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Unpaid Internships Done Right: Industry Leaders’ Perspectives

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Unpaid Internships Done Right: Industry Leaders’ Perspectives

Navigating the ethics of unpaid internships requires balancing organizational needs with meaningful opportunities for growth. 

This HR Spotlight article compiles insights from business leaders and HR professionals on specific situations where unpaid internships can be considered fair or appropriate. 

Experts highlight scenarios where internships prioritize education, mentorship, and skill-building, such as structured programs for students or career-changers gaining hands-on experience in fields like law, finance, or HR. 

They emphasize clear learning outcomes, short-term commitments, and access to industry networks as key justifications. By focusing on development over labor, these practices ensure interns gain valuable insights, making unpaid roles a fair stepping stone to future paid opportunities.

Read on!

James Parkinson
Head of Marketing Content, Personnel Checks

An unpaid internship is fair if the person feels they are getting value out of the arrangement. When it comes to content, copywriting and digital marketing interns, it goes without saying that an unfair situation would occur if the person were delivering a high volume of work without proper and adequate mentoring or training.

For our business specifically, we already have a successful mentoring programme in place due to an established apprenticeship scheme.

For unpaid interns, we treat them similarly from an educational and development perspective, also encouraging them to take advantage of our learning resources with the aim of nurturing them into potential paid employees.

If the business appreciates and sees the value in the intern, and returns this with a commitment to their personal development, the unpaid element is considered ‘fair’.

Value-Driven Internships Ensure Fairness

Bradford R. Glaser
President & CEO, HRDQ

By way of being a learning experience in adult soft-skill development, it is reasonable to offer an unpaid internship, especially where we create tools enhancing communication, leadership, and teamworking, as in the case of HRDQ.

An intern who gets involved in assessing construction, participating in team-development workshops, or assisting with webinars related to HR gains exposure to the strategic initiative that goes into performance improvement.

The key is to ensure the intern receives guidance, an opportunity to contribute, and reflection on learning.

When the focus is on building HR-relevant capabilities rather than just filling supporting tasks, the arrangement honors both organizational integrity and the intern’s development.

Educational HR Internships Justify Unpaid

Julia Simkus
Resume Writer, Wanderlust Careers

I recently completed my Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology at NYU. As part of our program, we were required to complete a set number of clinical hours. Before joining Wanderlust in a paid role, I interned there to fulfill these clinical hours and receive supervision from a licensed counselor.

In this case, the internship was unpaid, but I found it entirely fair because it provided me with essential training, mentorship, and real-world experience that were imperative for my professional development.

I believe unpaid internships can be appropriate in situations like this where the primary benefit to the intern is educational, such as gaining required training hours, hands-on experience, or mentorship.

Mentorship Makes Unpaid Internships Fair

Jackie Domanus
Founder, Idea Citizen

There’s a time and place for unpaid internships, but only under specific, transparent conditions.

First, the experience must be clearly structured, ideally using a framework like STAR to define learning outcomes.

Second, it should be designed for individuals with no prior working experience in the field.

Third, it must be time-bound; I’d advocate for contracts that include a scaled pay structure after a set period, such as three months.

And finally, it should be geared toward students actively enrolled in school. Internships, paid or unpaid, can open doors to networks and skill-building, but compensation shapes expectations.

Unpaid internships should focus solely on guided learning. Paid internships, by contrast, imply a level of autonomy and responsibility to contribute value beyond assigned tasks. Anything outside of that risks misalignment.

Structured Learning for Student Interns

Brenda Manea
Managing Director, BAM

I applied for my first internship in 2013, back when I was in college still figuring out what I wanted to do. I found a PR agency that looked cool and landed an unpaid internship. I was over the moon; it didn’t even cross my mind to ask about pay. Three months later, they started paying me minimum wage, and I stuck around part-time until graduation.

Fast forward 11 years, and I’m still at that same agency, having worked my way through 10 different roles.

That unpaid internship opened the door, and it completely changed the course of my career. For me, it’s proof that when structured well and tied to real opportunity, unpaid internships can be fair; sometimes just getting your foot in the door makes all the difference.

Opportunity-Driven Internships Change Careers

Griff Harris
President, Griffith Harris Insurance Services

The key is that these internships must provide genuine learning about complex risk assessment that can’t be taught in classrooms.

When a student witnesses how we structure a $5M umbrella policy or analyze medical malpractice coverage for physicians, they’re gaining specialized knowledge worth more than minimum wage.

After 75 years serving this community and my experience at major firms like Marsh & McLennan, I’ve seen that insurance expertise only develops through real client scenarios. Students who complete these programs typically land $60K+ starting positions because they understand risk management principles that take years to master otherwise.

The internship becomes unfair if students are just filing papers or answering phones. But when they’re learning our industry’s most valuable skill—protecting family legacies through proper coverage—that education is invaluable.

Specialized Skills Justify Unpaid Roles

Alex Langan
Chief Investment Officer, Langan Financial

In finance, an unpaid internship can be fair in very specific situations, mainly when it’s structured as a true learning experience rather than free labor.

