Sarah JamesA few years ago, an interview for a job usually involved you traveling (often at your own expense) to the employer’s location, usually its offices, where you’d be interviewed in a meeting space or board room, before heading off again.
If you got the job, that routine would then be your 9-5, five days a week, and that was all very normal. Now though, we do job interviews from home, testing our WiFi connections in advance, setting up adequate lighting and ensuring our angles are on point before hitting “join meeting” and answering the dreaded “tell me about yourself” question.
But doing a remote interview and interviewing for a small role are two different things. Getting a job that offers hybrid or full remote work is a wishlist item for many now, and while 58% of Americans now have the opportunity to work from home some of the time on a hybrid basis, only 35% of them have the option to work from home five days a week.
The option to work remotely isn’t equal across the board. The survey also found that 61% of men say they were offered a remote work opportunity, but only 52% of women and 32% of transgender/nonbinary say they were offered flexible work options.
Age plays a factor, too, with 64% of the 25 to 34 age bracket offered a hybrid position, compared to 58% of those aged 35 to 54 and only 48% aged 55 to 64. Those with an advanced education degree are favored by hybrid employers, too, with 76% saying they were offered hybrid work, compared to only 50% for an associate degree and 48% for workers with some college education.
Paranoia About Productivity
Recent Microsoft research that “with the shift to hybrid work, 85% of leaders feel they have a hard time determining if their staff are being productive” further muddies the waters. But regardless of whether they were working in person, virtually, or a combination of both, 87% of workers claim to be productive at work.
This has caused productivity paranoia; Leaders think their staff is unproductive, whereas employees think they are being productive and, in many cases, even feel burned out.
For individuals whose tastes are firmly set on WFH, alarms are beginning to sound due to the abundance of tech layoffs throughout the spring and summer of this year and worries about an impending recession.
Things are looking pretty apparent because of the headwinds. Here are the strategies you should employ. To get a step ahead of the competition, ace an interview for a remote position, and ensure you keep the job once you obtain it.
Display your dependability during the Interview
Showing you’re a dependable worker. Is one of the best methods to demonstrate that you won’t be a source of productivity paranoia. Give instances where you’ve completed projects by the deadline or routinely met or exceeded expectations.
Display your organization skills
Nobody likes having to plan someone else’s schedule. You’ll be able to convince employers that you’re a good fit for remote work. If you give specific examples of how you’ve increased team. In terms of communication, streamlined processes, work schedules, or both.
Demonstrate your prowess in communication
Since you can’t just stroll over to someone’s workstation. And double-check a detail, remote work necessitates a little more back and forth than in-office work. How do you receive project and task confirmation? How do you keep your team updated on projects and provide your current manager with end-of-day or end-of-week briefing notes? Being transparent about your communication methods and keeping others informed is essential.
Display your independence during the Interview
Everyone requires help at work; that much is obvious. But since we do most of our job from home, we also need to be excellent time managers. What evidence can you provide to a potential employer? Make sure to explain how you use any specific time management tools or scheduling software if you utilize them. Demonstrate how you effectively use team meetings. As well as reduce “noise” by using specific Slack. Chat channels for any questions that may come up during the working day.