According to Glassdoor, a corporate job offer attracts an average of 250 resumes, of which four to six applicants get interviews, but only one gets the job. With hundreds of candidates vying for each position, hiring managers will have an extremely difficult decision to make. Tack on the complexities of remote workplace environments and long-distance interviews, and the challenge can seem overwhelming.
As Director of Talent Pairing at Cyberbacker, a global provider of virtual assistance services, Gerlie Corachea spends her days matching remote roles. “I take time to understand the nitty-gritty details of every job I post, and then I match the right talent to the role,” she says. “I need to know how people are wired, where they are most proficient, and what they enjoy doing most. When companies don’t invest in the right match, it can translate into lost productivity and revenue.”
Talent pairing in a remote workplace environment
When Corachea begins hiring candidates for remote positions, she takes advantage of the wider pool of candidates. “You can attract applicants from anywhere in the country, or even the world,” she says. “Leverage the appeal of remote work to get the best talent. You will find a majority of people value work-life counterbalance, geographic flexibility, and the convenience of avoiding a commute.”
A global candidate pool does not have to mean extra hassle. In fact, according to Corachea, the process of remote talent pairing is extremely cost and time effective. “Today, virtual interviews allow you to cast a wider net. Instead of plane tickets and hours in transportation, you only need a Zoom meeting and a time that works for both parties.”
The process for remote talent pairing
Every day, Corachea pairs virtual assistants with clients looking for specific skills, values, and training. She also believes strongly in pairing candidates with the work they will enjoy.
To make this happen, Cyberbacker developed its own values and personality assessment to determine the type of work that motivates each applicant. “For example,” explains Corachea, “when accomplishing work, we find some applicants are driven by a desire to establish order, routine, and structure. Others like to seek out knowledge, learning, and understanding. Whatever the case, we match a candidate’s motivations to those of the client.”
Cyberbacker also looks at the roles applicants are best suited for and will enjoy the most. They are careful to place task-oriented candidates in administrative positions that take place behind the scenes, and place extroverted candidates in front-facing roles where they regularly interact with people or make phone calls.
When Cyberbacker launched in 2018, the company relied on its personality and values assessment alone to partner candidates with clients. At that time, Corachea discovered compatible matches and lined up interviews between the client and applicants.
Today, the company incorporates one major revision to its original talent pairing process. “Before interviews begin, clients touch base with every candidate in the pool,” remarks Corachea. “Clients use this brief meeting to address their expectations and discuss what they are looking for in a virtual assistant.”
How to get talent pairing right in a remote workplace
Many talent managers skip one of the most critical steps in successful talent pairing. To identify great talent, people must first understand the position they are filling. “Before you do anything, understand the virtual role you want to leverage,” Corachea advises. “A thorough understanding of the work enables you to set clear expectations. When both parties talk through responsibilities, the partnership is much more likely to succeed.”
Next, Corachea warns that successful talent pairing requires dedication and a substantial time commitment. “Be prepared to invest time as you vet candidates for a remote position. Thorough interviews give you deeper insight into your candidates. This is essential because not everything you find on a resumé is always true.”
As they prepare for a round of virtual interviews, Corachea recommends that hiring managers craft questions to assess candidates’ work experience and skill sets, as well as their character and commitment. “Managers who ask the right questions find the right candidates,” she says.
Hiring an excellent talent for the remote workplace boils down to understanding the role, taking time to learn about a wide pool of potential candidates, and setting clear expectations. However, even when managers do all of this well, Corachea says they may not make a perfect match every time.
“No matter how well you prepare for the interview or review the paperwork, you can’t control everything” Corachea notes. “Instead, focus on what you can control and tweak what goes wrong in the next process. The right talent in the right position is worth the time and effort. Those hires will bring solutions to your company’s problems and continuously raise the bar.”