With remote work on the rise, many companies are starting to shift their workforce to a distributed team. Hiring a remote team has many benefits, but it also comes with a few challenges. One of those challenges is conducting interviews for remote candidates. 

When a hiring manager or recruiter isn’t physically present to assess remote job seekers, it’s critical to take the time to really get to know a candidate during a remote interview.

We’ve compiled 101 questions to help you find the best talent for your remote role. These remote interview questions cover:

• Questions about working productively at home
• Questions about communicating from home
• Questions about remote working health and safety
• Classic interview questions
• Unconventional interview questions

Download the 101 remote interview questions now.

30 job interview questions when hiring remote workers

Hiring a remote team? Here is a preview of questions you can use to find the best talent for your remote role from our 101 interview questions downloadable.

Interview questions about your company

When you find a candidate who has a deep understanding of your company’s values, goals and competitors in the interview process, you strike gold.

A great applicant will be able to tell you all about your business and express why the thought of being a part of the team makes them excited.

1. Why do you want to work for our company?
2. What draws you to this industry?
3. How would you embody our company values in this role?
4. What do you think the main goals of our company are?
5. What do you think we could be doing better?

Interview questions for working productively at home

If you’re hiring remote employees who are going to work remotely full-time or partially at home, you want to make sure that they’ve considered remote working styles.

These questions cover productivity while working remotely and touch on work/ life balance.

If the candidate can give thoughtful responses to these interview questions, you can be reassured about their abilities to work autonomously in a remote position.

6. How do you stay productive when working from home?
7. How do you like to manage your workload when working remotely?
8. What would you say are the biggest challenges of remote work?
9. What does an ideal remote working day look like to you?
10. How do you stop yourself from being distracted when working remotely?

Interview questions about communicating when working remotely

Productivity and communication skills are easily the two most essential skills for remote workers.

Without great communication skills, the candidate will have a difficult time during onboarding and induction, and it will likely go downhill from there.

Your team members should have an open flow of conversation with their managers and colleagues, feel comfortable sharing ideas in a remote environment, and know how to manage the tone of their digital voice.

Bonus points go to the interviewee who can discuss strategies and methods to actively support their colleagues.

11. How would you stay in touch with your manager and team when working remotely?
12. What do you think is the best way to work collaboratively while remote working?
13. What is your strategy for managing external stakeholders while working remotely?
14. Describe your communication style when working remotely.
15. Describe a situation in which you helped bring your team members together while working remotely.

Interview questions about remote working safety and requirements

These questions are less about the person’s suitability for the job and more about evaluating the health and safety of the applicant’s workspace.

These interview questions can be useful to ask first-time remote workers, as the answers to these questions can give hiring managers the information they need to know about making arrangements for the applicant, should they take the position.

Make it clear at the beginning of this conversation that any offer of employment would not depend on these answers.

16. Do you have access to a working space at home?
17. Does your home office space have proper ventilation and lighting?
18. Is your home working space generally quiet?
19. What equipment or tools do you require to work from home?
20. What internet access do you have from your home office?

Classic job interview questions

There are some classic job interview questions that are a no-brainer to ask. These questions will be relevant for applicants who are working remotely, in-office, or both.

21. Why do you think you would be a good fit for this role?
22. Why are you looking to leave your current job?
23. How do you like to be managed?
24. What is your greatest strength?
25. How did you prepare for this job interview?

Unconventional job interview questions

It’s always a good idea to pose some unconventional questions to your interviewee. By asking questions they may not have anticipated, you’re more likely to get some candid responses.

These questions can be valuable in showing their personalities, ability to think on their feet and creativity.

You may choose to share your own responses with them, which can help make the interview more conversational and fun for both parties.

26. Who is your dream mentor?
27. Name as many uses for a paperclip as you can in 30 seconds.
28. If you could be any character from a book or movie, who would you be and why?
29. You’re hosting a dinner party and can invite three guests, who can be alive or dead. Who do you invite? What do you serve?
30. What is a skill of yours that you’ve found unexpectedly helpful with work?

Practical job interview questions

Although it’s not the most exciting way to end this list, there are some practical questions that are essential to include in an interview.

31. What is your current notice period?
32. What are your salary expectations?
33. Do you have any holidays or extended periods of leave planned?
34. Are there any benefits you would like more details about?
35. How did you hear about this position?

Hire the best remote team members with Employment Hero

Employment Hero is the world’s first employment OS that can streamline talent aquisition processes. From hiring the best candidates to onboarding them quickly and easily, our integrated HR and Payroll system makes hiring candidates a breeze. 

Download our 101 remote interview questions today for the full list of questions to ask remote workers.

For more great resources, check out:

• How to transition into a remote-first workplace
• Checklist for hiring overseas remote employees
• The Ultimate New Employee Onboarding and Induction Guide

Other helpful resources:

14 Wellness Tips For Working From Home

The complete interview guide for hiring managers

Candidate Experience Checklist

Guide to Future Working Trends

Download the free 101 Remote Interview Questions For Hiring Managers now.