When asked this, let your interviewer know of all the things you like to do when not working. From reading to watching movies, playing games, and gardening, anything that is your hobby takes place in this answer. You can also showcase your keenness on learning new tools by letting the interviewer know that you’re always looking for new apps and software to enhance your work. You’re always on the lookout for upgrading your tech knowledge in order to simplify your work. Remote work requires you to use a lot of different software. Some could be for communication and collaboration like Slack and Zoom, while others could be for daily tasks and tracking work like Basecamp.
The goal of this blog post was to share my experiences as a remote worker, with the hope that it provides a bit of clarity around whether or not remote work could be a good fit for you. And it’s a hard question to answer, since “remote work” can mean so many different things. Very few of the experiences I’ve had—both good and bad—are universally true for remote work. These kinds of “office politics” are not unique to remote workers—at any organization, there’s the risk of executives biasing promotions towards folks they like. Even if everyone works in the same space, there’s no guarantee that relationships will form equally!
Examples of the Best Answers
To answer this question, you can go ahead with giving previous examples of how you learned new apps or tools quickly to accomplish some task. If you’re applying for a remote position, you can’t be uncomfortable with virtual meetings, so the answer to the first part of the question is a yes. Let your interviewer work from home experience know that you’re comfortable using virtual software like Zoom and Skype for video conferencing to resolve any conflicts with your coworkers. Make it apparent that you’re not the one to shy away from approaching the matter in a respectful and professional manner while humbly having a chat to tackle conflicts.
And I suspect it’s human nature to reach for external factors when trying to understand why we weren’t selected for a promotion. Of the articles and Twitter threads I’ve read from people who have actually tried remote work, this is the most common issue. In an office, it’s easy to spend twenty minutes by the watercooler, just hanging out with your peers. Those serendipitous interactions don’t occur remotely, every communication is intentional.
Tell Me About a Time When You Had a Conflict With a Coworker.
It’s always a good idea to come prepared with several responses in case your interviewer changes tack and asks about another aspect of your experience. Know your resume well, and be prepared to discuss anything that’s on it. Showing that you increased sales by X percent or saved the company Y amount of money provides a hiring manager with a compelling argument for offering you the job. Use numbers and percentages to show what you have accomplished. Try using specific examples of how past work might prepare you for the new role. The closer a match you are to the job requirements, the better your chances of being selected for an interview.
And they may also be curious about what your home office setup is like, but that information can be conveyed in an interview. If you’re applying to a remote position for the first time, this question needs to be answered carefully. Any resistance to changes or sign of rigidity could let the interviewer think that you won’t be able to adapt to a remote role.
How to Answer Interview Questions About Working From Home
I also try to work more from coffee places to mix it up a bit. I’m in the process of converting my spare room into an office, after my previous office got turned into my kids’ room, so currently I surf between a few spots in the house. My husband’s desk in the front room of our house has lovely views of our neighborhood, but is lacking in space, so I also use the dining table where I can spread out notepads and any books or correspondence. When I’m taking calls or doing Google Hangouts with my team, I have a comfy armchair in the corner of the spare room. Most of the time I work from an office in my house in Arizona.
- I talk about remote work quite a bit on Twitter, so be sure to follow me there if this kind of stuff is your jam.
- Ask about how they plan their team goals and how they like to be informed about progress.
- When you are working from home, one of the disadvantages is that when you are having a bad day, and although you did your tasks, it still feels like you didn’t do anything.
- If you’ve worked remotely before, talk about that beyond details on your resume.
- While you have all the freedom to work on your bed or couch, doing so tends to blur the lines between your home and work life.
A recruiter or hiring manager will inevitably probe your answers about those kinds of skills, in addition to figuring out your technical aptitude for the job. You’ll often get some variation of this question during the interview process—whether for a remote job or not. That doesn’t mean you can’t support one another, but even that takes a bit more initiative when you’re working remotely. The key here is to have a detailed answer with specific examples. If you’ve worked remotely in the past, it should be simple to answer. If you haven’t, you’ll need to come at it based on what you would do.
These are just a few simple things to keep in mind before your work for home interview. Keeping the dos and don’ts in mind can help you have a seamless remote interview experience. This question is designed to see whether you know how to conduct daily stand-ups, sprint planning or hold effective ceremonies when teammates are spread across different locations and time zones. Communication must be very deliberate, clear and effective when you work asynchronously. That’s because remote team members are frequently asked to read and write documents and express complex ideas in a comprehensible way, all without receiving an immediate response or feedback from the recipient. Poor writing skills can trigger delays and numerous back-and-forths.
Hopefully, these work from home interview questions and tips will have helped you feel more prepared. Having clarified that this was not the case, I proceeded to explain to her how completing her assigned tasks played a vital role in the success of the team. I also demonstrated how those tasks would teach her skills that would help advance her career. It’s covered in paperwork on the one side and a mass of USB cabling, backup drives and headsets on the other side. However I’ll describe something that changed my life and I’m trying to get the rest of our team to try it out.