As remote work becomes more common than ever before (approximately 18 percent of people across the globe work remotely full-time), so has the concept of remote interviews. With companies expanding their hiring practices and recruiting candidates from all over the world, many have adopted virtual interviews to meet with potential new hires “face to face” and learn more about them.
It’s a common misconception, especially among hiring managers, that it’s only interviewees who need to prep and practice before sitting down in front of the camera for Zoom interviews. That’s not true, though. Hiring managers can (and should) also take steps to set up a successful virtual interview to learn as much as they can about each candidate.
When done correctly, virtual interviews offer a variety of benefits. Interviewees are often more relaxed, which produces more natural and honest responses to interview questions. Remote interviews save time for both the interviewer and the interviewee, too, and they broaden the talent pool so companies have a wider range of talented candidates to choose from.
Of course, the key to experiencing these benefits is for hiring managers to prepare and follow virtual interview best practices. Read on to learn more about these practices and learn some other essential virtual hiring tips.
What Are the Top Challenges of Conducting Virtual Interviews?
Over the last few years, many hiring managers and employers have learned a lot about how to conduct a virtual interview. There are still some common challenges that these individuals are facing, though, that could be holding them back from choosing the best person for each job.
The following are some of the top problems employers are facing while conducting virtual interviews:
Building Rapport
At first, you might assume that communicating with candidates via video chat is the same as communicating in person.
There are some definite similarities — more than communicating by phone or email, for sure — but it can also be a bit harder to build rapport and make connections with someone when talking through a screen versus talking face to face. This is especially true when one person (or both people) is experiencing technical difficulties that interfere with picture quality, sound quality, etc.
Technological Issues
Speaking of technical difficulties, tech can also get in the way of a successful virtual interview if you’re not careful. If you don’t have access to a quality webcam or a strong internet connection (or if the interviewee doesn’t have these things), it can be harder to conduct a thorough interview and get a clear sense of whether or not they’re a good fit.
Technology has come a long way over the last few years, and it’s much easier than it once was to conduct interviews remotely. One small glitch can throw off the entire interview, though, so interviewers and interviewees both need to take care to ensure their equipment works properly.
Contextual Differences
Another common challenge associated with virtual interviews is differences in context.
In a traditional interview, both the interviewer and interviewee are in the same office, dressed somewhat similarly, and don’t have to deal with many (if any) distractions. In a virtual interview, there are a lot of other variables that can come into play.
For example, the interviewer might be at their office but the interviewee is sitting at their kitchen table or in a spare bedroom. On the flip side, the interviewee might have a quiet place to meet, but the interviewer is trying to wrangle their dog and prevent them from barking into the microphone.
In some cases, these kinds of contextual differences can throw off the tone of the interview and get in the way of the interviewer and interviewee have a productive discussion.
Time Zone Differences
Time zone differences can make virtual interviews tricky, too.
It doesn’t matter if the interviewer lives on the east coast of the United States and the interviewee lives on the west coast, or if the interviewer and interviewee are in two separate countries. If the two don’t coordinate time zones and handle conversions properly, one person may end up waking up extra early or staying up super late for no reason at all.
Evaluating Skills
When you’re conducting a virtual interview, it can sometimes be difficult to evaluate a candidate to determine whether or not they possess the skills needed for a particular position, as well as the skills needed to work remotely in general.
If you haven’t taken the time to define the specific skills you’re looking for in a new hire, you may struggle to choose the best person for the job.
It’s important to have an evaluation plan in place ahead of time. That way, you avoid hiring someone who seems like a good fit on paper but doesn’t actually have the skills needed to do the job well and contribute to the team.
Non-Verbal Cues
Some hiring managers find that they struggle to read body language and pick up on verbal cues when communicating via video chat. Yes, you can see the person to whom you’re talking, but you may also be dealing with delays that prevent you from accurately reading their movements or noticing when they’re making eye contact or looking away.
A lot of interviewers rely on assessing an interviewee’s non-verbal communication to help them choose between candidates and determine who will be a good fit. This makes sense when you consider the fact that up to 93 percent of human communication takes place through body language.
If you can’t do this accurately, you may end up passing on someone who’s a great worker and hiring someone who isn’t right for the role.
Exhibiting Company Culture
Finally, exhibiting and explaining company culture can be tricky via video chat.
When you meet with candidates in person, the vibe of your office does a lot of the explaining for you. After all, most people can tell right away when they’ve walked into an office that has a positive culture versus one that is overly strict or harsh.
If you’re interviewing candidates virtually, you need to set aside time to discuss company culture specifically. You’ll also need to prepare in advance so you know how you’re going to discuss company culture in a way that makes sense and is appealing to future employees.
If you can’t do this, you may have a hard time winning people over and convincing them to work for you instead of one of your competitors.
What Are the Top 10 Virtual Interview Best Practices for Hiring Managers?
Now that you know more about the obstacles associated with Zoom interviews, let’s dive into the steps you can implement to overcome them. Here are 10 virtual interviews best practices that will help you to become a better interviewer, represent your company in a more positive light, and make people want to work with you:
1. Make a Plan
One of the most important virtual interview hiring tips to keep in mind is to make a plan.
Even if you’ve conducted hundreds of in-person interviews, you should still take time to prepare and plan for your virtual interviews. As is evidenced by the challenges discussed above, these two types of interviews are not the same, and they each require unique preparation if you want to get them right.
A big part of the planning process should include writing down a list of questions you want to ask. You should also prepare a few key phrases that describe the company and provide insight for the interviewee on what they can expect if they end up working here.
