The shift toward flexible work has opened up a global talent pool, yet many hiring managers still feel like they are recruiting with one hand tied behind their back. Without the benefit of in-person body language or 'water cooler' chemistry, it is easy to fall into the trap of hiring based on a polished CV rather than actual job fit. The stakes are high – a bad hire costs more than just a salary; it disrupts team harmony and slows down your momentum.
At Compono, we believe that remote hiring should not feel like a gamble. By shifting the focus from 'who looks good on paper' to 'who has the right work personality', you can build a more resilient and effective workforce. This guide explores how to modernise your approach to remote assessments, ensuring you find people who don't just do the job, but thrive in your specific environment.
Traditional hiring relies heavily on intuition. You meet someone, shake their hand, and get a 'feel' for their energy. In a remote setting, that intuition is often muffled by laggy video calls and the artificial nature of a digital interface. You might find yourself wondering if a candidate is truly collaborative or if they simply know how to say the right things in a thirty-minute Zoom window.
When you assess candidates remotely, the risk of unconscious bias actually increases. We tend to fill the information gaps left by a screen with our own assumptions. To counter this, you need a structured process that prioritises objective data over gut feelings. This means moving beyond the standard interview questions and looking at how a person actually prefers to work.
Relying solely on technical skills is another common pitfall. While a candidate might be a brilliant coder or a sharp accountant, those skills don't tell you how they will behave when a project deadline is looming or how they will communicate with a reserved teammate. To get the full picture, you must assess their natural work preferences and how those align with your existing team dynamic.
One of the most effective ways to remove the guesswork is to use evidence-based assessments early in the recruitment funnel. These tools provide a baseline of objective data that you simply cannot get from a resume or a casual conversation. By understanding a candidate's work personality, you gain insight into their motivations and potential blind spots before you even hop on a call.
For example, you might be looking for 'The Doer' – someone who provides a practical, reliable, and organised approach to tasks. Or perhaps your team needs 'The Pioneer', a visionary who thrives on innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. Knowing these traits upfront allows you to tailor your interview questions to probe deeper into how they have applied these natural strengths in past roles.
At Compono, we have spent over a decade researching high-performing teams to identify the eight work activities that drive success. Our work personality assessment helps you see how a candidate naturally fits into these activities – whether they are an Auditor, a Campaigner, or a Coordinator – giving you a clear map of their potential impact.
Once you have the objective data from an assessment, the remote interview becomes a tool for validation rather than discovery. Instead of asking generic questions like "Where do you see yourself in five years?", you can ask targeted, behavioural questions based on their assessed work personality. This makes the conversation far more productive and revealing.
If an assessment identifies a candidate as 'The Evaluator', you know they are likely logical, analytical, and results-driven. You can then ask them to describe a time they had to weigh up complex options under pressure. This approach holds the candidate accountable to their natural traits and helps you see if they have the self-awareness to manage their own blind spots, such as a tendency to be overly critical.
It is also vital to observe how they handle the remote environment itself. Are they comfortable with the technology? Do they communicate clearly and concisely? These small details are indicators of how they will perform in a remote-first or hybrid team. Remember, when you assess candidates remotely, every interaction is a data point regarding their digital literacy and professional etiquette.
Hiring is not just about finding the 'best' individual; it is about finding the missing piece of your team puzzle. A team full of 'Campaigners' will have plenty of energy and big ideas, but they might struggle with follow-through and attention to detail. Conversely, a team of 'Auditors' will be incredibly precise but might move too slowly when innovation is required.
When you assess candidates remotely, you should look for 'cognitive diversity'. This means intentionally seeking out work personalities that complement, rather than mimic, your current staff. This balance is what creates a high-performing culture where blind spots are covered and different perspectives are valued. It is about building a team that can both dream big and execute flawlessly.
Using a platform like Compono Hire allows you to automatically score and rank candidates based on the specific work personality your team needs. This ensures that you are not just hiring for 'culture fit' – which can often be a mask for hiring people just like ourselves – but for 'culture add', bringing in the exact traits required to level up the team's performance.
Your assessment process is often the first real look a candidate gets at your company culture. If the process is clunky, repetitive, or cold, you risk losing top-tier talent to competitors who offer a smoother experience. A transparent, engaging remote assessment process shows that you value their time and are committed to a fair hiring practice.
Clear communication is the cornerstone of a great experience. Let candidates know exactly what to expect: how many stages there are, what tools you will use, and how their data will be utilised. When you ask them to complete a personality assessment, explain that it is designed to help find a role where they will naturally thrive, rather than just a test they have to 'pass'.
Finally, ensure your feedback loop is tight. Even if a candidate isn't the right fit for this specific role, providing them with insights from their assessment – such as their dominant work personality – leaves them with a positive impression of your brand. This 'candidate-first' approach builds your reputation as an employer of choice in a competitive remote market.
Instead of looking for 'fit' – which is subjective – look for 'alignment'. Use personality assessments to see if their work preferences match the values and needs of your team. A high-performing culture thrives on diverse work personalities working toward a common goal.
When based on rigorous academic research and personality theory, these assessments are highly accurate. They measure stable work preferences that are consistent across different environments, making them a reliable tool for remote hiring.
The best way to reduce bias is to use standardised, objective data. By ranking candidates based on their work personality scores before the interview stage, you ensure that everyone is evaluated on the same criteria, regardless of their background or location.
While this varies by role, 'The Coordinator' (organised and results-driven) and 'The Doer' (practical and dependable) often thrive in remote settings. However, a balanced team needs a mix of all eight work personalities to remain innovative and efficient.
Compono provides a People Intelligence Platform that uses a decade of research to map work personalities. Our tools help you identify the traits your team needs and automatically rank candidates, making remote assessment simple and effective.