10 Questions You Should Know When Interviewing for Remote Work

Job interviews can be quite nerve-wracking, considering you want to make a good first impression. However, job interviews don’t have to induce an unnecessary amount of anxiety if you take the time to prepare for them. 

Practicing interview questions will allow you to anticipate what an interviewer may ask and will ensure that you have concise, impactful answers in your interview repertoire, so you are never caught off guard or left wishing that you had responded differently.

The good news is that since many job interviews are now conducted remotely, you no longer have to nervously commute to interviews hoping you don’t get lost along the way. Instead, you can comfortably sit at your desk at home and hop on a Zoom meeting.

Yet, remote job interviews pose their challenges, leaving interviewers wondering how you mitigate these new obstacles. 

In this article, we are going to go over some important job interview questions you should prepare for when interviewing for a remote position so that you can crush that interview! 

• Have you ever worked remotely? 

This question may seem simple, but it evaluates your experience with working from home, planning, self-motivation, time management, and discipline. Therefore, if you have worked remotely, explain in what capacity and give an example of how you did so successfully. 

• How do you stay focused at home?

Working from home can be distracting. You want to demonstrate to the hiring manager that you know how to deal with the inevitable distractions and stay on task. 

• Which remote work and collaboration software programs have you used?

Many remote teams use programs to help with management and overall communication. Programs such as Slack, Zoom, Trello, and Asana have become crucial for maintaining productivity. However, they are not always easy to use. 

Having experience with any of these programs will give the hiring manager insight into how easily you will integrate into the existing communication and project management channels. 

• How would you mitigate conflict remotely?

Despite being convenient, remote work can lead to its own set of misunderstandings. Whether it is miscommunication or lack of team cohesion, explain how you can overcome potential challenges. If you have previously worked remotely, give a real example of how you have mitigated conflict in the past. 

• How would you lead a team remotely?

Without the ability to communicate with or monitor your team in person, it is difficult to ensure that everyone stays on-task or that every member of your team fully understands what is expected of them. This question will help the hiring manager gauge how you plan to overcome these challenges.

• What do you believe is the best way to communicate with your remote team?

Maintaining healthy communication is one of the greatest challenges of working on a remote team. Provide clear solutions to common issues that arise from asynchronous communication, such as delayed response time or keeping a team engaged while on a video call. 

• What do you believe is the key to successfully working remotely?

There is no one correct answer to this question. However, it is an opportunity to give a creative, impactful answer. Think about what motivates you to stay on track at home or what has helped maintain efficiency and collaboration while working remotely. 

• How do you manage your time?

Without a structured office setting, many of us fall victim to distractions or poor time management. Being that remote work often means a greater amount of independent work, highlighting your time management skills will help you stand out as a job candidate.  

• Do you have any questions for us?

This question provides a great opportunity to ask a company how they have handled the transition to remote work and how the pandemic has affected their business as a whole. If you are planning to join a new company in this current climate, it is important to know how they have supported their employees and navigated these challenging times. 

Ultimately, hiring managers are looking for people who can be a productive member of their team, and who align with their core values while also working remotely.