Recruiting for Remote and Hybrid Roles: Best Practices for 2025
U.S. businesses find themselves in an odd spot when it comes to remote work. Post-pandemic, remote work and work-from-home (WFH) has continued to skyrocket in popularity and usage. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of U.S. companies offered some kind of flexible work options in the first quarter of 2024 (only 51% did so during the same period in 2023). Large companies are even more likely to offer remote work options, with 82% of enterprises doing so.
At the same time, many employers (like Amazon and Dell) are planning to increase the number of in-office days through partial or complete return-to-office mandates.
That decision is not without risk: 80% of the organizations who said they plan to increase or maintain in-office days also say they’ve lost talent due to RTO mandates.
A lot of that has to do with worker expectations. A 2023 FlexJobs survey found that 58% of workers “would ‘absolutely’ look for a new job if they cannot continue remote work in their current role.”
Altogether, this means remote and hybrid work is something any company that recruits in a competitive talent marketplace must at least consider, if not plan on. “If you’re not in a global business now, you’re going to be competing with global businesses for the very best employees,” Judy Collister, Executive Vice President and Human Resource Officer at Cleveland-based Park Place Technologies, told SHRM. "You need to create an environment where people enjoy being there and can't imagine being anywhere else."
But recruiting in this environment is not without its challenges. Hybrid jobs, by their very nature, blur the lines between traditional office work and remote arrangements, creating a unique set of hurdles for recruiters and HR professionals. The complexities of assessing candidates, fostering company culture, and ensuring equitable experiences for all employees—whether in-office or remote—demand a carefully considered approach to recruitment.
The Challenges of Recruiting for Hybrid Jobs
1. Assessing Skills in a Virtual Setting
In-person interviews offer nuanced insights into candidates’ personalities and soft skills. However, the shift to remote recruiting often eliminates these opportunities for observation, relying instead on video calls, online assessments, and virtual presentations. Ensuring that these digital tools provide a comprehensive view of a candidate’s qualifications is an ongoing challenge.
For hybrid roles, the difficulty lies in evaluating a candidate’s adaptability to both environments. Does the individual thrive in a collaborative office setting but struggle with self-management when remote? Identifying these traits requires well-designed interview questions and creative simulations.
2. Maintaining Cultural Alignment
Company culture often emerges organically in physical office spaces, through daily interactions and shared experiences. In hybrid jobs, maintaining this alignment becomes harder when team members have varying levels of in-office exposure.
“[T]he true challenge [of hybrid] is how to build relationships,” Carolyn Dugan, head of talent acquisition at Model N, told SHRM. “[W]hat’s often missing is the ability to form personal connections outside of the agenda. We found that people are connected to the work and to each other, but they don’t always feel connected to the company.”
Recruiting for such roles involves not only finding qualified candidates, and not only those who resonate with a company’s values, but also those who can successfully build effective working relationships whether they’re logging in from a home office or sitting in a boardroom.
3. Widening the Candidate Pool
One of the greatest advantages of remote recruiting is the ability to hire from farther afield, including in other states and potentially even globally. While this is a tremendous advantage, it comes with logistical and legal considerations. The complexities of cross-border compliance—such as adhering to tax codes, labor laws, and benefits regulations—can overwhelm even seasoned HR teams.
Best Practices for Remote Recruiting Solutions
1. Build a Seamless Virtual Recruitment Process
“Assembling a high-performance global team is no small feat. You’ll have to adapt your recruitment and selection process for remote candidates. Think video calls over on-site meetings, skills tests on top of resume screening, and a structured interview process over casual chit-chat,” writes scheduling and timekeeping platform Toggl, which itself went fully remote in 2014.
Remote recruiting must go beyond video interviews. A robust virtual recruitment process could include pre-interview engagement sessions, interactive Q&A with team members, and even virtual office tours. These elements provide candidates with a clearer picture of the company while replicating some of the in-person interview experience.
During interviews, keep the remote aspect of the work in mind. In this situation, you’re not just hiring for skills and cultural fit, you’re also hiring for a specific way of working. Bank of America’s Center for Business Empowerment suggests questions like the following:
- How do you stay motivated and engaged when you work remotely?
- How do you stay organized and manage your time when working remotely?
- Can you give an example of a time when you had to solve a problem independently while working remotely?
- What do you consider the challenges of working remotely?
- What do you consider important attributes for a remote employee to possess?
2. Redefine Job Descriptions
Traditional job descriptions often fail to capture the nuances of hybrid jobs. When crafting a role for 2025, emphasize the expectations for both in-office and remote work. Be explicit about required skills like digital communication, time management, and collaboration across asynchronous teams. Transparency about the percentage of remote versus in-office work is also critical to manage candidates’ expectations.
3. Right-Size Candidate Compensation and Benefits
Pay might also need to vary. A compensation package that successfully attracts talent in the local market may fail to gain traction in a different market.
Christophe Pasquier, founder of knowledge base technology provider Slite, argues, “Remote employees should indeed be paid fairly, but not equally. The same work should be given a similar standard of living level, and give the feeling that it’s appreciated the same way—no matter where people live.”
The key here is to establish a fair, equitable, and defensible standard. In Slite’s case, they opted to index employee salaries to the “top percentiles of the capital of the employee’s residency.” Just make sure your approach to salary setting complies with all applicable state, federal, and (if applicable) international compliance requirements.
4. Get Help from an HR Partner Like a PEO
The challenges of remote recruiting and navigating compliance across jurisdictions make Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) invaluable partners in 2025. A PEO can simplify hiring processes, manage administrative burdens, and provide access to expert recruiting solutions tailored for hybrid jobs.
In particular, for hybrid jobs that span multiple states or countries, managing payroll can be a major challenge. A PEO handles these logistical hurdles, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time while supporting compliance with regional laws.
Similarly, PEOs also enable businesses to offer competitive benefits packages, regardless of where employees are located. From health insurance to retirement plans, these offerings are crucial for attracting and retaining remote and hybrid talent. A PEO’s ability to aggregate benefits across multiple clients often results in better rates and options than small to mid-sized businesses could achieve independently.
The Future of Hybrid Jobs and Remote Recruitment Solutions
Ultimately, the future of work is defined by flexibility, and with it comes the opportunity to reshape traditional recruitment paradigms. By adopting best practices, investing in technology, and fostering strategic partnerships, companies can not only enhance the talent acquisition process but also position their organization as a leader in remote recruiting.
Ready to optimize your HR operations and boost business productivity? Consider partnering with CoAdvantage, a nationwide Professional Employer Organization (PEO). With our comprehensive and cost-effective HR solutions, including but not limited to: HR administration, HR technology, workers' compensation management, and tailored health insurance packages. From payroll to compliance and risk management, we've got you covered.
Let us handle the complexities of HR management so you can focus in growing your business. Contact us to discover how CoAdvantage can support your company's success!