Expert tips in conducting a remote job interview

We’re operating in strange and uncertain times at the moment, and it’s fair to say that every industry has in some way been affected by the recent pandemic.

Although we are beginning to navigate through the ‘new normal in all aspects of life, the recruitment industry was severely impacted by the introduction of lockdown; because recruitment is all about ‘people’.

Whether it’s our clients, candidates or our recruiters, the entire industry is about getting to know the candidate or the people behind a business, so, without face-to-face, human interaction, there can be no recruitment.

Or so we thought.

The industry stepped up, adapted, and introduced a new range of systems to get recruitment back up and running amidst a global pandemic; very quickly too we might add.

From navigating recruitment whilst many industries made use of the Government’s furlough scheme, to embracing the relatively unknown phenomena that is ‘remote interviewing’, it’s fair to say, the industry has had to change in more ways than one.

In fact, remote interviews have proved to be an effective way of securing new talent even during lockdown, and we think there may be signs that they are here to stay.

Although recruiters and hiring managers have had no choice but to embrace remote interviewing as we continue to keep to social distancing guidelines, for some, it’s still a relatively new process that can be quite hard to navigate.

To help, here’s some advice from our recruitment experts to get the most out of your screen-to-screen interviews.

Prepare your technology

The attitude of some is that conducting an interview from the comfort of their own home makes it more casual – but we don’t agree. The lack of professionalism could lead to candidates and recruiters feeling less of a need to prepare ahead of an interview, and on both sides, this can’t be the case.

Recruiters virtually meeting with candidates ahead of a remote interview can help them to prepare by talking through the process with them. Giving them a test run to understand how the technology works will be a great help, and will also allow them to understand what it’s like to talk to a professional via video chat.

Advising candidates to log in to a session a few minutes ahead of time to reduce the risk of technical difficulties is also a great piece of advice. Logging in late to a video interview is the modern day equivalent of the ‘I got stuck in traffic’ excuse, and, in the same way as its predecessor, this won’t impress anyone!

It’s fair to say that technical issues do happen though, through no fault of the candidate or interviewer. To avoid having to cut an interview short, recruiters and hiring managers should note down candidates’ mobile numbers so they are to hand, in case technology fails you. 

If this does happen, you may also need to be prepared to complete the interview over the phone. This could interrupt your train of thought, so make sure to have prepared all your most important questions ahead of the interview – although this goes without saying.

Deter all distractions

Although the interview may be happening during work hours, it can be very off putting for candidates when an interviewer’s email alerts, text messages or social media notifications interrupt mid conversation.

By securing a space in your home where you can be free of distractions, you can make sure to keep your attention on the candidate, and will allow you to relax into the interview, and therefore benefit the interviewee. Remembering to switch off your phone or place it on silent is also an effective way of minimising any disturbance.

Facial recognition

It may sound like some newfangled technology, but in fact it’s just our name for reading facial expressions through a screen or during a video interview.

How you come across to candidates will have a great impact on how they perform in a remote interview situation, so making sure to speak clearly and calmly is key.

Gone are the days of greeting your candidate at the entrance of your office, and having to introduce small talk about your commute – as there are no interactions ahead of a video interview, you’ll need to make extra effort to get to know your interviewee through other methods.

One way is to amp up the virtual social cues. In a face-to-face interview, you’d show that you were 100% engaged and interested in the conversation by nodding along, smiling and laughing (when appropriate), throughout. So, making sure to emphasise these facial expressions slightly will help to ease the candidate into the interview and help them to feel more comfortable during the interaction.

And one big top tip – look into the camera! You’re used to making eye contact with the interviewee directly, so this needs to be replicated online somehow. Although looking at yourself on your screen is tempting, making sure to look directly into the camera will make you appear more engaged than if you were to look down or elsewhere in the room. It may feel strange, but this makes a huge difference for the interviewee on the other side of the screen.

Dress up

We’ve all been there. After months of lockdown, our comfy clothes have been the smart trousers/skirt/dress of pre-lockdown office life. But, as tempting as it may be to keep those tracksuit bottoms on, dressing ready for a day, albeit fictional one, in the office will in turn make you feel more professional and ready to take on your interview.

Make sure to dress up your background by positioning yourself in front of a neutral wall, and steer clear of sitting in front of a window – this will keep interfering with the focus of your camera. 

Alternatively, some video apps allow you to blur out the background, which will again help you to avoid distracting the candidate throughout the interview.

Final countdown 

Even with family and friends, there’s always an awkward pause ahead of cutting off a video call, so taking control of this part of the interview will help to stop any bumbling outros.

By explaining the next step of the process to the interviewee, asking if they have any questions or simply making light of the ‘remote interviewing’ situation, this will allow the candidate to relax and ask the questions they care about most. This will also allow you to understand more about their personality, seeing if they’d be a good fit for the company in question.

Sign off with a period of time that the candidate can expect to hear back from you, and you’ve done all you can to make your remote interview a success.

It may not be easy, but remote interviewing is not just something for the present, but also the future. With working from home being the ‘new normal’ post-pandemic, for businesses with no office space or for those who operate a remote working pattern for its staff, interviewing by video could become a more regular occurrence over the next few years.

If you’d like to discuss how to make the most out of your remote interviewing, or just want to find out more about how we can help you in your recruiting process, get in touch with us today.