10 Practical Tips to Conduct Productive Remote Interviews

Ever since covid-19 Pandemic came, remote interviews have started to be used more. These remote interviews are different from our normal interviews, in normal interviews, we sit face to face and give interviews, but this does not happen in this. As its name suggests, both happen in a completely different way, either through voice calls or through video calls. Candidate and the interviewer physically interview without having to come face to face. We can also maintain social distance with remote interviews.

So how do you conduct effective remote interviews? If you’re new to remote interviewing or want to improve your process, read on.          

• Review Your Current Interview Process

If you are already using remote interviews then at this time you have the right time to further improve this process. Is it effective? Is it structured? What can you do better?

Many companies do not fully utilize this process, they only use this process for a meeting with their potential employees. But if you are not meeting any person, But if you are not meeting any person and to know whether the person has the necessary skills to work in our company or not then remote interview is a good option. Now already more online platforms have come, which help us in shortening the list of our candidates. We can assess the applicant’s required skills and strengths through remote interviews without meeting the candidate personally.

• Get The Right Tools

When remote interviewing, having the right tools is key to success.

Are you going to stick to phone calls? Or are you going to conduct one-way video interviews, live virtual interviews, or both?  

It is better to have a face-to-face interview instead of interviewing a candidate through a phone call. While you could use video platforms such as Skype, Zoom or Go-to-meeting to host the interview, there are dedicated remote interviewing tools that offer you additional functionalities for efficient recruiting, like embedded evaluation forms and simple interview recording. We also have to take a lot of precautions before selecting any interview tool. Also, make sure that your virtual interview software integrates with your ATS and is compatible with mobile devices. Apart from this, we also have to keep in mind that our virtual interview software is suitable for our mobile tools or not. VPN is an important tool that one should consider while facing a remote interview. VPN is an important tool that one should consider while facing a remote interview. VPN is an important tool that one should consider while facing a remote interview. Hola VPN is a safe VPN that can be purchase through Hola VPN Coupon Code at a very low price.

• Educate Yourself About Remote Interviewing ‘etiquette’

You tell all your candidates that this is a remote interview, but it is no less than a professional office interview. So for the sake of conversation, go away from the place of distractions  and go to some quiet and give an interview.

• Turn your notifications off on both your phone and your computer, or at least silence them.  At the time of remote interview, remove the waste from your desk and keep the desk well arranged.
• Keep your background neutral and professional, you don’t want to distract the candidate.
• Ask your colleague whether the medium you are using for the interview is working well or not, for example your camera, your microphone, or even your phone line.

• Develop A Process For Remote Team/Peer Interviews 

We include a lot of candidates for a remote interview process and hiring managers at the very least.  Along with this, these candidates also want to meet their potential candidates. This is a standard process in which everyone should know how it works, and along with this, also make sure that everyone should know when the interview process will take place. And colleagues who do not usually come to the interview should tell them about the remote interview, how to do the remote interview.

• Communicate The Interview Details

When we do remote interviews, the more communication we have with the candidate, the better it will be. Because we have done a lot of interviews but the first interview is of the candidate. So inform all your candidates at once and start their interview from the same place.

• Let the candidates know about the interview before you start:
• When is the interview?
• Who it’s with (include every member of your team who will be in on the interview).
• What platform are you using for the interview and how do you use it?
• The candidate needs to be prepared for the interview in advance. ( if they need to prepare something).
• Will you just use audio or will you require video?
• You can include some tips for remote interviews (such as find a quiet space, minimize distractions, etc.)

• Keep Your Focus And Listen Actively 

When you do a remote interview and are using any platform for it, it is very difficult to focus without a face to face conversation, Video chats need more focus. Whenever we talk to our friend or colleague, we talk less than verbally, instead of talking more than chat.  When remote interviewing, most of these non-verbal cues are not easily observable, making it harder to communicate – so you really need to listen actively to what the interviewee is saying.

• Take Time To Introduce Your Company Culture

Remote candidates do not know the chance of seeing their office and meeting their team. Or they do not have any office. So make sure candidates don’t miss out on finding out all about you. Tell the candidates about your company’s background and company culture. How you work and what you say to them.

• Make It A Two-way Conversation

There is a two-way conversation in a remote interview for any job. Give candidates enough space to ask questions – actively encourage them to ask. We can imagine how difficult it is to assess when a candidate is working remotely. And for the candidates, it is equally difficult to fulfill the company’s expectations. Remote interviewing is as risky for the candidate as it is for the company, so provide plenty of opportunities for candidates to ask questions and be ready to give answers. Therefore, the more we can find out about each other, the easier our interview will be.

• Keep The Team Aligned

When we hire someone, it should not happen that we keep them separate from the rest of the team. Let us make sure that the whole team works together during the entire process, even if you are somewhere. This is so the interviewing process is continually moving forward – the last thing you or the candidate wants is for anything to cause the hiring process to stall. Job hunting is tensioned enough without introducing unnecessary delays into the equation. We also have to make sure that our team will know how many rounds will be in the interview, who is responsible for them, as well as what is needed from all interviewers for each one. We have to make a deadline. Then according to that, by becoming a time conscious, our recruitment process will have to run smoothly. Strong remote collaboration between all parties will mean you can be confident your remote interviewing goes to plan.

• Keep Plan B Ready

We use technology for remote interviews, but sometimes technology can also fail, so we should have Plan B. For example, if the connection fails – make sure you have the candidate’s phone number so you can easily switch to a phone call from a virtual interview, should the require arise; or have a system set up so you can reschedule for the first possible opportunity. The reason the connection was lost could be as simple as a battery dying on a computer or a smartphone, so give the candidate time to switch equipment or to plug their existing device into a power source before you try to reconnect. And don’t hold any tech issues against them – they may not have fast internet or the most modern equipment at home.