For example, if you’re a student or career-changer curious about wealth management or investment analysis, an unpaid internship can give you exposure to compliance work, financial planning tools, and client service without the pressure of revenue targets.

It should be short-term, clearly educational, and paired with mentorship so you’re building skills that will translate into paid opportunities.

In my view, it’s only appropriate when the intern gains more than the firm does, and when the program is designed to help them decide if this is the right path.

Educational Finance Internships Are Fair

Brian Joslyn
Owner, Joslyn Law Firm

In the legal field, I believe unpaid internships can be considered fair when they are structured around genuine education and skill-building rather than free labor.

For example, a law student shadowing attorneys in a criminal defense practice can gain invaluable experience observing hearings, reviewing case strategy, and understanding how client relationships are built – insights that can’t be learned in a classroom.

When the internship is short-term, clearly educational, and not displacing paid staff, it can give students the clarity they need to decide if criminal defense, or even law as a whole, is the right career path for them. In that sense, an unpaid internship becomes less about cost-saving for the firm and more about creating a bridge between academic theory and the realities of legal practice.

Legal Shadowing Benefits Unpaid Interns

Steven Rothberg
Founder & Chief Visionary Officer, College Recruiter Job Search Site

There are different customs and laws in different countries regarding whether internships should or even must be paid.

In the United States, the law is pretty clear, although many would prefer to think otherwise. In a nutshell, if you’re a non-profit or government agency then legally you may employ interns without paying them.

Under the Fair Labor Practices Act (FLPA), for-profit organizations must pay them, as there will always be some benefit accruing to the employer.

But, even if it is legally permissible to not pay an intern for the work they deliver to your organization, that doesn’t mean that you should accept their labor without paying them for that labor.

I believe that all interns should be paid at least the prevailing minimum wage and that the additional training and management of these inexperienced workers should factor into the wages they’re paid, but not eliminate the wages they’re paid.

Pay Interns, Prioritize Fairness

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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The Hidden Why: Spilling the Beans on Ghost Jobs

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The Hidden Why: Spilling the Beans on Ghost Jobs

Surveys reveal 40% of hiring managers post “ghost jobs,” roles not actively being filled, frustrating job seekers and eroding trust. 

This HR Spotlight article gathers insights from business leaders and HR professionals on uncommon reasons behind this practice. 

From contingency hiring and market calibration to signaling growth for investors or preserving headcount, these experts uncover strategic, often overlooked motives. 

They also address the ethical concerns and trust costs, offering practical solutions like transparent labeling and clear timelines to mitigate candidate frustration, providing a roadmap for organizations to balance internal needs with external perceptions while maintaining a strong employer brand.

Read on!

Arsen Misakyan
CEO & Founder, Angel City Limo

As a founder who’s run hiring through contract cycles, I’ve seen “ghost jobs” happen for less-obvious reasons.

The most common at Angel City Limo: contingency hiring tied to uncertain revenue—e.g., an airport RFP or studio shuttle contract. You build a bench in case the deal lands, but you can’t issue offers until procurement signs. The role looks active from the outside, yet it’s paused by one signature you don’t control.

Other under-the-radar drivers: preserving approved headcount (finance will cut dormant reqs unless they’re “live”), maintaining job-board pricing tiers that require a minimum number of postings, and meeting optics in partner audits (some enterprise clients expect to see “active recruiting” in quarterly reviews).

I’ve also seen teams post to calibrate market comp or test ATS workflows before a broader hiring wave—useful internally, confusing externally.

We’ve changed our approach: if a role is pipeline-only, we label it that way and state the trigger (“pending contract award; ETA late October”). We add an auto-expire date and a one-line SLA on next steps to avoid inbox limbo.

For candidates, a simple sanity check helps: ask for timeline, budget owner, and success metrics for the first 90 days. If those answers are fuzzy, you’re likely looking at a contingency req.

Contingency Hiring Creates Unavoidable Ghost Job Scenarios

John Mac
Founder, Openbatt

One of the less talked-about reasons hiring managers post “ghost jobs” is internal benchmarking.

It’s not about collecting resumes for the sake of ego or creating a false sense of growth—it’s about market calibration.

I’ve seen cases where teams post open roles not to hire immediately, but to gather current data on candidate expectations: salary benchmarks, skill gaps, evolving tech stacks.

It becomes an informal research tool, especially in fast-moving sectors where comp and capabilities shift every few months.

Another reason—one that rarely gets called out—is internal optics.

Sometimes a job post is less about the external market and more about internal signalling. A department lead might list a role to protect future headcount, even if budget approval hasn’t landed yet. Or they want to show higher-ups that they’re “planning for growth,” even if hiring isn’t on the immediate roadmap.

It’s a form of strategic theatre that isn’t inherently malicious, but it creates noise for candidates who assume every listing equals urgency.

There’s also the issue of succession hedging.

