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OP here! We did a very thorough research about the pre-screening. We thought that technical skills was the central thing, so we had a technical assessment as

OP here! We did a very thorough research about the pre-screening. We thought that technical skills was the central thing, so we had a technical assessment as the centre piece in the pre-screening. However, surprisingly this did not make much of a difference for the companies. They didn't contact more the people who have passed the technical screening, they almost never looked at the test scores. As long as the person has experience/education, that easy sufficient, and they pretty much always test the person in their stack anyway. That was the reason why we removed the technical part of the screening. However, the part that really made the companies interested in getting in touch with a person was the video. It turns out that hiring someone remotely is very much about trust, and even a very short video is really good at building trust. We think of the video as soft-skills pre-screening, in particular pre-screening for skills that predict success in working remotely. Based on research, talks with lots of people in the remote space, a d our own experience, we have arrived at the conclusion that the skills needed to be successful in a remote position are: - Good communication skills - Good independent problem solving skills (some people include being organized, and to not get affected emotionally if something doesn't work out) - Have some level of intrinsic motivation about the profession, about doing this - Sufficient language skills to communicate Turns out that a short video is about as good a filter for those things as having an interview with a person. It's also structured format, making it more objective than most interviews. Of course, the videos are not about how good the person looks visually, but about how the person talks about the topics. We are looking for well structured answers, we are looking for a bit of passion about the profession, we are looking for people who look reliable etc. and not for TED talk level presentation skills. If you have some comments/questions/feedback about the screening process, I'd be glad to hear from you! (it is 8am here at the moment)

pault 7y ago
The problem with video screenings is that as a hiring manager, the "gut feeling" that you get when you see a "good fit" is heavily biased to favor people that look, think, and act like you do. And physical attractiveness absolutely has a measurable effect on that feeling, regardless of whether you are aware of it or not. Those people may or may not be the best candidates for the job. To say otherwise is to deny human nature.
- BorisBorisov91 7y ago
  I agree completely - people are unfortunately biased. But the candidate will go to interview with the hiring manager at some point, this cannot be avoided. Then it is in the best interest of everyone to get those things out of the way as early as possible. It's also a cultural thing, I believe. I have lived in Denmark the past ~10 years, and in Denmark the human part is very important for building trust - seeing the person, talking with the person. Denmark is not so big on long contracts, it's more about the personal relation.
  - codingdave 7y ago
    > But the candidate will go to interview with the hiring manager at some point, this cannot be avoided. This is not true, in my experience. Most of the people I have worked with remotely did not meet their manager before hire. The decision was based on resumes, project work, emails, and phone calls. I first met my boss in my first remote job almost 6 months after starting the job. Denmark may very well be different. And that will make it harder for you to write a product that works worldwide, if you are building a product that matches the culture in Denmark.
  - BorisBorisov91 7y ago
    Great feedback, thank you, @codingdave! It is the first time I hear about someone being hired without meeting their manager. Do others have the same experience? Please let me know!
    - em-bee 7y ago
      i find that very unusual. when working with someone, making a personal connection is the first thing i want to do. that said, we don't do it in Free Software and Open Source contributions either. we send in our code, talk to someone who reviews the code via issue trackers, chat and email and we see each other after a few years at a conference. so yeah, we build a virtual connection, not a face-to-face one. and while it has been shown that occasional in-person meetings are very good for team building in companies and FOSS projects, we do know that it can work well without. in fact, FOSS contributions are a strong indicator for a good remote worker.

pault 7y ago

The problem with video screenings is that as a hiring manager, the "gut feeling" that you get when you see a "good fit" is heavily biased to favor people that look, think, and act like you do. And physical attractiveness absolutely has a measurable effect on that feeling, regardless of whether you are aware of it or not. Those people may or may not be the best candidates for the job. To say otherwise is to deny human nature.

BorisBorisov91 7y ago
I agree completely - people are unfortunately biased. But the candidate will go to interview with the hiring manager at some point, this cannot be avoided. Then it is in the best interest of everyone to get those things out of the way as early as possible. It's also a cultural thing, I believe. I have lived in Denmark the past ~10 years, and in Denmark the human part is very important for building trust - seeing the person, talking with the person. Denmark is not so big on long contracts, it's more about the personal relation.
- codingdave 7y ago
  > But the candidate will go to interview with the hiring manager at some point, this cannot be avoided. This is not true, in my experience. Most of the people I have worked with remotely did not meet their manager before hire. The decision was based on resumes, project work, emails, and phone calls. I first met my boss in my first remote job almost 6 months after starting the job. Denmark may very well be different. And that will make it harder for you to write a product that works worldwide, if you are building a product that matches the culture in Denmark.
- BorisBorisov91 7y ago
  Great feedback, thank you, @codingdave! It is the first time I hear about someone being hired without meeting their manager. Do others have the same experience? Please let me know!
  - em-bee 7y ago
    i find that very unusual. when working with someone, making a personal connection is the first thing i want to do. that said, we don't do it in Free Software and Open Source contributions either. we send in our code, talk to someone who reviews the code via issue trackers, chat and email and we see each other after a few years at a conference. so yeah, we build a virtual connection, not a face-to-face one. and while it has been shown that occasional in-person meetings are very good for team building in companies and FOSS projects, we do know that it can work well without. in fact, FOSS contributions are a strong indicator for a good remote worker.