Remote hiring isn’t just possible—it’s often smarter, faster, and more transparent than the old way.

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Recruiting In the Era of Social Distancing

Let’s be honest: hiring was broken long before COVID

The old way of recruiting—resumes, handshakes, and waiting rooms—was already creaking under its own weight. Then came social distancing. Suddenly, we were forced to rethink every assumption. Could we evaluate people without ever meeting them in person? Could we build trust through a screen? Could we hire someone we’ve never shaken hands with?

Turns out, yes. And in many cases, it works better.

Remote hiring didn’t just solve a problem—it fixed a few

We didn’t just replace face-to-face interviews with Zoom calls. We trimmed the fat. Calendars got tighter. People stopped flying cross-country for first-round interviews. The whole process became more deliberate.

And candidates? They showed up more prepared. No wasted time. No awkward office tours. Just focused conversations.

For us, the change was almost immediate. We hired a supply chain analyst from Barranquilla and a marketing coordinator out of Dallas. Neither stepped foot into the office. Both outperformed expectations in month one.

The new recruiting stack

Start with clarity, not charisma

When you’re not wooing someone with your “cool office vibe,” your value prop has to be clear. What’s the job? What’s the goal? What does success look like in 3, 6, and 12 months?

Write job descriptions like you’re writing to a smart friend. Drop the jargon. Be honest about expectations.

A candidate once told me, “Your job post read like a real person wrote it.” That’s exactly the point.

Let the tools do the legwork

We ditched phone screenings and moved to asynchronous video responses using Spark Hire. It saved us 10+ hours a week. Plus, seeing how someone communicates—even briefly—tells you more than a polished resume ever will.

For technical roles, we switched to take-home projects instead of live interviews. Candidates had 48 hours to complete a real-world task we’d normally assign during onboarding. The best ones leaned in. The rest filtered themselves out.

Focus on habits, not just skills

We started asking behavioral questions around time management and problem-solving. One prompt: “Tell me about a day when nothing went to plan. What did you do?”

People reveal a lot when they talk about frustration. It’s not about having the ‘right’ answer—it’s about showing ownership, creativity, and calm under pressure.

Redefining “culture fit” when you never meet in person

Let’s stop pretending ping pong tables and team lunches are culture. Real culture shows up in how people communicate, how decisions get made, and who gets promoted.

In remote hiring, we assess culture fit through values and work style. Do they default to transparency? Do they document their thinking? Are they proactive without being pushy?

One of our best remote hires said during the interview, “If I’m stuck, I write it down before I ask for help.” That told me everything I needed to know.

Yes, there are risks—but they’re manageable

Is it harder to spot red flags without body language? Sure. But it’s not impossible. Look for inconsistency. Do their examples line up with their resume? Are their questions thoughtful, or just generic?

We also do paid test periods when possible—contract-to-hire models that benefit both sides. It gives people a soft landing and us a chance to see the real version, not just the interview version.

Final thoughts from the finance seat

Remote hiring doesn’t just work—it’s leaner and often more accurate. We’ve shortened hiring timelines by 30%, reduced travel costs to zero, and expanded our talent pool beyond major cities.

That said, it’s not “set and forget.” You’ve got to invest in onboarding, documentation, and feedback loops. New hires need context, not just tasks.

But if you do that well, the payoff is huge. You get people who can thrive without hand-holding. And that’s not just good recruiting—that’s good business.

Book Recommendation

"Remote: Office Not Required" by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson — A refreshingly blunt take on how distributed teams actually work, written by the founders of Basecamp. No fluff, just experience.

What do you think?

Have you hired someone you’ve never met in person? What worked—and what didn’t? Let’s swap notes.