Every day, more and more companies are initiating remote work leading to the need for virtual interviews and conferencing. Many job boards, hiring managers, and recruiters are informing candidates and job seekers that they should prepare to be interviewed remotely via a videoconferencing service such as Google Hangouts, Skype, BlueJeans, Zoom, etc. Many web conferencing services are currently offering discounted or free memberships to ease some of the global stress. This includes Microsoft who is offering a free 6 month trial of the premium version of Microsoft Teams, Google with free access to their advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite customers, and 3CX offering their standard edition communication software to all organizations free of charge for 3 years. Companies that are willing to adapt and take advantage of these offers can continue to grow their business and use this opportunity to establish best practices and stress-test remote capabilities for the future.
Tips for Virtual Interviewing
Be Prepared. Remote interviews should be treated with the same seriousness as in-person interviews. Companies should prepare by knowing the job description, reviewing the candidate’s resume, and having specific questions to ask. Likewise the candidate should research the company and job description, practice answering common interview questions, and writing down a few questions to ask the interviewer. Both parties should be in a quiet, well-lit room and dress like they were going to an in-person interview.
Check your Tech. Make sure everyone has the correct interview time, adjusted appropriately for different time zones, establish who will be initiating the call, and that they can access the conferencing software. Before the interview, both parties should double-check that they can access the remote technology and that the camera and microphone are working.
While meeting candidates in-person is often easier and more ideal, remote interviews have become a necessity. Regardless of the method used for screening, you are still capable of accomplishing the same end goal of hiring top talent. On the other hand, if companies are not will to adapt the hiring process, competition will be hiring that talent and moving forward faster as the market recovers. The market will always have its ups and downs, but establishing a recovery system and building relationships will ensure growth of any firm.