I’ve worked with orgs where a job goes live not because someone is leaving—but because leadership wants to be ready if they do. They’ve spotted burnout, misalignment, or upcoming life changes, and they quietly begin building a shortlist just in case. From their lens, it’s being proactive. But to candidates on the outside, it looks like a black hole.

The real challenge is that ghost postings erode trust. In a market where transparency is currency, using job boards as a test bed or placeholder weakens the employer brand—even if the intent isn’t harmful.

My advice to hiring managers: if you’re going to post, make it purposeful. If you’re not ready to hire, run research or forecasting internally without wasting a candidate’s time. Long-term, your hiring reputation matters more than the data you scraped from a few CVs.

Ghost Jobs Serve Hidden Internal Corporate Agendas

Aziz Bekishov
CEO, DC Mobile Notary

Not being a woman myself, I may not be able to speak directly from such an experiential standpoint, yet I have strongly, and deeply, felt the severe repercussions of high stress reactivity through my own entry into entrepreneurship and the constant pressure placed on me.

If this can serve as a parallel or complement to your piece, I would be truly honored to share it.

Living life on edge is not living at all:

There was a period about the time two years back when the days would start in full-body tension, before breakfast, for that matter, rehearsing with terrible plans.

Nowadays, I would find something minor, for example: a contractor would be late or did not send me any reply to an email, and that would put me on an emotional roller coaster.

From calm, I would be in confrontation mode within seconds, and being able to concentrate became an afterthought.

This slowly developed during the months of running DC Mobile Notary and simultaneously scaling DuoNotary until the point when I felt that I was no longer enjoying my own success.

What pulled me into the ripple was low-stakes activities which I could control.

So, every morning, I walk without headphones, just for my thoughts to slow down.
I write a lot of check-ins, usually noting down what felt out of sync that day and what I could do about it next, not later.

Most importantly, I gave myself intermission from never being on.

The shift didn’t save the day, but it was enough to halt the spiral so I could finally breathe again.

I would be glad to expand on that should you have further questions or if that fits your angle.

Low-Stakes Rituals Halt High-Stress Reactivity

Jeremy Yamaguchi
CEO, Cabana

One of the main reasons why businesses post “ghost jobs” is to create the illusion of growth.

When a business has job openings, that means they are growing and needing to add more members to their team, right? Well, not always. Sometimes these “ghost jobs” are literally just there to create the illusion of growth.

When people think a business is growing, they assume it’s really excelling and thus might be more interested in getting involved with it in some way. Though there may not be any legal issues here, I definitely think this practice is ethically questionable at best.

So, it’s not something we do. I don’t think it’s fair to job hunters and their time.

Ghost Jobs Create the Illusion of Growth

Karen Southall Watts
Author, The Solo Workday

If you take just a few moments to survey discussions on LinkedIn, you’ll find the prevailing sentiment is “ghost jobs should be illegal.”

When I tell job seekers that almost half the listings they find online are probably bogus, they are understandably angry.

There are some business case reasons for ghost postings, like trying to indicate company health or growth, doing informal surveys of available talent, or hoping to boost the morale of overworked staff. However, I think there is one very human reason these posts linger, and it speaks to neither stellar work ethic nor healthy company culture. Never-got-around-to-it.

Job boards screening listings for accuracy: never-got-around-to-it

HR departments pulling job ads when jobs are filled or funding fails: never-got-around-to-it

Managers closing positions that have been phased out: never-got-around-to-it

From the outside, job seekers can’t tell if this behavior is the result of short staffing or callous attitudes.

Either way, ghost jobs are frustrating, unethical, and should be stamped out. If someone could just find the time to get around to it.

Not Strategic, Just Inaction

Edward Hones
Employment Lawyer & Founder, Hones Law PLLC

Legal Cushioning and Passive Compliance
From my perspective as an employment lawyer, one uncommon but very real reason companies post ghost jobs is to maintain the appearance of compliance with internal policies or legal obligations.

For example, some organizations, particularly federal contractors or those subject to affirmative action requirements, may post jobs to demonstrate they’re actively recruiting, even when they have no immediate intention to hire. It creates a paper trail that, in the event of an audit or lawsuit, can be used to show “good faith” hiring efforts, even if the positions were never truly open. While this isn’t necessarily illegal, it rides a thin ethical line and can mislead job seekers.

Strategic Talent Mapping (with Questionable Transparency)
Another lesser-known motive is strategic pipeline building for future contracts or business expansion.

Companies might anticipate new work, but until it’s confirmed, they hedge by posting roles to see who’s out there. If the deal doesn’t land, the job vanishes. In this context, it’s less about deception and more about risk management, but it creates real trust issues with candidates.

I advise clients to be transparent in these cases: label the job “pipeline” or “future opportunity” so applicants aren’t misled.

Honest branding of speculative roles goes a long way in protecting both the employer’s reputation and legal standing.

Offers Legal and Strategic Hedges

Peter Murphy
CEO, Track Spikes

I’ve hired across retail, delivery, and digital—and yes, ghost jobs are real, but not always for the obvious reasons.

