How To Host An Effective Virtual Interview
Offering a great virtual interviewing experience for your job candidates is as important as offering a great in-person interview.
To maximize both your hiring team’s and the candidate’s time, it's important to structure the virtual interview experience in a way that allows your candidates to shine.
When done right, virtual interviewing is an effective way to identify and hire your future empoyees. Follow these virtual interviewing pro-tips and you'll be sure to succeed.
What videoconferencing software should I use?
Google Meet and Zoom are my personal favorites. Many employers also use Skype, GoToMeeting, and Microsoft Teams.
What should I provide to the interview candidate prior to the session?
To avoid potential disruption, it’s a good idea to send the candidate the following information prior to the interview:
A link on where to download the most recent version of the videoconferencing software (this will help avoid software update delays)
A link to the videoconferencing software’s common tech issues and how to solve them (i.e. video not working, sound not working, etc.)
A phone number of who to call if they are unable to connect online
Just as you would with an in-person interview, provide the candidate with a list of the interviewers names and job titles, benefits information, an overview of the hiring process, and any other company information that you’d provide to in-person candidates
What do we need to do differently during a virtual interview?
Be sure to both make eye contact with the camera as well as observe the candidate while they answer the questions
Treat the virtual interview as professionally as you would an in-person interview (try to imagine the candidate sitting in front of you rather than on a video screen)
When hiring virtually, what else should we consider?
Will onboarding/orientation be held virtually also? If so, you'll need a way for the candidate to sign documents electronically and also verify their required Federal Form I-9 remotely.
For 100% remote positions, will the employee get an opportunity to visit headquarters either during the interview process or early in their onboarding? I've found onsite visits either as a second interview or during the first month of employment to improve remote worker engagement.
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