Be sure to share your plan with everyone on your team who will be helping with the interview process. That way, you’re all on the same page right from the start and can provide a more uniform interviewing experience.
2. Test Tech in Advance
Always test your equipment before a virtual interview. Make sure your camera, microphone, and internet connection are all working properly so you don’t waste time during the interview troubleshooting.
If possible, test equipment in the area where the interview will take place, too. You might have a great connection in your office, but will it be the same if you move to the conference room down the hall?
Encourage the people you’ll be interviewing to test their equipment before the big day as well. Send an email explaining how to check everything, and remind them to do the test in the same place they’ll be interviewing if they can.
3. Send Candidates Login Instructions in Advance
In addition to reaching out to candidates regarding testing their equipment, be sure to send them any relevant login information or instructions ahead of time, too.
Remember, it’ll throw the whole interview off if you have to email or chat back and forth trying to get them logged in and set up, so it’s best to preemptively address as many issues as you can.
Of course, sometimes, issues can still arise. However, you’ll at least be able to feel confident knowing you did everything you could to avoid them.
4. Set Clear Expectations
At the beginning of the interview, take a moment to set clear expectations and put each candidate at ease.
When you’re conducting lots of virtual interviews back to back, it can be easy to breeze through this information or neglect it altogether. Keep in mind, though, that the interviewees are likely nervous, and setting clear expectations can help them to relax and be more open during the interview.
Some specific details you should cover at the beginning of the interview include:
- Introductions for yourself and anyone else who’s participating in the interview
- A timeline of roughly how long the interview will last
- A breakdown of what will happen during the interview (Will you just be asking questions? Will they be expected to take a quiz or complete a test assignment?)
It’s a good idea to share a backup phone number, too. That way, if something happens halfway through the interview, they can reach you by phone and finish the discussion that way. It’s not ideal, but it’s still better than chopping off the interview in the middle.
5. Standardize Questions and Ratings
Standardizing questions and ratings for job interviews can take a lot of guesswork out of the process. It also helps to minimize the effects of implicit bias and makes it easier for you to compare candidates in an apples-to-apples rather than apples-to-oranges way.
This approach is helpful during all types of interviews, but it can be especially useful when conducting virtual interviews.
It can be easy to let little issues distract you or get in the way of your evaluation when you’re interviewing remotely. If you have a standardized set of questions and a standardized scoring system, though, you can resist these urges and focus on the candidates in front of you.
If multiple people are conducting interviews, a standardized process also ensures that no one is going rogue or asking questions that aren’t relevant.
6. Discuss Company Culture
During Zoom interviews and other types of remote interviews, hiring managers must make a concentrated effort to address company culture and explain the company’s mission and values.
First of all, talking about company culture helps to set clear expectations for the interviewee. It gives them a better sense of what your company is all about and whether or not it aligns with their own values.
Second, addressing company culture can help you differentiate your company from others that might be hiring for similar positions. If you can tell a convincing story and positively present your company culture, you’ll be less likely to lose qualified candidates to your competitors.
Draft a brief company culture pitch during the planning process. Then, practice it with your colleagues to ensure nothing is missing and that it accurately represents the brand.
7. Be Professional
When you’re conducting a virtual interview, you should be just as (if not more) professional than you would be during an in-person interview.
Remember, contextual differences can get in the way during virtual interviews and impede the quality of your discussions if you’re not careful. Do everything you can on your end to ensure you’re not contributing to these issues.
Keep in mind, too, that a commitment to professionalism shows the candidates that you care. If you make an effort to dress up, prepare notes, and smile during the interview, they’ll feel valued and will be more interested in working for your company.
8. Take Notes
Another key tip for those learning how to conduct a virtual interview is to take notes.
You might find that you have a harder time staying focused or retaining information when communicating via video chat instead of face-to-face. Don’t let that get in the way of you evaluating candidates properly or learning as much as you can about them.
Taking notes helps you to stay focused, and it shows that you’re committed to having a productive interview. It also provides you with a handy reference that you can return to later when you’re choosing between different candidates.
9. Allow Time to Respond
During virtual job interviews, it’s particularly important to provide candidates with the time to respond to your questions. Remember, internet connections and technological issues may cause delays in their responses.
Don’t accidentally cut them off or continue onto the next question because it seems like they’re taking too long to answer. They might be giving a very thoughtful and insightful response, but it’s just delayed by a couple of seconds.
10. Follow Up with Feedback
Another one of our top virtual interview hiring tips is to follow up with every candidate you interview. Reach out to everyone and let them know whether or not they got the job or were selected to advance to the next round of interviews.
Keep in mind, too, that people who were rejected want to know why that was the case. Ninety-four percent of candidates say they want feedback after a job interview, but a mere 41 percent say they’ve actually received any information after interviewing with a company.
When you follow up, include some feedback that can help them better prepare or better perform during their next virtual interview.
Offer advice on strengths they may want to develop or skills they might want to work on before applying for similar jobs in the future. Even a simple note like this can boost morale and point candidates in the right direction moving forward.
Final Thoughts on Virtual Interview Best Practices
Virtual hiring is here to stay, which means it’s time to start following these top 10 virtual interview best practices. If you keep the virtual hiring tips discussed above in mind, you’ll have an easier time connecting with candidates and finding the right fit for each position.
If you need more help recruiting talented individuals and attracting the best employees to your company, be sure to visit the Grabjobs resource library today. This hiring guide is a great starting point.