Some post openings to test market interest before greenlighting a new job. Others use it to gather future candidates during off-season cycles, especially in businesses with seasonal surges.

I’ve seen leaders use ads to calm internal teams, like saying, “We’re growing,” even if they’re not ready to hire yet. It’s not ideal, but it often occurs when hiring decisions are influenced by mood or funding considerations.

Ghost Jobs: A Strategic Market Test

Jonathan Hill
Chairman & CEO, The Energists

“Ghost job” postings are an unfortunately common practice though I wish they weren’t.

Their potential harm goes beyond annoying job seekers. They can erode candidates’ trust in the hiring process and cause lasting damage to a company’s employer brand, which ultimately makes them counterproductive for the purpose many companies use them for.

There are two reasons for ghost postings that I’ve witnessed most often:

They forgot to take the post down after the job was filled or the search was cancelled.

They’re using the fake job to collect resumes and build a pipeline.

There are also some less common reasons I’ve seen for these postings:

Internal budget constraints – The company intends to fill the job when they post it but are faced with a pause in hiring after doing so, or may still be waiting for the budget approval before moving forward.

Contractual or client requirements – In sectors like EPC or consulting, firms may need to demonstrate staffing capacity as part of a bid, but don’t plan to fill the role unless they win the deal.

PR and market signaling – Hiring often reads as growth, which can mean a company with open jobs can look more attractive to investors or stakeholders.

Internal promotion – They plan to fill the job internally but are required to conduct a public search to satisfy compliance or policies, and so post the job with no intention of hiring an outside candidate.


Performance pressure – if someone in the company (often an executive or other critical role) is under-performing, they may post a role to both motivate that individual and to test the market if they do need to be replaced.

As an overarching comment, I’d say if a ghost posting isn’t for pipeline building or the result of carelessness, it’s most often going to be motivated by internal factors that may or may not have anything to do with the company’s talent strategy.

Motivated By Internal Factors

Magda Klimkiewicz
Senior HR Business Partner, Live Career

In a competitive industry, appearing active and fast-growing can be just as valuable as actual expansion. By posting job openings, even without the intent to hire, companies create the illusion of scaling up. This can make them seem more attractive to venture capitalists and potential backers.

For example, a startup in Series A funding might advertise multiple engineering roles, not because they are ready to onboard, but to signal momentum. These job posts are often left open indefinitely, fitting into the narrative that the business is gearing up for a big leap.

This tactic is not deceptive in the eyes of some hiring managers. They view it as a proactive branding strategy rather than a dishonest practice.

Sometimes, job postings are less about hiring and more about crafting a narrative for shareholders, competitors, or even employees.

Interestingly, these strategic, though arguably misleading practices show that ghost jobs are not always about laziness or disorganization. They are, in most cases, about perception, influence, and control.

A Strategic Branding Tool

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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5 EVP Mistakes That Are Sabotaging Your Remote Hiring (And How to Fix Them)

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5 EVP Mistakes That Are Sabotaging Your Remote Hiring (And How to Fix Them)

By Jim Coughlin, founder of Remotivated

Remote hiring has fundamentally changed the talent acquisition game. With candidates now able to work for companies anywhere in the world, the competition for top talent has never been fiercer. Yet many organizations are unknowingly sabotaging their own efforts through critical Employee Value Proposition (EVP) mistakes that drive away the candidates they’re trying to attract.

The team at Remotivated has identified five critical EVP mistakes that derail remote hiring efforts. More importantly, we’ve seen how fixing these issues can transform companies from struggling to attract talent into magnets for top remote talent.

The Problem: Many companies still frame remote work as a generous benefit they’re offering, rather than recognizing it as a fundamental shift in how work gets done. This mindset seeps into job descriptions with phrases like “we’re generous enough to allow remote work” or “remote work available as needed.”

Why It Backfires: Top remote talent doesn’t want to feel like they’re asking for a favor. They want to work for companies that have fully embraced distributed work and built their culture around it. When remote work feels like an afterthought, it signals that the company hasn’t invested in the systems, culture, and leadership needed to make remote work truly successful.

The Fix: Reframe remote work from a policy to a philosophy. Instead of listing “remote work allowed,” highlight how your distributed culture enables better work-life integration, access to global talent, and outcomes-focused performance. Share specific examples of how remote work has made your team more productive, creative, or collaborative.

Mistake #1: Treating Remote Work as a “Perk” Instead of a Core Value

The Problem: Scroll through job boards and you’ll see the same tired phrases everywhere: “We’re like a family,” “Work hard, play hard,” “Competitive salary and benefits,” “Fast-paced environment.” These generic statements tell candidates nothing about what makes your company unique.

Why It Backfires: Remote workers have endless options. Suppose your EVP sounds identical to that of every other company. In that case, you’re forcing candidates to choose based solely on salary—a race to the bottom that you can’t win against competitors with deeper pockets.

