The COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge game-changer in the way people work and businesses operate. In 2019, 6.5 percent of the American workforce in the private business sector worked from home. The pandemic ushered in an immense experiment in full-time remote work. According to the ACS, or the American Community Survey, the percentage of remote work came down slightly as the social distancing policies were withdrawn. However, the overall trend has continued to grow.
By 2025, the share of remote workers have grown to 48% worldwide. In the US alone, more than 32.6 million people are working remotely, which is about 22% of the national workforce. The rise in remote work can be seen across industries, but it is the highest in the technology sector.
Remote working is here to stay. Businesses need to find the best talent for their distributed teams, as project success and business growth depend heavily on having a competent team of developers who are able to meet the requirements efficiently. But many HR professionals face a stiff challenge when they recruit technical remote IT specialists. It is important to remember that the foundation is still the key to finding the right people.
Here’s how to assess technical skills when hiring remote developers –
Ensuring that the candidate has the specific technical skills needed – Before conducting any test or interview, identify the programming skills of the remote work candidate and match them with the project requirement. Remember, each project may demand different technologies. Thus, it is critical to understand your needs.
Analyze the programmer's portfolio – The portfolio will contain details of past contributions and projects done by the candidate. It will showcase the person’s expertise and coding abilities. You will gain knowledge on the project complexities handled, the range of technologies used, and the coding style.
Look at the GitHub account – GitHub is an internet platform where developers can host, review, and collaborate. You will find more than 100 million developers on the platform. Look at the GitHub account when hiring technical help. A strong profile will mean several contributions to open-source projects. Developers who contribute to open-source platforms demonstrate commitment to sharing knowledge.
Ask about Stack Overflow – Stack Overflow is another online platform that is popular with developers. It is a place to share knowledge on software development and coding. Assess the person’s eagerness to learn and improve continuously through Stack Overflow usage. Find people who provide answers and contribute regularly. Find people with expertise in specific technologies.
Live coding interviews – Many resumes contain misleading information. Thus, it is essential to conduct live coding interviews to verify claims. Carry out face-to-face coding challenges through video calls to find the best candidates. Through this interactive approach, you will be able to see how a candidate handles coding challenges in real time. This will give you valuable knowledge into the person’s problem-solving skills and strategies, and critical thinking abilities. You can also assess the coding speed.
Programming tests – These tests are similar to live coding interviews. However, there is no real-time interaction. This test is a pre-designed assessment with the focus on checking specific technical skills related to the job. Its purpose is to check the person’s understanding of the job requirements and coding skills. You can evaluate the coding skills objectively.
Self-Discipline & Time Management
Time management and self-discipline are very important, especially when the tech help is working remotely. To find out whether the candidate can work effectively without supervision, look for self-motivation and self-discipline personality traits. Find out whether the person has problem-solving skills and demonstrates initiative.
Important traits to observe –
Motivation and self-discipline – Can the person focus on the task for a long time and remain productive despite work pressure?
Initiative – Can the person find solutions without being told what to do regularly?
Time management – Can the person manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, and use tools to remain organized? Is the candidate adept at completing work within the deadline?
Problem solving – Is the person good at identifying issues, analyzing components, and can he/she come up with effective solutions to problems?
Confidence – Does he or she have the confidence to arrive at decisions independently when facing difficult choices?
Self-awareness – Can the person understand the scope of work and his or her role objectively?
Adaptability – Will the candidate be able to adjust to any change in the project requirement and handle it professionally?
Proactive Communication Skills
Efficient and clear communication is essential, more so in a remote work setting, where there is limited scope for face-to-face interactions. The CEO of NewWaveDevs company, a leading staff augmentation company, feels that it is the foundation of successful collaboration. So, it is essential that you assess the person’s communication skills before hiring. Effective communication can improve productivity substantially.
During the interview, watch how the person is expressing thoughts and how well he or she is listening to you. Find out whether the candidate can manage time zones efficiently. Can he or she express ideas well and remain proactive under pressure? A strong communicator will be able to convey complex technical concepts in a way that will be easily understandable by the entire team, no matter what the geographical region.
Remote Collaboration Tools Fluency
Most employers and staff augmentation services will hire candidates who have prior work experience. But when hiring remote workers, it is also important to ensure that the person has prior experience in working with project management and remote collaboration tools. Candidates who have worked remotely before are likely to have experience in working with remote communication tools, such as Slack and others. They will also know how to collaborate using project management platforms like Trello.
Having prior experience in using these tools shows that the person you are considering is knowledgeable in working remotely and will be able to integrate into the team workflow easily.
Cultural Fit in Remote Teams
Cultural fit in a remote team refers to the alignment of the communication style, values, and work habits of an individual with the established culture of the organization. This is important for engagement, productivity, and fostering cohesion in the team. Unlike a traditional workspace, a remote team needs extra effort to build trust and community through consistent onboarding, clear communication, shared understanding, and relationship-building.
Make sure that the person you hire fits into the company’s culture. There are many advantages –
Stronger team cohesion – A shared value and communication style will help the remote team members work together more efficiently, which will lead to better collaboration.
Better productivity – There will be fewer conflicts, which means less intervention. The overall efficiency and productivity will improve.
Better employee engagement – When employees align with the values of the company, they are more motivated, engaged, and committed to the work.
Better employee retention – Those who are connected to the culture of the business are more likely to remain loyal, which will reduce turnover and re-hiring costs.
Red Flags When Hiring Remote IT Specialists
Red flags in remote work include poor communication, like slow response time, lack of clarity, and unclear expectations. A rushed hiring process can be counterproductive. While hiring and even later, ensure that there is no confusion about the basic concepts. Check for the level of interest during the interview. Is the person asking relevant questions? Later on, once the IT specialist has started working, is he or she open to feedback, or is the person showing hostility?
Finding good remote IT specialists requires a mix of soft skill assessment, technical tests, and experience. Using different methods helps businesses understand the capabilities of a candidate.
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