Tips To Conduct An Effective Online Interview

Every recruiter has their fixed methods of selecting a candidate, however, locating a suitable candidate can be a challenging yet interesting task for the recruiter. The job of talent procurement has various factors such as searching for suitable skills sets, establishing an association with the job-seeker and exploring their attitude and behaviour. However, during the task of remote hiring, all of this becomes somewhat more complicated than it already is; a recruiter might come across numerous problems such as issues with online interview which collectively may affect the result of the recruitment process.

Moreover, the changes in the world because of the pandemic situation have left no choice for the recruiters other than adapting remote hiring as their primary way of talent acquisition. It is no more privilege but an obligation to keep everyone safe and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

So, while talking about remote hiring the first thing that comes to our mind is virtual interviews; many recruiters find it easier than in-office interviews but some people are still trying to adapt the technology to make it as easy as possible.

Software selection

There are numerous technologies available these days either free or at minimal cost and all of which have various benefits. As a recruiter, you must choose a technology which is easy to understand by anyone, be it you or your candidate. The wrong choice of software without adequate knowledge can create various issues during the interview and even put you at the risk of getting hacked.

Setting a schedule

While conducting in-office interviews, sometimes recruiters face a problem of late candidates or themselves being late due to various reasons but in remote hiring, there is no such issue. To conduct an effective interview, you must schedule the interview at an appropriate time with clarified details via email. If you are conducting international interviews, it is always better to specify the timezone, day and the exact day of the interview to avoid any confusions. You can use, google calendar invites, MS teams invite which sends an official invitation of the meeting with all required details.

Equipements check

It is always better to check your equipment such as your laptop/desktop, microphone and camera before the meeting to make sure there are no existing issues which might interrupt the virtual interview. Moreover, you must make sure to have a stable connection for the scheduled interview and you can also request the same to your candidate.

Dress appropriately

During an in-office interview, everyone dresses in professional attire and the same understanding apply during online interviews. By working from home, some rules never change; by dressing professionally you show attention to detail and respect to your job.

Avoid distractions

Managing remote interviews is a difficult task because you can easily be subjected to various distractions while conducting it. You must make sure you are in a silent environment, preferably alone. Furthermore, a pro-tip for all the pet owners, you should always try to be in a place where you are not reachable by your pets as managing your pets is the exact opposite thing you need during an online interview.

Also Read : How To Overcome Recruitment Hurdles During and After COVID-19?

Attention to detail

Judging a candidate is easy during in-office interviews as you can easily see their reactions, body language, and expressions. During an online interview, you must try to do the same; noticing the expressions or way of responses during a video interview can also help you in understanding your candidate’s personality.

Be prepared

Irrespective of how many interviews you may conduct, you must always be prepared with a set of questions to ask your candidate. Thinking at the moment may work sometimes but in the long run, it is better to be prepared. Moreover, setting pre-decided criteria for your selection procedure can assist you in efficiently analysing your candidate and help you in making fast but effective decisions.

To conclude, remote hiring is here to stay and adapting this new way will not only save you time and cost but also help you reach a wider range of talent present all around the world.

To read more, here a few tips for remote hiring for recruiters and HR.