While offering remote jobs at your company is bound to attract more talented candidates, it doesn’t guarantee a strong candidate pool.
Often, weak remote job descriptions can leave a candidate wondering if this is the right place for them. Or if the job is legit and really a fully-remote opportunity at all.
Today, we know that remote work is more popular than ever. And quite frankly, it can’t be considered a “perk” anymore to get top talent excited. In 2014, that alone could work.
After all, FlexJobs found that 51% of working professionals favor a fully remote job, while 46% prefer a hybrid job. So having flexible options is more of an expectation than a perk
So what can you do to ensure your remote job description stands out and you have a healthy pipeline of qualified candidates? Let’s dig in.
1. Clearly Define the Remote Expectations
What does it mean to actually be a remote employee with the company?
Too often, we’ve seen these details buried in the job description. Or worse, not listed at all and then the candidate finds out in the initial screening interview there are location restrictions.
Make it clear right from the start if it’s fully-remote, work from anywhere, or if there are any location preferences. And if your company requires them in the office 1x or more a week, then you have a hybrid role not remote.
Do not waste candidates’ time. Do not waste your own time.
People looking for fully remote work aren’t magically going to be excited when you tell them about location restrictions or that they are required to come to the office a few times a month (or week).
A great remote job description will have those simple details right at the top. Spell that out clearly and transparently.
2. How Your Company Supports Remote Employees
It should be clear in your job ads how you support those working from home or remotely anywhere in the world.
A big concern for many remote workers is not getting noticed or promoted. And it’s because many leaders flat out have said they overlook remote workers or are the first to be laid off.
That typically doesn’t happen with remote-first organizations. But in those where it’s a mix of remote and in-person, it’s unfortunately happening.
So if you want to attract ambitious remote talent, your company has to place effort on supporting their learning and career growth. Hopefully, your company does do this and that allows you to highlight in the job description.
Typically beyond the general benefits, you can include a small section that talks about additional things your company does to support remote work. Beyond work from home stipends, it could be monthly check in’s, virtual team building activities, career growth plans, etc.
3. Get Detailed About Company Culture, Values, and Team
Typically, a standard element to any job listing (remote or not) is to include details about the culture, mission, and values. But this matters even more in remote environments, where employees may feel siloed or isolated.
Having this clearly defined and easy to digest will make jobseekers more confident in applying and feeling like they’ll fit in.
I’ve often seen remote descriptions that gloss over these details or only have a quick sentence about it. Don’t be shy about the culture and mission!
Utilize quotes, videos, images, or link to examples of how your company is structured. Show some details about the people on the team this person will be working with.
Some of the best companies in the world have various landing pages and content around their culture, employer brand, and what it means to work there. These details are HUGE for hooking talent in and ensuring more people apply to your open roles.
It’s why remote-first organizations like Buffer and Zapier, get thousands of applications as soon as a new job opens up. They are transparent and don’t skim on the culture details.
4. Share Details About the Remote Hiring and Onboarding Process
A big reason remote work fails for some companies is they don’t have strong hiring or onboarding processes.
Many companies thought they could take what works for in-person hiring and onboarding and apply it to remote work. However, it doesn’t translate in the exact same way. So hopefully, your company already has this figured out.
But those details are also important in the remote job description too. You don’t have to layout everything (you can always link to your remote handbook), but high level insights matter.
- Share information about the overall hiring process.
- List out what the expectations will be from candidates.
- Provide insights to how new hires are onboarded remotely.
It can be some simple bullet points too, no need for bulk paragraphs.
And including these points will help candidates understand the process and ensure they aren’t caught off guard.
As a past remote job seeker, I always became more excited about an opportunity with these details included. And I know it helped get more positive attention when I was hiring in past roles too.
5. Promote Your Remote Jobs In The Right Places
When I was hiring remotely for my last company, we stuck to a few key places. And by niching down to where remote job seekers hang out, we stacked our candidate pipeline.
This can definitely vary in different job markets, but find the places that will best serve you in hiring.
Of course, you’re welcome to place a remote job ad in as many places as you’d like. It will certainly increase your visibility. But it also can attract plenty of passive applicants, who aren’t even close to qualified for your roles.
Popular and vetted remote job boards are great places to attract talent. There are many out online, but some good ones include RemoteOK, We Work Remotely, Remotive, Dynamite Jobs, and Remote Work Junkie.
Online Communities. There are various Slack communities and membership sites dedicated to specific job fields, industries, and more. For example, Tech Workers Club is a popular community for tech professionals seeking new opportunities.
Some communities might be free to access and others might have membership fees. But it’s a great way to directly chat with applicants and share with relevant audiences.
Final Thoughts
The above five tips aren’t just everything you should think about including in your remote job descriptions. You should have transparent salary information, benefits, time off, and the details of the job itself.
But if you want to ensure your remote jobs stand out and attract top talent, you need to utilize the additional tips I’ve laid out here as well.
I’ve looked at thousands of remote job listings over the years, hired remotely, and have been a jobseeker looking for remote work – and these are what I found to be the most useful. I hope this helps!
About Todd Kunsman
Todd is the founder of Remote Work Junkie and has been featured in numerous publications like Business Insider, HuffPost, CNBC, and more. He’s been a remote work advocate for close to a decade and has been working remotely full-time for 5+ years. He’s also a marketing, personal finance, and music nerd 🤓