The Fix: Get specific about what makes your culture unique. Instead of stating”flexible schedule,” explain exactly how flexibility works at your company. Instead of “growth opportunities,” detail your mentorship programs, learning budgets, or internal mobility statistics. The most compelling EVPs take their company’s core mission and translate it into tangible employee benefits.

Mistake #2: Generic EVP Messaging That Could Apply to Any Company

The Problem: Companies craft compelling EVP statements about their culture but fail to live up to them in reality. New hires discover that the “collaborative environment” they were promised actually means constant interruptions, or that “work-life balance” disappears during busy periods.

Why It Backfires: This is especially damaging in remote work, where culture must be more intentionally created and maintained. When the reality doesn’t match the promise, new hires feel deceived and often become your harshest critics on employee review sites like Glassdoor.

The Fix: Audit your current employee experience against your EVP promises. Survey existing employees anonymously to gauge whether the company is delivering on its cultural commitments. If there are gaps, fix them before promoting those aspects of your culture. Authenticity always beats perfection in EVP messaging.

Mistake #3: Overpromising and Underdelivering on Culture

The Problem: Many EVPs read like a benefits brochure, listing health insurance, PTO policies, and office perks without connecting these to the bigger picture of why employees should care about the work itself.

Why It Backfires: While benefits matter, top remote talent, particularly Gen Z, is often more motivated by purpose, autonomy, and the opportunity to do meaningful work. An EVP that focuses solely on transactional benefits attracts employees who are primarily motivated by transactional benefits.

The Fix: Lead with impact and mission, then support it with benefits. Explain how employees’ work contributes to the company’s goals and broader societal impact. Frame benefits as tools that enable employees to do their best work, rather than just perks to attract bodies.

Mistake #4: Focusing Only on Benefits Instead of Impact

The Problem: Most companies create EVPs focused solely on attraction—what will get people to apply and accept offers. They forget that a strong EVP must also address retention, development, and even alumni relationships.

Why It Backfires: Remote employees who feel their growth has stagnated can easily find new opportunities without relocating. If your EVP doesn’t address career development, skill building, and long-term value creation, you’ll become a stepping stone employer rather than an employer people retire from.

The Fix: Map out the employee journey from attraction through onboarding, professional development, and beyond. Your EVP should address what employees gain at each stage. This might include structured mentorship programs, learning stipends, internal mobility opportunities, or alumni networks.

Mistake #5: Ignoring the Employee Lifecycle in EVP Development

The companies that excel at remote hiring don’t just avoid these mistakes—they flip the script entirely. They recognize that their EVP isn’t just a recruiting tool; it’s a business strategy. When done right, a strong EVP becomes a competitive advantage that attracts better talent, reduces turnover costs, and creates a workforce of high-performing advocates who refer other top performers.

The most successful remote companies we work with share three common characteristics:

1.Specificity: They can articulate exactly what makes their culture unique
2.Authenticity: They deliver on their promises consistently
3.Evolution: They continuously refine their EVP based on employee feedback

If you’re struggling to attract top remote talent despite offering competitive compensation, the problem likely isn’t your salary ranges—it’s your story. The companies winning the remote talent war aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets, but the ones with the most compelling and authentic Employee Value Propositions.

While avoiding these common mistakes is crucial, building a truly compelling EVP requires a structured, methodical approach. For organizations ready to dive deeper into the strategic elements of EVP development—from identifying your unique differentiators to measuring success—Remotivated has created a comprehensive Employee Value Proposition guide that walks through each component in detail.

Remotivated helps remote-first companies build stronger employer brands through remote culture certification. Our programs provide the social proof the most forward-thinking remote-first employers make a core component of their EVP.

The Remote EVP Success Formula

About the Author

Jim Coughlin is the founder of Remotivated, where he helps identify and celebrate authentic remote-first cultures. After leading a fully distributed fintech implementation team through a successful $500 million exit, he now focuses on helping job seekers and organizations understand what separates genuine remote culture from remote-work theater.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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What HR and Leaders Look for to Ensure Remote Teams Thrive

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What HR and Leaders Look for to Ensure Remote Teams Thrive

By Stanley Anto, Chief Editor, HRSpotlight.com

The past few years have felt like one huge, involuntary experiment in remote work. The initial shock has faded, but here’s the question many of us are still figuring out: How do we, as leaders, truly know if our teams are not just getting by, but actually thriving?

For a long time, the instinct was to keep an eye on every move—video calls, chat activity, login hours. The thinking was simple: if you can’t see your team, are they working at all?

But as we’ve all gained experience, a new truth has emerged: the most effective remote teams aren’t built on surveillance. They’re built on trust, clear communication, and focusing on results, not hours logged. It isn’t about dashboards; it’s about a leadership mindset that believes professionals will do their work well.

So what does this new style of leadership actually look like? I spoke with leaders who have mastered it. Their key insight: focus on outcomes, not on activity, and watch for real signals of engagement rather than digital presence.

