Recruiting Remote Workers Checklist

Pull the approved req from the ATS or finance tracker. Confirm whether this backfills a vacated seat or expands headcount — expansion roles need budget approval and a finance counter-signature before posting.

Reference your comp framework (Pave, Radford, or internal band library) and lock in the level, midpoint, and range. For remote roles, decide upfront whether bands are geo-adjusted or single-zone — the answer drives both the offer math and the public range required by pay-transparency states.

Confirm with finance and payroll which states the company is registered in for income tax, unemployment, and workers comp. Hiring in a new state triggers registration work that takes 2-6 weeks — flag now, not at offer time.

Run the duties test against the actual day-to-day responsibilities, not the title. "Manager" titles without genuine supervisory authority are the most common misclassification. Check both the federal salary threshold and any higher state threshold (CA, NY, WA) for the work location.

Include "Remote" or "Work from home" in the title for searchability. Spell out whether the role is fully remote, hub-based, or hybrid; the time-zone overlap requirement; and any travel expectation. Skip jargon that filters out qualified candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.

Pay-transparency laws in CO, WA, NY, CA, IL, MD, RI, MA, MN, NJ require a salary range in postings visible to those states. For a remote role open across the US, posting a range nationally is the safe default. Reposting the same role re-triggers the obligation.

Include the EEO statement and a clear path to request accommodations during the interview process. Review essential vs. preferred qualifications — overly restrictive "required" lists invite both ADA and disparate-impact claims.

Configure the Greenhouse, Lever, or Ashby req with the approved interview plan, scorecards, and stage workflow. Tag the role to the right department, hiring manager, and recruiter so source-of-hire and time-to-fill reporting stays clean.

LinkedIn and Indeed cover the broad market; remote-specific boards (We Work Remotely, Remote.co, Working Nomads, Himalayas) reach candidates filtering for distributed roles. Niche skill boards (Hired, Otta, Wellfound) often outperform on quality-of-hire for engineering and design.

Walk sourcers through the must-haves vs. nice-to-haves, target companies, and any locations to avoid. Set weekly pipeline targets — typically 8-12 qualified candidates per week for a senior IC role — and confirm the LinkedIn Recruiter project is shared.

Internal mobility candidates and employee referrals consistently produce the highest quality-of-hire. Announce the role on your internal channel with the referral bonus and a clear deadline before external interviewing begins.

Map each loop stage to a specific competency — async written communication, technical depth, collaboration, autonomy. Each competency gets behavioral questions and a 1-5 rubric so debriefs anchor on evidence rather than gut feel. Train every interviewer on structured interviewing before they're added to the panel.

For remote roles, a written or async work sample is the closest proxy for the actual job. Cap the time at 2-3 hours, tell candidates the cap, and pay them if your policy supports it. Score blind where possible to reduce bias.

Confirm work authorization, current location, comp expectations against the band, and notice period. Surface any ban-the-box jurisdictions early — criminal history questions are restricted in NY, CA, CO, MA, IL, NJ and many cities until later in the process.

Each interviewer submits scorecards before the debrief — never let the loudest voice anchor the room. Walk competency-by-competency through evidence. A split panel (2 strong yes, 2 no) is a no-hire, not a tiebreaker round.

Two managerial references plus one peer is the standard pattern. Ask behavioral questions tied to the same competencies the loop scored — references are most useful as a check on autonomy and collaboration claims that are hard to verify in interviews.

Send the standalone FCRA disclosure and authorization form via Checkr, Sterling, or HireRight before initiating. The disclosure must be a separate document — bundling it into the offer letter is a common class-action trigger. Apply state ban-the-box timing rules.

If findings could disqualify the candidate, send the pre-adverse-action notice with a copy of the report and the CFPB summary of rights. Wait at least 5 business days for the candidate to dispute before sending the final adverse-action notice. Skipping the two-step process is a frequent FCRA class-action.

Send the offer letter with the at-will language, comp details, equity terms (RSU/ISO/NSO with vesting and cliff), benefits summary, and start date. For CA, MA, and other states with specific notice requirements, include the state-required wage notice with the offer.

Trigger the onboarding workflow with start date, work location, FLSA classification, and comp details. Flag if the hire is in a new state for payroll — registration for income tax, unemployment, and workers comp typically takes 2-6 weeks and must be in place before the first paycheck. Send the I-9 Section 1 link with the end-of-day-1 deadline.