How to conduct an excellent remote video interview
The remote video interview is good for both companies and candidates. Companies save their time and resources, unlike physical interviews. However, one of the biggest challenges for recruiters is to make the process seamless for both ends. In this regard, here are some valuable tips for conducting the video interview like a pro.
1. Test your technology, Be ready with your plan B
Video interviews entirely depend on the availability of the internet. A disconnected internet can significantly hamper your interviewing process. Besides, you always cannot postpone an interview, especially while hiring experienced candidates. Losing a skilled candidate over some technical issue is not something any company would want.
2. Take time to talk about culture, the workplace, and team members
According to Prudential Financial’s Pulse of the American Worker survey, 1 out of 4 employees is looking to switch jobs once the pandemic subsides. Forty-two percent of those candidates graded C to their employers, mentioning their employer’s lack of connectedness and management of work culture. Twenty-seven percent of them think of leaving for career growth.
Money isn’t enough to attract candidates, especially skilled and experienced ones. Experienced candidates getting other job offers would probably look for something more than money in a company.
Therefore, instead of conducting a mechanical interview, interviewers need to impress candidates by showcasing their balanced work culture, impeccable growth opportunities, and benefits.
3. Evaluate candidates on what matters
LinkedIn’s Inside the Mind of Today’s Candidate programs conduct a survey of 14,000 professionals about what they want in a hiring process. The results were as follows:
Around 70% of candidates say they like learning more about roles and responsibilities during the interview. The interview process allows employers to fill the gap between the description mentioned in the job posting and their actual tasks.
Apart from roles and responsibilities, 42% of candidates are curious about the company’s work culture and whether it’s the right one for them. They also want to know about its vision and mission, including some of its employee stories.
Last but not least, candidates are equally curious about their salary, benefits, and potential career growth as well. 39% of candidates find the salary and benefits discussed during the interview beneficial, while 31% prefer to know more about their career advancements in the company.
4. Don’t jump right into the “Skill Questions”
During an interview, the questions you ask can reveal crucial information about a candidate’s experience, expectations, motivation, and skills. Even though your prime goal is to hire the best-skilled talent, cutting to the chase may be counterproductive.
Even the skilled ones can get overwhelmed in an interview and make mistakes. Therefore, recruiters recommended setting up a friendly atmosphere to make the process less mechanical and more conversational. You can do this by asking some subjective questions to loosen up the candidate. Ask them about their day, and their favorite place in the city before moving to questions like their first job, what made them decide to apply for this job, and so on.
Once you feel the candidate is getting comfortable and confident, you can go for skill-based questions. Yes, it is time-consuming, but you will have the candidate you have been searching for at the end of the day.
5. Take advantage of screen sharing
Screen sharing is a great technology that helps employers to shortlist skilled candidates. Video interviews can significantly reduce the time and resources for hiring talents, but it also has their demerits. Some candidates often oversell themselves in their resumes to stand out.
Employers can share their screen with candidates and ask them to write a code or troubleshoot a problem on the fly. With screen sharing, employers can check the capabilities of each prospect and how fast they solve an issue in real time.
6. Supplement interviews with an assessment exercise
Looking for new talents is always a hassle. It’s normal to stay unsure of a candidate’s profile for the job even after the final round of interviews. The interview doesn’t give you a clear insight into a candidate’s management skills on the job.
In this regard, it is imperative to suggest the candidate for a skill assessment test. Assign the candidate a skill test using skill assessment software which is to be completed within an hour. It will help you to separate the wheat from the chaff.
7. Do not spend time interviewing unsuitable candidates
We all have experienced the effort it takes to identify one suitable candidate. It is a real challenge to conduct the recruitment process to find ideal candidates without burning a hole in the pocket. Needless to say, the process demands time and energy. In this regard, you can-
-
- Use a pre-employment screening method to identify the ideal one.
- Conduct video interviews with the shortlisted candidates.
- Choose the finalists by analyzing their performance for the first 40-60 seconds of the interview.
8. Avoid team interviews
Unless you hire people for a sales position/s, team interviews can be a bad idea for recruiters. First, it takes a massive amount of time to question each candidate, and there is a high chance a candidate with a strong personality may overtake the whole process. Therefore, a Pre-recorded video interview with the help of one-way video interview platform is the best way to know a candidate better. Besides, hosting a group interview is always a daunting task that requires the recruiter to take special training.
