50 questions to ask every new hire while remote onboarding

Onboarding a new employee remotely isn't easy. When it comes to doing it effectively, organization and communication are key. While you spend a fair amount of time getting to know new hires during the recruitment process, that "getting to know each other" continues as they convert to becoming an active team member. Asking some fun or key questions that you can then turn around and share with your team (or just keep to yourself!) is a great way to socialize that new employee. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Hobbies

1. What do you do for fun?
2. What would you do if money wasn't an object?
3. What is your favourite summer (winter, etc.) activity?
4. What is your favourite sport (to watch or play)?
5. What are you passionate about?
6. What do you know a ridiculous amount about?
7. If you could master one skill overnight, what would it be?
8. Do you play any instruments, or have you ever?
9. What is the most creative thing you can do? (e.g. art, write, music, etc.)
10. What is your favourite game? (video game, board game, etc.)

Travel

1. What was the last place you visited?
2. Where do you want to travel next?
3. What is a dream destination or trip for you?
4. What is the most "exotic" place you've visited?
5. If you could go live somewhere else for one year, where would it be?
6. If you could speak one more language fluently, what would it be?
7. How many countries have you visited?
8. Where have you lived in your life? (a single place is fine!)
9. What is a special or favourite spot you have visited?
10. What is your favourite mode of transportation? (i.e. fly, bike, train, etc.)

Food

1. What is your favourite dish to eat? (at least right now)
2. What is your favourite dessert?
3. Do you cook or bake? If so, what do you like to make?
4. When you order in, what do you get?
5. Are there any foods you hate or don't eat?
6. Sweet or savoury?
7. Favourite pizza topping(s)?
8. What is something you've never tried, but want to?
9. Do you consider yourself a 'foodie'?
10. If you were trapped on an island with a single food item to live off forever, what would it be? (it can be anything!)

Remote

1. Where are you working from right now?
2. What is your "remote setup"? i.e. what sort of tech or desk setup do you have?
3. Have you worked remotely in the past? If so, how long?
4. What is your favourite part about working remotely? What is your least favourite part?
5. If you could plan our next in-person company gathering, where would it be and why?
6. If you could work exactly when you wanted to, what hours would you work & why?
7. If you could go work remotely somewhere for 3 months, where would that be?
8. Do you consider yourself a "digital nomad"?
9. If you could invent 1 thing that made working remotely better (more comfortable, easier, etc.), what would it be?
10. If you could meet up and work next to 1 person for a whole day, who would that be?

Lifestyle

1. Where are you from?
2. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
3. What are you typically doing at 7am? What about at 6pm?
4. Coffee, tea, or neither?
5. Cats, dogs, neither, or other?
6. If you could have a meal with anyone in the world (dead or alive), who would it be?
7. What is your favourite music genre?
8. What is your favourite TV or movie genre? Do you have a specific favourite?
9. Do you like reading? If so, what do you like to read most?
10. If you had to write a book about your life, what would it be titled?

We hope you got some great ideas to share with your new hires! Pick your top 5 and send them to every new team member. For highest impact, have them record their answers by video to the questions and share in a Slack channel or by email!