Finding good, experienced insurance talent is hard enough, selecting someone who can work remotely and achieve the same results that they would in your office is not an easy feat.  What you really want to know is can this person be trusted to work from home, put in a full day’s work without someone looking over their shoulder, deliver quality results in a timely manner, and be a contributing member of the team.

By asking the question, “why do you want to work remote”, you will get a wide range of answers which can help you begin to uncover if the applicant really excels in a work from home setting or may have significant home distractions that could limit productivity and effectiveness.

Key areas to focus on:

Time management.  Ask, how do you plan your day? You are looking for evidence of self-management and not just “winging it”. Does this person take the time to put a schedule in place every day to make sure they are productive and efficient with their time?

Avoiding distractions: Ask, tell me how you avoid distractions throughout the day? Ask for specific examples of distractions and what strategies they use to stay on task.

Timeliness/follow up: Ask for examples of how they follow up with both internal and external customers.  You want to see evidence of acting with a sense of urgency, problem solving, and ownership for results.

How thoroughly your applicant answers your questions in these key areas will allow you to determine if they really have the skills to work successfully from home or if they would be better served working in a more traditional office setting.

For more advice on hiring remote insurance professionals, Contact me