7 Interview Questions and Answers About Your Remote Working Skills Dice com Career Advice

“Sometimes people get tripped up when they are asked a question about a situation they’ve never been in—and remote work is new to a lot of folks,” Jones says. “If this happens, communicate what you would do if you encountered XYZ situation in a remote role; sometimes the thought process is more valuable than the actual answer.” And they’ll likely be asking you questions aimed at teasing these traits out. When discussing your skills, look at how they particularly fit into the remote environment. Good communicators, for instance, may want to mention their comfort using video conferencing, chat platforms, and instant messaging to stay in touch with others on the remote team. Strong collaborators could talk about using shared documents and daily check-ins to accomplish company goals while working off-site.

If certain conventions aren’t in place, it can be much harder to receive mentorship as a remote employee. I remember when I was about a year into my career, I was working at a local startup and I had gotten myself into a big mess with Git. I was worried I’d accidentally erase all the progress I’d made on the task that day. The senior dev sat right near me—I could walk https://remotemode.net/ over and tap him on the shoulder, but what if he was in the middle of something? I imagined the frustration he might feel, watching his mental house-of-cards collapse as his focus evaporated, all because some sheepish junior dev doesn’t understand source control. If you work for a fully-distributed company, this isn’t a problem, since everyone’s on their own laptop.

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It was also kinda dreary—they keep their lights dim, so there’s a perpetual 7pm vibe. Despite having all-glass walls, my office wasn’t anywhere near natural light. The office I was renting was small enough that if I stood in the center, I could just about touch all 4 walls without moving. You’ll probably feel most comfortable doing your remote interviews at home — and that’s fine. Just make sure you have a good set-up that’s clean and clutter-free. Your background should be plain or at least professional; avoid sitting on the couch (you’ll slouch) or in front of a window (you’ll be a back-lit silhouette).

• Abi is one of the co-founders of Himalayas where he focuses on product and growth.
• When things go awry on a remote team, that can often mean that you’re stuck making important decisions on your own.
• Maybe reading or taking a walk helps you rejuvenate your energy and mental blocks during challenging tasks and projects.
• Whether it’s a project or just a break, tools like Skype, Zoom, and Slack can help you host video calls and chat channels with your colleagues.
• Or maybe you just want to travel the world without quitting your full-time job.
• When you’re part of a distributed team, you’re pretty likely to run into situations where you don’t feel 100% clear about what you’ve been tasked with.

Working remotely requires employees to be trustworthy, organized, and competent, and employers typically grill candidates with tough questions. Next, a hiring manager will want to know how their remote employees are staying organized. Companies often help their remote employees set up a good home office, providing equipment or money to buy your own gear, but it’s still good to demonstrate that you already have a nice space to work from. Most remote employers don’t require you to have worked remotely before. Some employers will give preference to remote job seekers or those who have already proven themselves on a remote team. Mention what technology you’re skilled with that will help you in remote positions.

Remote Workers Are Laid Off 35% More Often

Similar to appreciating the company’s culture, it’s a good idea to mention how much you believe in the company’s mission. Maybe one of its goals is to always donate a percentage of its profits to a humanitarian cause. Spend time before the interview researching the company thoroughly, and then use that information to highlight why you’re excited to work for them. A video interview can feel much different than an in-person or even phone interview, so it’s important to practice. Again, you’ll also want to make sure you have practiced using the specific interviewing platform, whether that’s Skype, BlueJeans, Google Hangouts, or Zoom.

An ideal answer would be a “yes.’’ You can describe your workspace at home for the interviewer to be assured that you’re not going to be working from your bed. While you have all the freedom to work on your bed or couch, doing so tends to blur the lines between your home and work life. It is best to have a home office setup, even if it’s just a desk where you work.

Top 30+ Funny Interview Questions and Answers

Now, thanks to the chaos of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic home is also where people work. And when you move away from your company, you gain freedom and control to plan your schedule work from home experience and your work habits in a way that works for YOU. As you discuss your past job responsibilities and accomplishments, deliberately detail how they were performed off-site.

While not everyone can uproot their family and move, it’s still better to have the option than not. I am very aware that this office is a privilege that many cannot afford—it costs $700 CAD / $525 USD a month. In many cases, though, employers are willing to contribute towards these costs, either in part or in full.

How to Answer the Question

Many of them are centered around working from home and staying connected to the office while working remotely. Anyway… Do you know what remote team managers dread more than inefficiency? The only thing worse than a worker dragging her heels is a worker who’s rocking in the corner in fear of opening her laptop. In Kelli’s answer, she’s showing the potential boss that she knows how to prioritize tasks, realizes her limits, and can decide when it’s actually MORE efficient to take a break than slog on.

• So my advice when answering this question, or any question about the remote nature of a job, is to be honest if it excites you, and be honest if it’s part of the reason you applied.
• There’s a good chance you’ll be asked something along the lines of “What can you contribute to this company?” in your next remote job interview.
• If you already live in a high-pay, high-cost-of-living area like San Francisco or New York City, working remotely can grant you the freedom to move wherever you’d like.
• Can you think of a time when you needed to be proactive about researching how to do something?

It’s important because it determines how you’ll fit into the team. Or maybe you work from home and you’re pretty much “on call” throughout the day. A lot of people want remote work because of the flexibility it allows. Sure, you’re going to have to show that you are smart and that you can do the job. But you’ll ALSO have to prove that you can handle (and excel in!) the conditions of a remote job, down to the little details.