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Remote Hiring in Specific Industries: Insights & Strategies for Different Sectors




Hiring Remote



Snag top talent for your team with our tips for remote hiring in tech, product, sales & marketing, healthcare, customer support, & more!


Why should you have different strategies for remote hiring in specific industries?

Because you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to attracting and recruiting applicants with distinct skill sets and priorities. 

Just as specific career paths and remote job industries call for specialized expertise, implementing a customized game plan for remote hiring in different sectors ensures everyone speaks the same language. 

You’ll be able to refine your hiring strategies to streamline the recruiting process, save time and money, and prevent the costly effects of a bad hire.

So whether you’re a recruiter sourcing candidates across industries or an HR manager building remote teams across departments, we’re sharing a laser-focused blueprint for hiring right the first time.

Remote Hiring in Specific Industries: Insights and Strategies for Different Sectors

The basics of any remote hiring strategy provide a foundation for employers to:


But the most successful remote companies build on this foundation by addressing the unique considerations of candidates in each industry. 

This winning combination empowers them to develop growth-minded teams that drive retention, spur innovation, and skyrocket revenue.

So let’s dive into:

💻  Remote Hiring in Technology

Remote technology hiring comes down to one word: speed.

The technology industry has long been at the forefront of remote work. Sky-high demand for programmers, developers, cybersecurity experts, engineers, and more makes tech one of the best industries for remote work.

But it also means top talent goes quickly. According to stats, the most qualified job seekers are hired within 10 days of hitting the market [*].

Remote tech recruiting and hiring must be a well-oiled machine built for efficiently assessing candidates' technical abilities and culture fit. And since it’s still one of the least diverse industries, it should also be where your DEIB initiatives shine.

To Attract Remote Technology Applicants

Remote technology job seekers are looking for employers offering:

  • Competitive compensation packages. Technology provides some of the highest-paying remote jobs on the planet. Know what your in-demand candidates are worth, then give them more to sweeten the deal.

  • Health and wellness support. Employers that provide the best company benefits are most attractive to job seekers in remote tech roles. They especially value health and wellness perks to counteract the effects of sitting behind a computer all day.

  • New equipment and an advanced tech stack. Give employees access to cutting-edge technology and the latest tools so they can work efficiently and effectively.

  • Professional development opportunities. Technology constantly evolves, so your company must invest in its employees’ desires to keep learning. Mention your commitment to upskilling and reskilling in your job ads. 

  • A results-oriented work culture. Focus on results rather than strict working hours to inspire remote tech professionals to deliver high-quality output on their terms.


To Evaluate Remote Technology Candidates


  • Use blind recruitment tools. Masking personally identifiable information from job search documents like resumes and applications increases the chances of underrepresented applicants getting hired. Follow these best practices for hiring for diversity too. 

  • Let coding tests speak for experience. Forgo the formal training or university degree requirement and have each applicant take a skills-based assessment. This opens the door for talented self-taught candidates with the real-world chops you’re looking for when hiring remote developers.

  • Schedule collaborative, freelance assessments. Want to see how candidates work with your team? Leverage remote workers on a per-project basis for tasks like software updates or new website pages. This short-term trial window will give you a better idea of their performance before hiring them full-time.


🩺 Remote Hiring in Healthcare

When you think about remote work by industry, the hands-on nature of healthcare doesn’t seem to jive. But many positions are emerging in the world of remote healthcare hiring in telemedicine, medical transcription, remote patient support, and more.

Healthcare organizations preparing for the future of work should begin filling these roles effectively through virtual hiring processes.

To Attract Remote Healthcare Applicants

Healthcare professionals are in another high-demand, low-supply market. To recruit the best healthcare employees your way, be sure to offer:

  • Flexible work. Hybrid work models, flexible scheduling, and four-day work weeks significantly improve the employee experience in a typically overworked industry.

  • Mental health support. Healthcare workers are especially susceptible to burnout, so having employer-sponsored therapy, meditation services, and mental health days makes a huge difference.

  • Employee recognition perks. Set up a perks and rewards system to recognize employees who go above and beyond. Bonuses can include anything from gift cards to extra time off.


To Evaluate Remote Healthcare Candidates


  • Optimize your ATS for remote work. Prioritize applicants with telehealth technology experience and those who list the top skills for remote work in their job search documents, as they can be easily trained on your proprietary software.

  • Put soft skills at the top of your list. It takes more emotional intelligence and “people skills” to virtually build rapport with patients. Applicants who highlight empathy, patience, compassion, etc., should be interviewed first. Incorporate behavioral-based interview questions to gauge their ability to connect with others remotely.

  • Implement virtual simulations and remote patient interaction assessments. Use your virtual interview process to evaluate candidates' problem-solving abilities and their approach to handling healthcare scenarios remotely.


📣 Remote Hiring in Sales and Marketing

Hiring remote workers in sales and marketing demands a strategic approach to identify individuals who can effectively drive business growth and thrive in a variety of virtual selling environments. 

Whether you’re hiring remote social media marketers, software sales reps, or email campaign experts, candidates must have a proven track record of self-motivation and achieving targets autonomously.

