If you’re looking for a remote job, you’ll soon have an interview for one. Interviews in general can be scary, but doing one over the phone can be more scarier. Get prepare and rehearse for a job interview that will be done over the phone. This makes you feel less anxious and more sure of yourself.
The best way to get a job offer is to do better than your competition in the interview. Doesn’t that sound easy? Yes, it can be if you get ready by writing answers to common questions that come up in remote job interviews.
Planning is really important
When you look for a job, you will probably have to answer common interview questions. No matter what our jobs, industries, or positions are, we all face these. But if you want to work from home, you’ll undoubtedly have to answer questions regarding working from home in order for a hiring manager to assess if you’d be a suitable fit for the job.
This will help you stand out from the other candidates. Keep in mind that the four to six people you talk to all have similar skills and abilities. That’s why they were chosen for the interview. But if you’re a smart job hunter, you’ll get the job depending on how well you market yourself as an internet job seeking.
By thinking of smart answers to common remote job interview questions, you may show that you are the perfect hire.
Questions that are common in interviews
1. Have you ever worked from home before?
That’s great if so! This is the best time to talk about your previous remote work experience. A “safer” hire is someone who has done well with remote work before, as opposed to someone who has never done it before.
If you’ve never worked from home before, don’t worry. There is still a chance that this query will get a good answer. Tell them that you have the talents they need, even though you haven’t worked from home before. Then, talk about the common skills needed for remote work, such as those related to technology, organization, communication, and time management.
After that, you can talk about some of the apps that remote teams often use, such Slack, Google Drive, and Trello. It’s excellent if you can show that you can work from home in as many ways as possible.
2. Why do you want to work from home?
If you’ve never worked from home before, the hiring manager will want to hear why you’re interested in doing so now. If someone who has been working in an office for years suddenly starts working from home, they will need a good answer to this question.
Maybe working from home makes you more productive. You might live in a place where there aren’t many job possibilities. It could be as simple as the fact that you are excited about the possibilities and the job or company you are applying for happens to be remote-friendly.
Don’t think too hard about your answer. Please tell us a little bit about what you like about working from home. Remember that there are a lot of good things about working from home!
But don’t talk about your pet peeves about working in an office, including rude coworkers, workplace politics, living in a cubicle, long commutes, fluorescent lights, and so on. This merely makes it look like you’re looking for a way out, not a new chance.
3. How do you have your home office set up?
Your interviewer wants to know that you are serious about working from home, even if you have never done it before. A candidate who already has a home office or has thought about how to set one up is ahead of most of the others.
Make a note of anything that will help you be more productive and efficient, such a quiet, private place to work and fast, reliable Internet.
4. How will you get along with your coworkers?
One of the most important things that businesses look for in remote workers is the ability to communicate well. This is because you won’t be able to work with your coworkers in the same room or have meetings in person.
Instead, remote workers use written communication and collaboration tools to keep track of their work and work together to finish assignments. It’s clear that you need to be able to communicate well in order to do your job as a remote worker.
If you want to work from home, you need know how to stay in touch with your coworkers in common ways. These are Google Drive, Zoom, Slack, and Trello. It’s also a good idea to talk about more traditional ways to talk, like chat, phone, email, and video.
5. What do you think will be the hardest part of working from home?
Let’s be honest: working from home has its own problems. The person who is interviewing you wants to make sure that you know this and are ready to cope with these kinds of scenarios if they come up.
Some of the common problems with working from home are distractions, computer problems, lack of engagement, lack of motivation, and lack of productivity. If you work from home, think about how to deal with them.
When you show up ready with your answers, people see you as a serious and practical person who wants to work remotely. If you don’t answer this question or try to spin it into a positive, such “my main problem with working remotely is that I will get lost in work,” you look dishonest or disillusioned with remote work.
6. How do you handle interruptions?
Working from home could be distracting. The doorbell rings. Barking starts with dogs. The neighbors are moving about. There may be children, spouses, or other important people around or at your workspace.
How you deal with these common distractions has a big effect on your work ethic as a remote worker. Your interviewer wants to know that you know there can be distractions and that you are ready to cope with them.
7. How can you keep your motivation up while setting priorities for your work?
Before hiring you, the company wants to know that you will work a full day’s worth of hours even when no one is watching. To build that level of trust, the interviewer will probably ask you about your time management and motivation during the interview.
This is your chance to show how you keep your time and things in order.
Think about what works best for you to stay focused, organized, and productive. You should keep track of how you prioritize your work and how much you get done each day.
Remember that these are only a handful of the most common questions that people who want to work from home are asked in interviews. Of course, each company will have its own set of questions for new hires.
But you should expect to see some of the questions or similar ones. This is because working from home is different and not right for everyone. Employers want to be sure that the people they hire to work from home will be able to do their jobs well and fit in.
As a remote job seeker, you should get ready to answer the questions you are most likely to get so that you can show that you are the perfect candidate. It’s a good idea to be ready, but don’t sound too robotic or rehearsed. During interviews, it’s also a good idea to let your personality shine through. Your answers should clearly show off your professional talents and show that you would be a great fit for the job.