The old model was all about clock-watching. Were people logged in? Did they hit their eight hours? But anyone who’s worked remotely knows that hours don’t equal productivity. You could be “online” for eight hours but accomplish very little.

Top remote managers have moved on. They judge success by the final product, not by when or how it was made.

Edward Hones, an employment lawyer and founder of Hones Law PLLC, says it best: “We don’t rely on invasive monitoring to measure remote team effectiveness. We focus on outcome-based KPIs and the timely delivery of high-quality work.”

In Edward’s world, it’s the quality and timeliness of deliverables, whether drafting legal memos or managing cases, that count. This breaks through the noise of digital footprints and focuses on what actually moves the business forward.

But it’s not just about outputs. Edward also pointed out a vital human element: engagement. “A big part of success is responsiveness. Team members who quickly reply to internal questions or client needs tend to be more engaged. They raise red flags early, ask good questions, and take meaningful part in meetings.”

Engaged employees are proactive. They don’t wait to be told what to do. Their communication becomes a clear sign that they’re not just working, but truly invested.

From Hours Logged to Outcomes Delivered

Great teams share a common mission. When work is spread out, informal watercooler chats fade away. Some leaders find that a well-chosen business metric becomes their team’s rallying point.

Gunnar Blakeway-Walen, Marketing Manager at The Heron, Edgewater, explains: “Our conversion rate from marketing leads to signed leases became our key remote team KPI. I stopped tracking hours and started obsessing over this because it demanded perfect coordination between marketing, leasing, and operations.”

When conversion dips, the whole team feels it. They rally to find the issue—whether lead quality is down or follow-ups are slow.

That kind of shared accountability removes the need for micromanagement. The metric drives productivity and collaboration naturally.

Shared, Measurable Goals Unite Teams

Beyond KPIs, consistency matters. Gary Harutyunyan, CEO of SleepyBaby, who manages 28 remote employees across states, discovered that “consistent delivery timelines are the most reliable remote team indicator.”

If a team meets deadlines reliably, you know they’re productive. This isn’t about being wired to the clock 24/7. It’s about honoring commitments—and that means both quality and timeliness.

For teams that do more than just meet expectations, Dhawal Shah, Co-Founder of 2Stallions Digital Marketing, looks for continuous improvement.

He shared, “I track how fast work gets done and watch whether my team improves. Completing tasks quicker while maintaining or improving quality shows they’re gaining mastery and efficiency.”

This kind of progress tracking isn’t surveillance. It celebrates growth and pushes mastery, which fuels long-term success.

Productivity Shows in Consistency and Growth

If you want a roadmap for managing remote teams in 2025, here it is:

– Build a culture of trust. Treat your employees like professionals who can manage their time and workload.

– Set clear, outcome-driven goals and metrics that everyone understands and supports. This could be a shared business KPI or a simple weekly deliverable checklist.

– Keep an eye out for genuine engagement—how quickly your team responds, how proactive they are, and whether you see steady improvement.

By shifting away from surveillance and towards these principles, your remote teams will be more productive, innovative, and resilient.

In our evolving work world, leadership isn’t about watching every keystroke. It’s about empowering people. When you focus on trust, shared purpose, and continuous growth, you build teams that don’t just survive remotely—they thrive.

What Should Leaders Focus on Today?

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Beating the Odds: Experts Share Secrets to Landing Top Talent

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Beating the Odds: Experts Share Secrets to Landing Top Talent

With 71% of businesses struggling to find qualified candidates, innovative recruitment strategies are critical for success. 

This HR Spotlight article gathers insights from business leaders and HR professionals on how their organizations are beating the odds. 

From leveraging AI-driven job postings to fostering strong cultures and tapping personal networks, these experts share actionable approaches. 

Emphasizing attitude over experience, clear expectations, and internal growth opportunities, their strategies expand talent pools, boost retention, and align hires with organizational goals, offering a roadmap for businesses to thrive in a competitive hiring landscape.

Read on!

Ahmad Faiz
Owner, Achilles Roofing & Exteriors

At Achilles Roofing and Exterior, I’ve seen firsthand how tough it can be to find the right people. Roofing isn’t an easy trade—it’s demanding work, the conditions are tough, and it requires both skill and discipline. What’s helped us beat the odds is that we don’t just look for “qualified” candidates on paper. We look for people who are willing to learn, show up consistently, and take pride in doing the job right.

When I was younger in this business, I thought the only way to grow was to hire people who already had years of experience. What I learned is that experience doesn’t always equal reliability. Some of our best team members started with little background in roofing but had the right attitude. We invested time into training them, pairing them with seasoned crew leaders, and giving them clear paths to grow. That’s built loyalty because they see a future here, not just a paycheck.

We also put a lot of focus on culture. Roofing crews spend long days together, often in extreme heat, dealing with physically exhausting work. If you don’t create an environment of respect, accountability, and teamwork, good people won’t stay. We make sure everyone knows their role, feels valued, and understands that cutting corners is never an option. Homeowners trust us with their biggest investment, and that responsibility has to be shared by the whole team.

