5 Remote Job Interview Questions You’ll NEED To Answer

While remote work is nothing new, it has seen a massive increase in popularity ever since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. And it looks like it’s here to stay. Companies are starting to see increased productivity from their staff, and saving on office utilities and rent is a plus that many can’t can’t ignore.

And remote jobs are a completely different ballgame from office work. Therefore, the interview questions will be different too. And the last thing you want is to walk into a job interview and prepare for the wrong questions.

Our recruiting agency has years of experience in dealing with companies and what questions they typically ask in interviews. Since the start of the pandemic, we have carefully studied our clients’ interview questions and the job market’s increasing interest in remote jobs, so we’ve put together a list of 5 of the most common remote job interview questions that you’ll hear.

1) “Have you worked remotely in the past?”

This may sound like a simple question, but the interviewer is gauging your interest and level of remote work productivity here. The best course of action is to respond with honesty, and feel free to keep it simple. For example, you could say something like: “It was a bit of an adjustment at first, but I quickly adjusted increased my sales volume by 30%. I’m now at the point where I not only enjoy it, but I see that it’s a more effective way to work for me.”

2) “How do you manage your time and stay organized?”

With remote work, there is much less supervision from the company’s leadership team. This means that they rely even more heavily on team members who are excellent at time management and organizational skills. Here, you should mention what computer apps and sites you’re using that are helping you stay on top of things, such as a calendar app or video conferencing apps like Zoom. It would also be very helpful for you to mention that you regularly check in via e-mail with your bosses to let them know what you’re working on and what you want to accomplish for the week.

3) “Can you tell me about a time in your previous job where you had to adapt to change?”

Being able to adapt is a skillset that companies are rely on even more with remote work. Since the team is distributed all around town, and in many cases around the country, they’re going to rely more on team members’ initiative and ability to work with change. To answer this question, go into detail about the following:

• Explain the situation that you want to use for this question. What work task was it and for which job? How were you required to adapt?

• Next, describe the task and what needed to be accomplished.

• Finally, explain the actions you took in order to complete the task efficiently

4) “What does your home office look like?”

This is another opportunity to showcase your organizational skills, and your ability to block out all of the distractions around your house. For many people, working from home can be nothing but a hassle, since you’re working in the same spot where you usually relax. So companies need their employees to have a very professional, neat and quiet space in their home that will help them avoid distractions. Paint a clear picture of what it looks like and how it’s going to help you be the most productive that you can be.

5) “How do you organize files, links and tabs on your computer?”

Keeping track of your files and being an organized team member is crucial, especially when you’re creating documents that you need to share with your supervisors and other colleagues. In remote work, everything is digital, so it’s easy for many people to get disorganized. Here, you need to talk about any apps or websites you’re using that specialize in file organization. For example, if you use Dropbox, companies will like that as it’s one of the more popular sites for this.

There are so many more questions that you should be prepared for, and our staffing agency would love to help you in further detail. If you’d like one-on-one coaching or have any questions about remote work job interviews, please contact our owner Cherie at cherie@crecruits.com.

Carter Recruiting and Associates is one of the largest independent recruiting and outplacement companies in Arkansas. Our headquarters, located in Little Rock and our satellite office in Conway, both service accounts nationwide. We have satisfied clients and references from some of the largest companies in the state. With over 50 collective years of experience in the recruiting business, we have a vast amount of resources and knowledge to ensure a job well done.