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Career Advice for Job Seekers

Common interview questions for remote positions

Shelby Konkel
Krista Sinclair (Guest Author)
January 25, 2023


In 2023, many companies that once operated entirely in offices have pivoted to at least some work-from-home (WFH) or remote offerings. The flexibility that WFH positions provide is a massive draw to employees, many of whom don’t want to go into an office full-time. If you’re interviewing for a WFH position, you likely want to prepare for the questions the job recruiters will ask you. 

Top interview questions for remote positions:

Many recruiters will ask the same standard questions they might ask in any job interview, such as the following: 

  • Can you tell us about your prior work experience and how it connects to this role?
  • Why are you interested in this position?
  • Why would you be a good fit for our team?

Some employers might also ask you questions to determine how self-motivated and directed you are. These qualities are essential in remote roles, where employees won’t be physically in the same space as their managers. 

Questions for remote workers

Employers want to hire remote employees they can count on to get the job done without worrying if they’re using company time in less-than-productive ways. With the rise of quiet quitting, many employers are wary of hires who are only willing to do the bare minimum — especially when it comes to remote positions. In a recent survey by Paychex, 81% of remote workers described themselves as quiet quitters, compared to just 38% of in-office workers.

Recruiters may ask if you’ve ever worked in a remote position before and how you stay on-task during the work day. If you’ve worked remotely before, these questions will be a breeze to answer and will prove to the recruiters that you take remote work seriously. If you haven’t worked from home before, it’s best to explain how you would approach remote work diligently. You can also reference other remote experiences, such as attending school online or studying at home. 

Employees must be very self-motivated to work from home successfully. Some of HR professionals’ favorite questions for weeding out unmotivated candidates, according to the Paychex survey, include:

  • What’s something you love about your current or previous role?
  • What excites you about working for our company?
  • What are some characteristics of your favorite boss?

These questions allow you to show you are passionate about the position and bring a sense of liveliness and motivation to your work. It’s okay not to have loved your last job, but try to have a few things ready to talk about before your interview in case they ask. 

Motivating employees and the “quiet quitters”

You don’t want HR professionals to think you’re unmotivated or unwilling to do your assigned work. According to the Paychex survey, employers most often deal with employees who lack motivation by changing their responsibilities, offering financial incentives, meeting one-on-one, or offering new learning opportunities. These resources are ultimately time and money lost for the employer, so it’s best never to get to that point.

Be sure to let your enthusiasm for the position show and point out how your prior experiences have prepared you for this role. Be ready to answer questions like: “What are ways that you’ve gone above and beyond what’s expected of you in a position?” Having a few examples ready for the interview can help show the employer that you are serious about work and can be trusted to handle remote work.

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