To Attract Remote Sales and Marketing Applicants

To show remote sales and marketing professionals they’ll have a rewarding and fulfilling work experience:

  • Build a strong remote company culture. Sales and marketing professionals seek employers with a positive reputation in their industry. A reputable company enhances their credibility as salespeople and makes it easier for them to acquire leads, convert subscribers, gain customers, and more. Learn how to stand out as a remote company here.

  • Offer incentives and performance-based bonuses. Commission-based pay structures or bonuses tied to outcomes may incentivize remote sales and marketing professionals to take their expertise to the next level for your company.

  • Help employees grow while working from home. Employers who empower their team to keep picking up new skills become attractive workplaces and retain talent that’s always at the top of their game.

  • Invest in marketing and sales enablement resources. Employers who invest in sales enablement tools, marketing resources, and lead generation support give their crew a leg up to perform their roles more effectively.


To Evaluate Remote Sales and Marketing Candidates


  • Use virtual interviews for mock sales pitches. You’ll be able to see each candidate’s virtual communication skills and their ability to engage, persuade, and build relationships remotely.

  • Check out their portfolios and work samples. These will showcase candidates’ previous marketing campaigns, content creations, etc. You’ll gain insights into their creativity, expertise, and customer-first thinking.


📱 Remote Hiring in Product and Design

Product and design work together to create innovative, user-friendly solutions for a company’s target audience. Hiring for these roles requires a keen focus on creativity, collaboration, and technical skills.

As more of our lives migrate to the cloud, the need for UX/UI wizards and product managers who keep deliverables on track will only increase, making competition for top talent fierce.

To Attract Remote Product and Design Applicants


  • Provide home office equipment, software, tools, and other resources. Companies that give their teams the latest hardware and software to do their jobs efficiently will be rewarded with a slew of applicants and stellar employee performance. 

  • Invest in ongoing development and support career growth. Offer employees learning opportunities and professional development to stay one step ahead of the curve. Your team will consistently deliver first-to-market products.

  • Commitment to employee well-being. Working on tight deadlines to meet product launches can take a toll on your employees’ wellness. Perks like gym memberships, meal delivery kits, childcare/eldercare stipends, and more prove that you value your team’s dedication and hard work.


To Evaluate Remote Product and Design Candidates


  • Prioritize strong portfolios and shipped product experience. Gather an assessment panel to evaluate each candidate’s skill set. Whether scoping out UI/UX abilities or project management timelines, your team will know who has the goods to perform in the role.

  • Use collaborative freelance assignments. Remote collaboration is vital in product, as so many departments work together to launch a finished deliverable. Set up contract freelance work for your top candidates to gauge their ability to collaborate and communicate with your team effectively before committing to full-time employment.


🫶 Remote Hiring in Customer Service & Customer Support

Every company needs a customer service or customer support team (the benefits of doing so are invaluable!). 

Remote work statistics for 2023 reveal that customer support jobs are on the rise and show no signs of slowing down in the future. With so many organizations vying for talent, it’s never been a better time to refine your recruitment strategy and stand out.

To Attract Remote Customer Support & Customer Service Applicants


  • Show off your company culture. Customer support representatives and customer service agents are the face of your business. But they can only provide the best service if they feel aligned with your company culture. Learn the importance of value alignment here.

  • Invest in your candidate experience. Your candidate experience encompasses everything from your job ad and application process to your interviews. It’s the first glimpse applicants have of how you treat your people. Optimize your hiring portal to get applicants to apply for your jobs, use surveys to collect candidate feedback, track applications effectively, and keep candidates informed each step of the way.

  • Be open to hiring overseas employees. Prioritize multilingual candidates and those who work in various time zones to support a broader range of customers.


To Evaluate Remote Customer Support & Customer Service Candidates


  • Utilize role-playing scenarios during virtual interviews. Use case studies as examples to assess how candidates may handle various and potentially challenging customer interactions. Focus less on whether their answers are correct (you can fix this during training) and more on whether they can maintain composure and calmly provide solutions.

  • Test technical proficiency for support roles. If you require familiarity with specific software or tools, assess candidates’ technical skills to ensure they can navigate the necessary platforms or at least need minimal training to get up to speed.


👀 Post Your Remote Jobs Where Top Talent Is Looking For Them

Online job boards are the first place remote professionals check for the latest new roles in their industry. So if you’re hoping to snag top talent, bait the right candidate pools and those big fish will appear.

We Work Remotely is the #1 destination to list remote jobs. With over 4M visitors, your job ads are sure to gain traction and deliver the best candidates to your inbox.

By tailoring your recruiting and hiring process to the specific needs of candidates in each industry, you’ll attract your ideal hires, build robust remote teams, and thrive where others may struggle.

Check out WWR's Guide to Hiring Remote! From initial hiring decisions to onboarding, you’ll find all you need to know about sourcing phenomenal remote candidates here.

Ready to find your next hire? Use WWR’s Free Remote Job Posting Templateto write job ads that sell without breaking a sweat. 😅


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