6 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Remote Job

A decade ago, remote work simply wasn’t an option for the majority of people. Sure, the internet was prevalent, smartphones were slowly making their way into everyone’s pockets, and Skype wasn’t a stranger.

But now?

More and more remote jobs are popping up everywhere. Not only does that mean there are more opportunities for global work, but now there is more due diligence that needs to be done on the employee side.

Now, instead of asking about office culture, you might need to start thinking about work flexibility, among other questions to ask during the interview for a remote position. 

Let’s take a look at some of the key questions to ask before accepting a remote job.

What is a remote job?

But wait—first of all, what is a remote job? The answer to this is pretty simple: a remote job is a job that is done outside of the office setting in a remote location. That location can be your bedroom floor, a home office, or your favorite cafe down the road. It can also be work that is 100% travel-related, such as a salesperson who’s jet setting around the country.

6 questions to ask during an interview for a remote position

Let’s run over some of the most important questions you need to ask during your interview. Of course, you’ll want to ask all of the “basic” interview questions, such as (but not limited to):

• What’s the best part of this company?
• Why do you like working here?
• What are my responsibilities?
• How will success be measured?

Let’s get onto the questions that are more remote-job specific. 

1. How is communication handled throughout the company?

Ask 10 companies how they communicate and you may get 10 different answers. Some will use one program specifically, while others use a combination of different programs to keep their employees engaged.

While you’ll likely be told which program they use, you’ll also learn about what they expect from you when it comes to communication.

Many remote employees struggle with finding that ending time, so you’re going to want to ask about the cut-off time. It’s important yet challenging for remote workers to be able to have time off without feeling like they’re always on the clock. 

Are there weekly check-ins? Daily? Will you be working with a team or just a supervisor? Are you expected to be on-call or will there be a chance for work-life balance?

2. What are the hours?

Although quite similar to the first question, having an idea of the hours is vital for any remote position, especially if you’re going to be working on the other side of the world.

For those in different timezones, then you’ll probably be expected to set up some time of the day where your hours can overlap.

But, no matter where you are in relation to your company’s headquarters, you’re going to want to make sure and ask about one key thing: flexible hours.

Flexible hours are essentially “work when you can work” and are more goal and action-based than time-based.

For example, if you’re working on a project that’s due on Friday, the company won’t care if you work Monday at 5 PM, Tuesday at 7 AM, or Wednesday at 3 AM. As long as the project is complete, you’re free to have flexible hours.

3. What are the biggest challenges for this company remotely?

With a rise in remote working, many companies may still be finding their footing when it comes to having team members spread out around the world.

Ask about how long they have been working remotely and what are the biggest challenges they face from having a remote team. What has gone smoothly? What has been a bit bumpier?

You’ll be able to find out a bit more about their remote work history and what has been done to make it easy for employees to work anywhere.

4. Is this a freelance, contract, or full-time position?

This question is more on the technical, bureaucratic side but it’s important to distinguish this early on. It might have been in the job announcement but in case it wasn’t, make sure to bring it up.

It will also play a significant role in how you report your taxes when Uncle Sam comes calling.

What are the differences between freelance, contract, and full-time?

• Freelance. You’re in charge of your own hours and taxes. Anybody you work with is a client and you’re expected to bill them according to your own payment schedule. 
• You’ll, naturally, have a bit more leeway in what you can and cannot do. You’re freely allowed to pursue other opportunities but you won’t receive any benefits or perks from the company you work for.
• Contract. The line between contractors and freelancers is often a bit blurred and from the outside, it may not look that different. Contractors tend to work on fixed projects for a certain period of time and are usually paid by the hour.
• Once the contract is up, the company may hire them again or move on. Like freelance, workers are allowed to work for more than one place at a time.
• Full-time. Pretty standard. Full-time employees see their company as employers instead of clients. You’re privy to certain benefits and perks that come with working full-time and payment is either by the hour or a fixed salary.

5. Will equipment be provided or do I need to supply my own?

While some companies will provide equipment and tools to their remote workers, you need to make sure you have the proper setup to handle your remote working environment.

Proper internet. Instead of hanging out around the water cooler, you’re probably going to be doing lots of Skype, Zoom, Teams, Hangouts, etc. calls. In order to handle the bandwidth, you need to make sure you have the proper internet.

If you’re not sure about the proper internet speed, check out this handy consumer’s guide. Chances are, your internet is fine but you’ll want to double-check to make sure you’re not always “that person” who is dropping video calls.

The right computer. Do you have an old laptop that coughs and wheezes whenever you turn it on? Could you fry an egg on the keyboard?

That’s probably a bad sign.

The type of computer you need will vary depending on the work that you do. When it comes to choosing a brand, you probably already know what you’re comfortable with and what features you need.

However, there are a few things you should make sure your computer has:

• At least 16 GB of RAM
• An SSD (solid-state drive)
• Proper fan ventilation

With these three things on your checklist, you’ll be good to go.

6. How is payment handled?

If you’re living abroad, this is a key question that may come hand-in-hand with any salary discussion.

It’s more important for you as the employee to get a handle on this because you might be required to pay taxes in a foreign country.

There might also be a situation where you don’t have a bank account in the work country and you’ll need to find out if the company is comfortable doing an international transfer or paying into an online account such as PayPal.

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5 examples of remote job interview questions

What are some of the questions you’ll be receiving from potential employers? Besides the obvious ones you’ll receive (when was a time you overcame a challenge, solved a problem, etc.). Let’s take a look at some of the top questions.

1. Do you have any remote work experience?

One of the first questions to be asked, employers simply want to know if you’ve ever worked in a remote environment.

If you’ve never done so before, don’t feel like you’re behind. The vast majority of people haven’t. 

But, think of any time in your life when you had to coordinate and plan with people across great distances.

Maybe you were organizing a trip during a study abroad adventure, had to finish a school project with someone from out of town or fix a work emergency issue when you were on vacation.

2. How do you organize and maintain a schedule?

Employers want to know if you can work responsibly with limited supervision. Try to think of a time that you had to work independently and how you handled it.

Be sure to mention how you kept yourself organized and on schedule. It also may be a good time to think of a moment when you were up against a tight deadline and had to frantically organize something.

3. How do you prioritize your work?

Another question along the organization lines, but employers want to know that you can handle multiple tasks, again, without much supervision.

Talk about moments in your past life when you had a lot of work on your plate and were able to find a way out of the mess.

4. How do you feel about consistent communication?

Many times, employers just want to see if you’re going to be an ideal fit for the company. Some may want you to be a “team-player” while others want you to show independence.

Here, try to straddle the line by talking about how you’re comfortable working independently but know the value of working together as a team to get something done. 

5. How do you feel about little to no face-to-face contact?

Even the most introverted people feel the need to eventually have social interaction, and when it comes to remote work you won’t be hanging around other people.

Here, the employer just wants to see if you’re comfortable not being around people and how you’ll handle it. Be honest about how you may miss being around people but you’re looking forward to the opportunity.

Are you ready to be a remote worker?

If you’re looking for a remote position, you have to be ready to nail all of those questions that come up during a remote job interview. Even though you may not have experience working remotely, you can think about other times where you’ve had to do similar work or think about how you’ll be the ideal worker.

Good luck with your remote work journey!

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