To hire the best remote talent possible, you must know what questions to ask during video interviews. A well-structured interview provides a better candidate experience and helps make the hiring process more efficient and on-target.

At Magic Pace, we’ve seen time and again how big of a difference targeted interview questions can make when hiring remote talent. By following our comprehensive approach for video interviews, you can more effectively evaluate a candidate's qualifications, skills, and personality.

While questions will vary by industry, the following examples offer a great roadmap for building the perfect remote interview.  

Background & qualification questions 

Background and qualification questions seek to draw direct correlations between a candidate’s background and requisite duties for the open job. Due to the importance of questions about the candidate’s qualifications, you are well advised to be as detail-oriented as possible. Here are a few examples: 

• Have you ever worked a remote job? If so, please explain your experience. 

• Could you elaborate on specific achievements from previous jobs that demonstrate your ability to excel in a remote work environment?

• What relevant education or training do you have to prepare you for this role? Examples could include degrees, certifications, or professional development courses related to remote work or the job in question. 

One of the primary aims of background and qualification questions is for candidates to clearly explain how their past experiences inform their current career goals. 

Skills assessment questions 

Skills assessment questions are a great opportunity to evaluate specific hard skills that are required to accomplish the job in question. As such, your job description is a great place to look when crafting skills assessment questions. Some good illustrations of these questions for remote jobs include: 

• Please explain how you use customer relationship management (CRM) software to keep track of customer interactions in an eCommerce setting. 

• Can you describe a situation where you used effective communication to resolve an issue with a coworker or customer? 

• Briefly describe how you would use Google Workspace, Slack, Asana, and LinkedIn to build and execute a social media content calendar. 

Skills assessment questions should help you decide without a doubt that a candidate can handle all the requisite major job duties. 

Personality & behavioral questions 

Personality and behavioral questions are used to gauge a candidate’s soft skills. In turn, you can use information gleaned from these questions to decide whether this person will be a cultural fit for your organization. Some solid examples of behavioral questions include: 

• Can you discuss a time when you had to adapt to sudden changes or disruptions while working remotely, and how you managed them?

• How do you prioritize tasks and manage your workflow to ensure productivity in a remote setting? 

• Please describe a time when you failed at a task. What did you learn from the experience? 

While other interview questions should gauge a candidate’s ability to accomplish specific tasks, personality questions should give you a glimpse of what it will be like to work with someone.