Strong collaborators could talk about using shared documents and daily check-ins to accomplish company goals while working off-site. If you’re a job seeker preparing for an interview, this article will guide you through how to talk about your skills and experience in a way that clearly communicates your value to an interviewer. You’ll also find “tell me about your work experience” sample answers, as well as the different forms this question might take in a job interview. Before hiring you for a remote role, a hiring manager will want to test whether you understand the job and are confident that you’re ready to take on the role. If the company has recently transitioned to a remote model, you might ask about how the transition is going, what tools they’re using to keep the team together, and how going remote has affected the company culture. As lovely as rolling out of bed and into your desk chair might sound, remote work does have some downsides.

Employers need to ask these questions to make sure you can be productive in an unstructured work environment void of any direct supervision. Don’t be afraid to talk about all the tools and strategies you use to keep track of what you need to do, decide what takes precedence, plan how and when you’ll get it done, and follow through. That might mean calling out specific apps you live by or talking about your color coding system for prioritizing to-do items in your planner. Abi is one of the co-founders of Himalayas where he focuses on product and growth. In his spare time, he runs a YouTube channel, podcast, and blog focused on strategy and management.

Are you comfortable with not being around people all the time?

Hearing about a failure shows the steps they took to fix something when it went wrong. Miscommunication happens, so hiring an employee who can fix it when it occurs is essential. In this case, the employer is looking for commitment and drive in a candidate. Since remote employees work very independently, employers want to know that a project will be in good hands if it’s assigned to you.

My husband went to IU School of Medicine and was transferred to University of Cincinnati to do his residency. This meant I had two choices, find a new job or find a way to keep my current one. The idea of remote work was very new to us at Galvin so I showed management an excerpt from describe your experience working remotely 37Signals’ previous book REWORK that had touched on the subject. Their ideas actually helped get them comfortable with the fact that I could still do my work, do it well, and not be in the office. They ultimately decided to take a chance and it has worked out great ever since.

What is your ideal company culture?

This question provides a clear answer to assess if a candidate has good communication skills. It also shows the different ways in which they prefer to communicate. Some prefer Slack and instant-messaging tools over video conferencing. Others would rather hop on frequent Zoom calls for face-to-face communication.

The project has its own unique URL that the client can share with anyone, no matter where they are. Inspiration fuels creativity and when that is blunted it’s hard to get work done. Well I had found that changing up my surroundings was really good at sparking some creative thinking. I go to a few local coffee shops around me as well as work in different areas of my home.

How would you recreate the important team building aspects of a job at home?

Their answers can show how they maintain this balance and if they’re prepared to work remotely. Those who have this balance figured out are less likely to get burnt out with their work and be able to work effectively when they need to. Some employees need more guidance than others, but remote employees need to work independently from their managers and team. But preferring a lot of direction shouldn’t automatically disqualify you from a remote role. Companies that offer remote jobs know that everyone has times when it is a challenge to stay focused when working at home.