{"id":15265,"date":"2021-12-18T01:24:55","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T17:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recruitment.grabjobs.co\/?p=15265"},"modified":"2021-12-18T01:50:15","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T17:50:15","slug":"virtual-interview-practices-hiring-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recruitment.grabjobs.co\/virtual-interview-practices-hiring-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Virtual Interview Best Practices for Hiring Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As remote work becomes more common than ever before (approximately 18 percent<\/span><\/a><\/span> 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 \u201cface to face\u201d and learn more about them.<\/p>

It\u2019s a common misconception, especially among hiring managers, that it\u2019s only interviewees who need to prep and practice before sitting down in front of the camera for Zoom interviews. That\u2019s 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.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

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. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What Are the Top Challenges of Conducting Virtual Interviews?\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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.<\/p>

The following are some of the top problems employers are facing while conducting virtual interviews:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Building Rapport\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At first, you might assume that communicating with candidates via video chat is the same as communicating in person.<\/p>

There are some definite similarities \u2014 more than communicating by phone or email, for sure \u2014 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Technological Issues\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Speaking of technical difficulties, tech can also get in the way of a successful virtual interview if you\u2019re not careful. If you don\u2019t have access to a quality webcam or a strong internet connection (or if the interviewee doesn\u2019t have these things), it can be harder to conduct a thorough interview and get a clear sense of whether or not they\u2019re a good fit.<\/p>

Technology has come a long way over the last few years, and it\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Contextual Differences\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Another common challenge associated with virtual interviews is differences in context.<\/p>

In a traditional interview, both the interviewer and interviewee are in the same office, dressed somewhat similarly, and don\u2019t have to deal with many (if any) distractions. In a virtual interview, there are a lot of other variables that can come into play.<\/p>

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Time Zone Differences\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Time zone differences can make virtual interviews tricky, too.<\/p>

It doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Evaluating Skills\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When you\u2019re 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.<\/p>

If you haven\u2019t taken the time to define the specific skills you\u2019re looking for in a new hire, you may struggle to choose the best person for the job.<\/p>

It\u2019s 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\u2019t actually have the skills needed to do the job well and contribute to the team.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Non-Verbal Cues\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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\u2019re talking, but you may also be dealing with delays that prevent you from accurately reading their movements or noticing when they\u2019re making eye contact or looking away.<\/p>

A lot of interviewers rely on assessing an interviewee\u2019s 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<\/span><\/a><\/span> of human communication takes place through body language.<\/p>

If you can\u2019t do this accurately, you may end up passing on someone who\u2019s a great worker and hiring someone who isn\u2019t right for the role.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Exhibiting Company Culture\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Finally, exhibiting and explaining company culture can be tricky via video chat.<\/p>

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\u2019ve walked into an office that has a positive culture versus one that is overly strict or harsh.<\/p>

If you\u2019re interviewing candidates virtually, you need to set aside time to discuss company culture specifically. You\u2019ll also need to prepare in advance so you know how <\/i>you\u2019re going to discuss company culture in a way that makes sense and is appealing to future employees.<\/p>

If you can\u2019t do this, you may have a hard time winning people over and convincing them to work for you instead of one of your competitors. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What Are the Top 10 Virtual Interview Best Practices for Hiring Managers?\n\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Now that you know more about the obstacles associated with Zoom interviews, let\u2019s 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:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Make a Plan\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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One of the most important virtual interview hiring tips to keep in mind is to make a plan.<\/p>

Even if you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

Be sure to share your plan with everyone on your team who will be helping with the interview process. That way, you\u2019re all on the same page right from the start and can provide a more uniform interviewing experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Test Tech in Advance\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Always test your equipment before a virtual interview. Make sure your camera, microphone, and internet connection are all working properly so you don\u2019t waste time during the interview troubleshooting.<\/p>

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?<\/p>

Encourage the people you\u2019ll 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\u2019ll be interviewing if they can.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. Send Candidates Login Instructions in Advance\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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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.<\/p>

Remember, it\u2019ll 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\u2019s best to preemptively address as many issues as you can.<\/p>

Of course, sometimes, issues can still arise. However, you\u2019ll at least be able to feel confident knowing you did everything you could to avoid them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Set Clear Expectations\n\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At the beginning of the interview, take a moment to set clear expectations and put each candidate at ease.<\/p>

When you\u2019re 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.<\/p>

Some specific details you should cover at the beginning of the interview include:<\/p>