Hiring a remote web designer can be a daunting process. Chances are, you're hiring a designer because you don't have the skills in-house to design your website yourselves. You want an awesome design that captures users' attention, is easy to navigate, and ultimately leads to higher conversions but what does that mean when it comes to finding the right candidate for the job?

It's hard to figure out exactly what qualifications to look for and the best questions to ask during interviews. This guide will help you navigate the hiring process. By following these tips, you'll be sure to make the right hire for your next web design project.

Lay Out Your Needs And Constraints

From the get-go, you need to clearly communicate your budget and timeline. Great designers are looking to establish these parameters immediately, and you're wasting their time and your shot of hooking them if you don't know your constraints. Even if you don't know the first thing about design, you should also be able to tell candidates what your goals are for the site and how you'll measure success.

For instance, is your primary goal to increase subscriptions or simply boost traffic? Are you trying to increase sales? Give candidates as much information about your content as possible, and don't just point them to examples of websites you like, tell them exactly what functionalities you're drawn to and why.

The importance of great communication from your end cannot be understated. Knowing exactly what you need will help you narrow down your list of candidates, avoid misunderstandings down the line, and prevent the all-too-common case of budget overrun.

Build Flawless and Reliable Communication Channels

One of the biggest advantages to hiring a remote web designer is that you widen your talent pool globally, but a killer designer who you can't understand is going to hurt you. If there's any difficulty understanding each other on the phone during interviews, that's not going to go away once you've made the hire. To avoid being lost in translation as deadlines approach, make sure your candidate has excellent english language skills.

You should also be taking note of how easy it is to reach your candidate throughout the interview process. Working across timezones can be a breeze or a major headache for you if your designer isn't available when you need him to be. Set expectations early about when your designer should be reachable and what communication channels work best for your team.

Conduct an In-Depth Skill Review

Don't just look at candidates' portfolios. Have them walk you through their decision making processes for multiple projects, detailing what the client needed, how the final project reflected those needs, and ultimately how they created a design that not only looked great but fit the brand. Test problem solving abilities, grasp of design fundamentals, and creativity and assign test projects to assess designers' attention to detail, thoroughness, professionalism, and integrity in a real-life, but low-stakes, scenario.

Ask The Right Interview Questions

You need to weed out the candidates who are really good at making themselves seem great from the ones who fully know what they are talking about. If you don't have a design background, or aren't up on current design trends, this is going to be the hardest part of your hiring process. To get a better sense of the different web design disciplines and roles, utilize the help you can find online, such as web design hiring guide, interview questions, and case studies. They will provide enough information on what you need to know about digital design to make a strong hire, give you a set of strategic questions you should ask candidates, and the types of responses that will set great designers apart from mediocre ones.

Look For a Team Player

Fit is hugely important. Your designer should be an integral part of your team - he or she should be someone you want to work with and learn from, whose personality matches the core values of your company, and who will get along well with your developers and other team members.

The stakes are high when it comes to hiring a remote web designer. The good news is that there are lots of tools to help you understand what expectations to set as you navigate the process. By doing your research and interviewing for fit as well as for skill, you'll be well on your way to hiring a great remote web designer.