How to prepare for work remotely job interview?

We are living in times where remote work is becoming a new norm, new standard which will fill the market quickly.

For many this kind of work is a dream, however it is getting easier to get a remote opportunity than it was only a decade ago.

I have done a little research to see on what are the most common interview questions you might be asked during applying for a job, please take a moment to study them and prepare as there is a high chance you will hear these questions on interview.

Interviewer are likely going to ask you about your home office, technology you use, experience and any other question relevant to a unique opportunity. I will try to get questions and answers for them in a nice, tidy manner so it will be easier to read.

Why do you want to work from home?

Your future employer would want to know what you find attractive about working remotely and whether limited supervision can and will affect your productivity.

Keep your answer focused on how you will be dedicated to meeting company’s objectives in this remote environment and try to highlight environmental aspects that help you perform.

How do you prioritise your work?

This question is asked as interviewer wants to know that you understand the difference between all the urgent and important tasks, he also need to know that you can organise your workload by yourself and stick to the agenda.

When answering, give examples of all tools and resources you use to help and describe how you break down your daily, weekly and monthly targets.

How do you balance your work and personal schedules?

We are often reminding on how important healthy work/life balance is, this can be very tough, especially when you are currently learning how to transition between the two. Employer will definitely understand this and would want to know how you will handle the workload and still take time for your home life.

When answering, provide examples of techniques you use to manage your time between your work and home life.

How do you ensure that you are communicating effectively throughout the day?

Remote work is mainly independent so your future employer would want to know how you ensure that your managers, principals and colleagues are up to date on your contributions and how you make decisions on the specific job or task.

When providing an answer, give examples of how you dedicate to to regular communication sessions and what tools you use to ensure you and your team are staying in touch.

What resources do you need for your home office to help you succeed in this position?

Your interviewer would want to know if you have everything you need to perform the job effectively and with a success. If the job requires something that you don’t have access to yet, let the interviewer know at this stage.

Realising what you may have missing and willing to act on improvement would be taken positively. They would want to support their staff and ensure that everyone has all the right tools they need to meet their objectives and make their work more efficient.

How do you organise your daily schedule?

The interviewer likely wants to know when you feel you are most productive and how you organise and manage your time taking that into account. If you used to work during traditional business hours and you like that, provide examples of how you organise your day.

If you prefer to work outside of traditional business hours, and the job you are applying for allow this, show the interview how you delegate your eight working hours to ensure you are meeting your daily objectives and expectations.

What communication channels do you use and what do you use them for?

If you encounter this question, it will be likely that interviewer wants to know that you understand which communication tools are for what work situation.

Explain how you use your work email, phone calls, your team chat messaging or video conferencing to process information and ensure you and your team are aware of all daily events within the company.

How do you stay productive under limited supervision from a team leader?

You might be asked this as a way to gauge whether you have the ability to self discipline to commit to your work when no one else is around to direct you.

Simply show the interviewer how you excel at working independently and making decisions and provide examples of your expertise in seeking out feedback when you feel you need it.

How do you collaborate on all team projects in a remote work environment?

Sometimes remote work can require extra effort to keep teams connected, the interviewer likely wants to know how you take initiative to successfully work with your team members on projects and other important tasks.

What systems or apps do you use to stay organised?

Employer may want to know how you manage your workload and keep everything organised, including important files, checklists or your own to-do lists.

Show the interviewer how organised you are in remote office by describing any software applications you use and how you use them to ensure you are on track with your agenda.

How would you handle limited face to face interaction in remote setting?

Working independent from home can be very isolating and interviewer will understand this. In this case they may want o know how you plan to stay connected with your team both in working environment and in everyday social inter actions.

Use your answer to describe how you maintain your working relationships and stay motivated to succeed, even when remote work may feel isolated.

How would you handle a problem if your remote team was offline?

The interviewer may ask you this to assess your ability to work independently with little direction to gauge how you would make decisions when your team workers or supervisors are not available to help you solve a problem.

Explain your process for approaching challenges independently, highlight your ability to understand when to wait to ask for support and when to make a decision yourself of course if you were given a permission to do so.

If you are aware of any other questions during interview process, feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

All the best,
Lucas