Another thing that’s worked for us is hiring from our own network. Many of our best workers came through referrals from current employees. If someone is willing to vouch for a friend or family member, that usually means they trust the person to keep up the standard we expect. It creates a team that’s built on trust from the start.

Beating the odds hasn’t been about luck. It’s about taking the long view—finding people with the right mindset, giving them the tools and training to succeed, and building a culture that makes them want to stay. That’s how we’ve been able to staff reliable crews while so many others are struggling.

Culture and Training Build Loyal Roofing Teams

Mark Hirsch
Co-founder & Personal Injury Attorney, Templer & Hirsch

At Templer & Hirsch, we beat the 71% hire problem by making our employees better. Many of the law clerks I work with now started as students, and I personally invest in their growth. More than 60% of our lawyers started out working for the company.

We also use the Prime Time Business Network, which I started, to get recommendations from people we trust. Thanks to this network, we’ve found outstanding candidates whose ideals match our own.

We look at grit, empathy, and courtroom sense instead of just resumes, because those are things you can’t teach from a transcript. That’s how we make a team that wins cases and puts our clients first.

Law Firm Grows Talent From Within

Daria Turanska
Legal Manager, Faster Draft

Finding qualified candidates is definitely one of the biggest challenges businesses face today. At Fasterdraft.com, we’ve tackled this by being very intentional about how we define and attract talent.

First, we focus on clarity in contracts and job descriptions—making sure expectations, responsibilities, and growth opportunities are crystal clear from the start. That helps attract candidates who truly understand the role and are motivated by it.

Second, because I run my own company and know how vital flexibility is, we offer remote and flexible working arrangements, which broadens the talent pool beyond local limits. This is especially appealing to contract lawyers and specialists who want autonomy.

Finally, we invest in ongoing training and mentorship, helping team members develop skills aligned with both their interests and company needs. This creates loyalty and reduces turnover.

By combining clear legal frameworks with a people-focused culture, we’ve been able to beat the odds and build a strong, qualified team despite the market challenges.

Clear Expectations Attract Perfect Contract Matches

Belle Florendo
Marketing Co-ordinator, My Accurate Home and Commercial Services

We shifted focus from resumes to aptitude and attitude.

Instead of filtering strictly by past experience, we created short skills assessments and emphasized cultural fit during interviews.

Pairing new hires with mentors accelerated training, which expanded our candidate pool. This approach reduced hiring gaps and improved retention significantly.

Aptitude Over Experience Expands Candidate Pool

David Case
President, Advastar Group

The first thing we ask clients when they tell us they can’t find qualified candidates is how they’re defining “qualified.” Often, the root of the problem is that they’re holding out for a perfect professional, someone who checks every technical box and is an ideal fit for their culture. These candidates do exist but they’re few and far between, especially in the current hiring landscape.

My top advice for employers right now is to look for ways you can broaden your pipeline. Review your must-have qualifications to make sure they’re truly necessary for the role, not just “nice to have”s.

When you review applications, be willing to consider candidates who have the right core skills and attitude, and could be trained to fill any technical gaps.

The employers having the most success with filling roles right now are those willing to reskill workers from adjacent industries, or offer apprenticeships or on-the-job training for recent graduates.

When you build talent from within you don’t only fill openings faster but also foster loyalty in your workforce since they’re able to grow with your organization.

Hire For Potential, Not Perfection

Kristie Tse
Founder & Clinical Director, Uncover Mental Health Counseling, PLLC

My approach has been highly intentional and focused.

I prioritize building a strong company culture that attracts like-minded professionals who share our vision and values. This means engaging in thoughtful screening processes and fostering a supportive environment where clinicians feel valued and supported.

Also, I invest in consistent development opportunities for my team, which not only elevates the quality of care we provide but also helps retain motivated and skilled individuals.

By focusing on quality over quantity and creating an environment professionals want to be a part of, we’ve been able to distinguish ourselves and overcome hiring challenges.

Culture And Values Attract Top Talent

Stephen Yau
Owner & Head Math Tutor, DUX Tuition

I run a math tutoring company that hires math teachers.

Job posting platforms like SEEK or Indeed are flooded with candidates that are either unqualified or don’t feel like a great fit.

My solution was to look at my own social circles, such as church or Jiu Jitsu clubs, where I could spend a bit more time observing a potential candidate.

This allowed me to evaluate their character and fit for the company before I ever approach them. Luckily, I’ve found quite a lot of church goers are teachers (or lawyers!), so this method, although unorthodox, works!

Social Circles: The New Hiring Pool

Valentin Radu
Founder, Omniconvert

As a SaaS founder and CRO expert, addressing the talent challenge requires a proactive and strategic approach.

First, we refine job descriptions to be clear, enticing, and reflective of the specific skills needed. Leveraging data-driven recruitment tools helps us identify top candidates effectively. We also tap into niche communities and professional networks to find specialized talent that aligns with our goals.

