in a remote-first world. No longer can a manager look over their employee's shoulder and be constantly available to help them stay focused and on track. Behavioral questions that get at self-direction, independence, motivation and drive will help identify those candidates who are most likely to work well remotely. - Tracy Cote, Zenefits
8. Self-Management And Initiative
Self-management skills and initiative are the most essential qualities for a remote worker. The best question to pose at a job interview to determine whether a candidate has these skills is, "How do you schedule your week?" If you understand self-management you will have the answer readily at hand because you know that you divide your days into brackets that you’re very conscious of. - Anne Iversen, TimeXtender
9. Communication
Proven communication and self-motivation skills are essential for successful remote working. While working remotely you need to be proactive, know what your goals are and how to achieve them and communicate with your team, peers and superiors more often and more focused than within an office environment. - Reinhard Guggenberger, Soaring Fox Consulting
10. Discipline And Dedication
The one quality I have learned that remote work takes is discipline for yourself, along with the dedication to the company. I have noticed that working from home is a longer day than actually working in the office, has more distractions and takes a lot more focus. If you can find this in your employees, then you can succeed with a work-from-home environment. - Melissa Bolton, Perlon Hahl Inc.
11. Time Management
Employees who successfully manage the remote work environment are great at time management. The day seems never-ending with video meetings, calls, email and project work. Employees that are able to manage their calendar and make efficient use of their time are happier and able to accomplish a lot during the workday without feeling like they are always working. - Jennifer Marszalek, Working Credit NFP
12. Responsiveness
Responsiveness is key. Remote work can give the illusion of not being timely and responsive. Not because the employee is a poor communicator, but because they do not have the luxury of popping into their co-worker’s office for a quick chat, brainstorming session, etc. Asking candidates about the proven methods and strategies they use to provide frequent and timely communication is a must. - Jennifer Beezer, SPHR, SHRM-CP, FOREO Inc.
13. Personal Leadership
Employees who have a strong sense of personal leadership thrive both in the office and while working remotely. They don't necessarily have to be managing others, but they must have the ability to analyze situations on their own, commit to a plan of action, communicate progress or issues, and take full responsibility for the outcome of their efforts. - Angela Nguyen, Good Gummy
