An employers guide to video interviewing

Given the current global pandemic, it’s no surprise that video interviewing is growing in popularity. But before conducting an interview, you need to prepare. Here’s a guide to successfully using video interviews during your hiring process.

Why use video interviews?

Video interviews allow you to continue interviewing and assessing the talent you need for your business. Other key benefits of video interviewing include:

• Interview candidates anytime, anywhere and record the interview so you can refer back to it and shortlist candidates at a later date.
• Enables you to invite internal stakeholders and hiring managers within your business to participate in the live video interview.
• Provides candidates the opportunity to showcase presentations, run live skills demos and talk through portfolios in real-time using screen-share.

Video Interview Tips

Choose a good video conferencing call software

Zoom is a popular choice for video interviews, but research which video conferencing software would work best for your needs. The latest versions of Microsoft office also includes Teams, a platform that has grown in popularity in recent times due to its simplicity and integration with other applications like Outlook.

Test the technology

As the one conducting the interview, it’s your job to schedule the interview and make sure it all runs smoothly. Make sure you test the software (including video and audio) beforehand, as you don’t want any technical issues to come up during the interview!

Let the candidate know the information they need to prepare

If you want your candidate to come prepared, let them know the discussion topics ahead of time. And if you would like them to present ideas or demonstrate examples of work, ensure you make this clear. Also let them know you’ll be happy to answer any questions they may have leading up to the interview.

Structure the interview

It’s good practise to set an agenda for the interview, even if it’s just a brief overview, such as: Introductions, Discuss CV, Candidate Presentation, Q&A, End session and follow up. This will let the candidate know what to expect during the interview.

Prepare the interview questions in advance

You need to have specific questions if you want to get the most out of the interview. This means doing your homework beforehand, reading up on the candidate and asking relevant questions about their previous experience and how they would fit into the job role.

Be mindful of your environment and background noise

Remember this video interview is also for the candidate to get to know you so they will need to clearly hear your questions and what you have to say, so it’s important you’re mindful of your environment during the interview. Make sure you have good lighting, tidy surroundings, and a quiet place with no background noise or distractions. Zoom and Microsoft Teams both offer blurred or virtual backgrounds if you do not want to display your remote working environment in the background.  

Record the session

It’s a good idea to record the session if you’re interviewing multiple candidates and want to be able to review at a later date. Just make sure you let the candidate know in advance that the session will be recorded. We also recommend that any recordings of candidate interviews are stored securely and in accordance with your company’s Data Protection policy.

Pay attention to the candidate

This is your chance to really get to know the candidate and work out if they are a good fit for your company. Pay attention to what they say and notice how the candidate communicates and presents themselves throughout the interview.

Keep eye contact

In a world where many of us now work on dual-screens, it’s important to ensure that you are facing your camera and retain eye contact throughout the video interview. In a virtual environment where liaising with someone via video can sometimes feel distant and impersonal, retaining eye-contact will ensure your candidate feels engaged.

Take notes

Taking notes during the interview will help you remember important details when you want to refer back to them later.

Manage their expectations

When ending the interview, manage their expectations as to when they will hear from you. Candidates put in a lot of time and effort to get to the interview stage, so it’s only fair to be open with them and keep them in the loop. Let them know when they can expect to hear from you, and make sure you do follow up, even if they aren’t going to make it to the next stage.

Our Live Video Interviewing Service

As part of our commitment to assist clients whilst working remotely and continuing to be able to engage and appoint the talent they need, we are offering a free live video interviewing service to enable hiring managers to pre-screen and interview our candidates remotely.

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If you would like to request video interview support or require assistance with any other recruitment or hiring challenges, please feel free to contact us.

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