Additionally, fostering a strong employer brand and offering growth opportunities ensures we attract and retain the best professionals. Lastly, maintaining a culture of learning and adaptability allows us to nurture talent internally, filling gaps as they arise.

Strategic Recruitment Attracts and Retains Talent

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Beyond the Job Description: Why Verified Company Profiles Are Your Secret Weapon for Career Happiness

by

Beyond the Job Description: Why Verified Company Profiles Are Your Secret Weapon for Career Happiness

By Jim Coughlin 
Founder, Remotivated

Most job seekers make career decisions based on incomplete information—and pay the price with years of professional frustration. Here’s how verified company profiles are changing the game for smart job seekers who want to find roles where they’ll actually thrive.

 

Traditional job hunting relies on three main information sources, all of which have fatal flaws:

Company websites and job descriptions tell you what organizations want you to believe, not how they actually operate. Even well-intentioned companies often have a significant gap between their aspirational culture and their daily reality.

Interview conversations are performative by nature. You’re meeting people who are specifically selected and trained to represent the company positively. You’re seeing their best behavior during a brief, artificial interaction.

Generic review sites like Glassdoor provide some employee perspectives, but they’re often polarized (very happy or very angry employees), lack context about remote work specifically, and don’t provide the systematic analysis needed to understand cultural patterns.

This information gap forces job seekers to make decisions based on incomplete data—and then discover the reality only after they’ve already committed months or years of their career.

This is where curated, verified company profiles provided by Remotivated become a career game-changer. Unlike marketing materials or scattered reviews, verified profiles provide systematic analysis of the elements that actually determine your day-to-day work experience.

Let’s examine what comprehensive company profiles uncover that you’d never learn from a job description:

The Verified Profile Advantage: Information That Actually Matters

Cultural Values in Practice 

Rather than aspirational statements, verified profiles show how companies actually implement their values. For example, a company might claim to value “work-life balance,” but their profile reveals whether employees actually take vacation days, work reasonable hours, and feel supported when personal life requires attention.

Leadership Accessibility and Communication Style

Profiles reveal whether leadership is accessible to remote employees, how they communicate company updates, and whether they demonstrate genuine understanding of distributed work challenges. This isn’t about whether they’re “nice”—it’s about operational competence in managing remote organizations.

Investment in Remote Employee Success

The specifics matter here. A $500 home office stipend signals something very different from a $4,000 equipment allowance plus annual refreshes. Comprehensive health benefits, professional development budgets, and retreat policies all indicate how seriously a company takes remote employee investment.

Actual Flexibility Policies

Verified profiles distinguish between “flexible hours” (which often means you can start at 8am or 9am) and genuine schedule autonomy. They reveal core collaboration hours, time zone requirements, and how the company actually handles scheduling conflicts.

Career Growth Track Record

Rather than promises about advancement, profiles examine actual promotion patterns, mentorship availability, and whether remote employees advance at the same rate as office-based colleagues.

Employee Retention and Satisfaction Metrics

Verified profiles often include data about tenure, internal mobility, and systematic employee feedback rather than cherry-picked testimonials.

Smart job seekers are developing new research methodologies that prioritize verified information over marketing materials:

Start with verified remote company databases that provide systematic analysis rather than self-reported information. These platforms often include employee satisfaction data, operational assessments, and third-party verification of cultural claims.

Look for companies that undergo external culture certification or participate in systematic workplace evaluation programs. Organizations willing to submit to external review demonstrate confidence in their actual practices, not just their marketing.

Analyze consistency across multiple information sources. When company claims align with employee reviews, leadership communication, and operational evidence, you’re seeing authentic culture rather than aspirational marketing.

Prioritize specific operational details over general culture statements. “We value work-life balance” means nothing. “Our team has core collaboration hours from 10am-2pm EST, with async handoffs for other time zones” gives you actionable information about daily reality.

The Research Process That Changes Everything

We’re moving toward a world where information asymmetry between employers and job seekers is disappearing. Companies can no longer rely on marketing copy to attract talent—their actual employee experiences are becoming transparent through systematic review and verification processes.

For job seekers, this represents an unprecedented opportunity to make genuinely informed career decisions. The challenge isn’t finding jobs—it’s finding the right jobs where you can build sustainable, satisfying careers.

The professionals who master this research-driven approach to job searching won’t just find employment—they’ll build careers characterized by consistent growth, genuine satisfaction, and long-term professional happiness.

Your next career move shouldn’t be a gamble based on limited information. It should be a strategic decision based on a comprehensive understanding of how companies actually operate and whether their reality aligns with your professional needs.

The tools exist. The information is available. The question is whether you’ll use them to your advantage. Check out Remotivated’s verified company profiles to find career opportunities with top remote employers.

The Future of Career Decision-Making

About the Author

Jim Coughlin is the founder of Remotivated, where he helps identify and celebrate authentic remote-first cultures. After leading a fully distributed fintech implementation team through a successful $500 million exit, he now focuses on helping job seekers and organizations understand what separates genuine remote culture from remote-work theater.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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