If you are a decision-maker in a PPC agency, you are probably wondering how to get that A-list team that will be both happy, and efficient. Have you considered building a remote team?! That would be a great match for your kind of business -- especially if you learn how to hire remote talent (and reap all the benefits that come with it)

In this article, we explain why remote work is a good fit for your PPC agency, but we will also guide you through the steps you should follow if you decide to hire remote talent for your PPC agency.  

Remote Work Is Here to Stay

Globalization, through technology, has made the world considerably smaller. It is now easier than ever before to communicate and collaborate with people from all over the world. 

Working remotely isn't a new concept. It has been gaining popularity in recent years. Successful digital companies like Buffer, GitLab, or Invision all operate fully remotely. However, the 2020 pandemic and the lockdowns that have been installed all over the world have forced even more companies to turn to remote work. After so many months of social distancing, remote work has proven its utility and efficiency for those who embraced it wisely.

But now, with the end of the current pandemic becoming a real possibility, some of you may be wondering: what will happen to remote work? Well, there is still debate on that, but there are reasons to believe that remote work is here to stay: 

• According to a recent Gartner survey, 80% of company leaders plan to allow employees to work remotely or in a hybrid model. 
• The same study has shown that 47% of those leaders will allow employees to work from home full-time. 
• In another survey undertaken by FlexJobs, 65% of respondents declared that they wanted to become fully remote employees post-pandemic.
• The same survey showed that 31% of respondents wanted a hybrid remote work environment.

This only shows that remote work isn't going away any time soon, so learning how to hire remote talent is a skill that will prove useful in the years to come.

How to Hire Remote Talent for Your PPC Agency

How to Hire Remote Talent for Your PPC Agency

Remote work can be a good fit for your PPC agency. It is all digital work and the right team can collaborate efficiently from anywhere in the world. But how should you go about the process of hiring remote talent for your agency?

Working remotely is different from working in an office, so hiring remotely is different from doing 'live' interviews. As virtual communication is more limited, you will have to focus your recruiting processes on overcoming these limitations. Here are some steps you should follow when hiring remote talent in 2021: 

1. Define your ideal candidate

When you hire remote talent for your PPC agency, you have access to a global pool of candidates. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. While it is good to have many candidates to choose from, it is also important to have a good understanding of your agency's needs and not get distracted by the job market. 

That is why the first step you should take when hiring remote talent for your PPC agency is to define your ideal candidate. Make sure you know what technical skills and what soft skills you are looking for so that you can get that across to potential candidates. Having a clear 'persona' for your new team member(s) will help you make the screening and interviewing process more efficient. 

2. Create hiring documentation (job description, company presentation, etc.)

Once you are done defining your ideal candidate, you should start creating the documentation to help you further share your needs. For each new hire, you will need to create a thorough job description. Especially since the hiring process will happen remotely, you should make sure all this documentation is accurate and complete. 

Since you won't be meeting your candidates face to face, in an office, you should make sure that your candidates understand your company, your mission, and your story. As you should get to know your candidates, they should also know you. A good way to make that happen is by offering them a company presentation. This can be either a PDF document or a page on your website. 

Bonus tip: include an FAQ in your presentation. Your candidate will probably have a lot of questions about you, so why not be friendly and answer them in advance?!

3. Search for the right candidates in the right places

Once you understand who you are looking for and have the means to share your needs, it is time to start your quest for great talent. Where do you hire remotely nowadays? Since remote work has become so popular in recent years, there are several platforms dedicated to those seeking remote work. This is a good place to start. FlexWork and Remote.co are two of these platforms.

Many digital marketers decide to work as freelancers (as these jobs usually permit it), so you may also want to search for candidates on freelancing platforms. Upwork and Freelancer.com are some of the most popular ones.  

Because working remotely offers so many perks (like flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere), don't be shy and publish your job posts in the 'traditional' mediums too. LinkedIn is a great platform for hiring and you shouldn't ignore it for your remote hiring either. It also allows you to contact your potential candidates directly, and this may be an advantage. 

4. Customize questionnaires and interviews

Because hiring remotely does not allow you to 'screen' and evaluate candidates in a face-to-face context, you can only do that through your online interactions. Customize your questionnaires so that you include questions about your candidates' work styles and how they relate to working remotely. Get to know your candidates to understand how they will fit into your team and how they will adapt to your work processes.

A way to 'screen' candidates is to start the recruiting process with a questionnaire that will allow you to filter out only candidates who fit your candidate profile. 

5. Set up a lengthy(er) recruitment process

Getting to know someone is not easy, especially if all the interaction happens online. If your hiring process has several steps it can give you more time and several opportunities to get to know your candidates better. 

Your recruitment process can include, for example, one questionnaire, two interviews, and one technical test. Having these different steps will increase the interaction you have with your candidates and can help you make the right decision. 

6. Use video screening to virtually meet candidates face to face

Remote work doesn't have to mean we all work with faceless people. It doesn't have to be we're all alienated in front of our laptops, never having even a remote idea of how the person on the other end of the conversation looks and speaks like. 

Using video screening to virtually meet your candidates is a great way to pre-filter all of the applicants and only move forward with those that are a good match from every point of view. 

The best way to pre-screen your candidates is by using screening software (e.g. an application that allows you to ask questions and request video recordings as answers from the candidates). Doing this helps you filter out candidates that might not be very interested in your job opening -- and as a result, it helps you save time (both for you and for your applicants). A good software like this will allow you to document and have your video recordings saved for further analysis, and it will allow you to group each applicant according to the impression they made on you.

Also a big plus? This can be done from anywhere, and you don't even need to coordinate your time zones with potential employees. Once you have made your selection you can, of course, move into setting up lengthier interviews to get to know your candidates and make the best choice for your business.

Why Should You Know How to Hire Remote Talent as a PPC Agency?

A PPC agency is a digital business. This means that working remotely can fit your agency like a glove if done in a planned and organized manner. Your work is done online and that means that your team can work anytime, anywhere. This offers a lot of flexibility in your work, but also in your team's personal lives. 

When you hire remotely for your PPC agency, you can:

• Tap into a bigger talent pool - you no longer have to limit your hirings to a certain area. 
• Create a diverse team, with diverse backgrounds and experience; as a PPC agency, this could help you work with different kinds of customers. 
• Offer a better work-life balance for your team, who will not need to spend their time commuting and will have more time for their personal lives. 
• Increase productivity - as working remotely usually brings fewer distractions than working in an office. 

Hiring Remotely in 2021: Pros vs. Cons

Working in a remote team may also bring some challenges. According to a 2021 statistic published by Statista, 27% of remote workers considered that their biggest struggle when working remotely is not being able to unplug. The explanation?! Not everyone who decides to work remotely is ready for this step. Some employees will not necessarily have a designated workspace and that can make the experience a bit conflicting. To overcome these challenges, as a company, you should be supportive of your team and help them find the right strategies to balance their private and professional lives. 

However, the same statistics also show that in 2021 employees have reported having fewer difficulties with collaboration and communications. This can be attributed to the forced adoption of remote work during the 2020 pandemic. Many companies have been forced to invest in communication tools and training. 

All in all, working remotely brings both pros and cons. But for a digital business, like a digital marketing or PPC agency, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Hiring remote talent for your PPC agency may seem challenging at first, but with the right process in order and some extra patience, you can surely find your next marketing rockstar out there.