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.
Video interviews allow you to continue interviewing and assessing the talent you need for your business. Other key benefits of video interviewing include:
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Taking notes during the interview will help you remember important details when you want to refer back to them later.
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.
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.