Around the world, remote working has increased by 140% over the last 15 years – and that was before the current pandemic. And along with remote working come remote interviews.
Remote job interviews present a special challenge because there’s so much that can go wrong. While power outages and internet crashes aren’t in your control, many other factors are. Here are 5 remote interviewing tips to help you avoid the most common pitfalls – and get the most out of your remote interview process.
Remote Interviewing Tip #1: Do a video interview dry run.
Nothing is as frustrating as technical difficulties that pop up right out of the gate. In order to make sure that doesn’t happen, here’s the first and maybe most important of our remote interviewing tips:
Do a dry run.
Be at your desk half an hour before starting time. Check your wifi, your device’s audio, your headset and any other equipment you’ll need. And whether you’re using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or what have you, run it with a coworker or friend to make sure it’s performing the way it should.
Check your lighting, too. Too much or too little will make it hard for the candidate to see you.
Working in a room with windows? Sit facing them, not the other way around. If that’s impossible, draw the curtain.
Remote Interviewing Tip #2: Practice Your Pitch
Whether you’re remote hiring an in-house employee or someone working from home, you need to get an idea of how they’ll fit in with your company culture. So prepare a company pitch. Tell them about your company and how it fits in with their values.
If it’s relevant (and you’re set up for it), take them on a virtual tour of the office space. Have a couple of the people they might be working with share your screen for a minute or two to say hello and tell the candidate about what they do and in what capacity they might interact.
Remote Interviewing Tip #3: Focus on the Candidate Experience
You want your candidate to feel welcomed, respected and comfortable – all the feelings you’d give them if you were to receive them in your office space.
So don’t forget to smile.
Position your screen so that you can make eye contact. Use body language to show that you’re listening and to animate your speech. Just don’t go too overboard on the last one; natural hand motions are great, but if they get excessive it can be really distracting (not to mention annoying).
Speaking of distracting and annoying, make sure your background is clean and neat. Avoid areas of your home with lots of photographs. If you’re conducting the interview from your bedroom, make sure the beds are made and clothing is put away.
Do you have an en suite bathroom? Double-check that the door is closed. Yes, this can be a problem. Trust us.
Turn off all ringers. If you’ve got kids at home, make sure they’re settled or send them to a friend or neighbor.
On the other hand, show empathy for your candidate if he or she is dealing with a challenging home situation. Right now many remote workers have kids at home who are going stir crazy. If one of them barges in, be forgiving. They’ll be grateful for your understanding, and you’ll get to see how they handle the unexpected.
Remote Interview Tip #4: Take notes
In order to keep the hiring process streamlined and efficient, you have to take notes. In a remote interview, though, it’s important to take notes not only about the candidate but about how and where the process is working…or not.
Remote Interviewing Tip #5: Follow up
When you conduct remote interviews, you need to follow up with a personal touch. Don’t just send an email. Instead, send a video message thanking the candidate for their time. If you know they’re going to be called back for a second interview, let them know and give them whatever details you have.
And once you’ve made a decision, let the candidates know. Send those who didn’t make the cut another video thanking them again for their time and their interest. Keep them on file, though; you never know when you’ll need another remote employee, and they just might be the one to fit the bill.
So there you have our 5 remote interviewing tips that remote interviewers need to win top talent – no matter where in the world you and your prospective employee happen to be.
Consider Remote Hiring
Now is a great time to take advantage of the benefits of remote recruitment and staffing. If your company is looking for the right employee to join your team, the recruiters at Outsourcing to Israel have the expert knowledge to get you top American talent, with the education and experience you need. They are ready to take your call today at (847) 677-6477, or email [email protected].