Due to the spread of COVID-19, many companies had to change the way in which they conducted interviews. Video and phone interviews aren't anything new, but they are far more prevalent now than in pre-pandemic times. Getting familiar with the platform you choose to use - be it Zoom, MS Teams, Skype, Google Hangouts, or even WhatsApp - is essential.
And, even today, in 2024, remote working remains a part of everyday life. The pandemic may be history, but it changed the way our working world operates, perhaps for good.
Bearing this in mind, here are our top tips for conducting successful interviews over the phone or online.
1. Do a test run
Make sure you do an interview test run beforehand to ensure that there are no technical difficulties creeping in. Check that your audio and video are working, that your internet connection is stable, and that you are able to share your screen if need be.
2. Give the candidate all the information they need in advance
Send the candidate the necessary link and any other information that will help them log in. Remember that they may not be as familiar with your chosen platform as you are, so make sure to include clear instructions on how to join the meeting. Also remember to be clear about which time-zone you are using if they are in a different time-zone from you.
Remember that they may not be as familiar with your chosen platform as you are.
3. Have an appropriate background in videos
Consider what is in the background if you are conducting a video interview, and remember that adequate lighting is important. I would recommend avoiding sitting in the middle of a very cluttered office as this can be distracting to the applicant. It would also be prudent to tell your children and anyone else who is home (if you are working from home) not to interrupt you for the next hour, or however long you need. Obviously, this isn't always possible but a toddler wandering into your interview is less than ideal.
4. Reduce background noise
In a similar vein, try to reduce the background noise in your interview. Background noise can be as distracting and off-putting as a cluttered visual background. Reducing background noise also helps you maintain the appearance of professionalism.
Reducing background noise also helps you maintain the appearance of professionalism.
5. Prep your questions beforehand
Importantly, have your interview questions ready beforehand. By now, you should have two lists to hand - one relating to specific skills and requirements for the position and one relating to personal attributes that fit the company culture. From this, you should be able to craft some useful interview questions, which you should have to hand. These questions should range from ice-breakers to put the candidate at ease to more in-depth interview questions, and some behavioral-based questions as well.
6. Pay attention to linguistic details
Consider how long it takes the candidate to respond to your request for an interview, the kind of language they used in their response, and other subtle ways in which they show interest and attention to detail, or lack thereof.
7. Pay attention to nonverbal cues
Pay attention to the ways in which candidates listen to your questions. Are they good listeners? Do they actually answer the question? Reading nonverbal cues can be a lot more challenging on video - and even more so over the phone, so keep these tips in mind both when it comes to your reading of potential candidates and their reading of you.
8. Ask questions specific to new challenges
Maybe you have a set interview script with questions such as "what's your greatest weakness" or "tell me about a challenge you faced in the past". While these can be useful questions, it may be worth your while to zone in on the newer types of problems that have arisen as a result of the pandemic. Consider asking a more pointed question, such as, "What was the greatest challenge you faced during the pandemic?" Then, try to gauge whether the response to the question is genuine. Does the candidate reflect before speaking? What does their tone of voice suggest?
Consider asking a more pointed question.
9. Focus on EQ
It's important to consider EQ as well as IQ when it comes to hiring. Oftentimes, we predicate our recruitment decisions on skills and intelligence - on what we take for our candidate's IQ. However, emotional intelligence or EQ is often more important to workplace success than IQ is.
EQ generally refers to the ability to:
Perceive emotions in yourself and others
Use emotions to facilitate thinking
Understand emotions, emotional language, and signals of emotions
Manage emotions to attain certain goals
Possible questions to test EQ include:
How do you de-stress after a bad day at work?
What's something you are proud of achieving and why?
How do you celebrate success?
How do you recover from failure?
How do you respond when a co-worker challenges you?
10. Give yourself space between interviews
You wouldn't want to have 10 interviews in a row in person, so what makes you think that would work online? Just because you don't have to leave your desk to start a call doesn't mean you shouldn't ever leave your desk. You need time to process each interview afterwards and give yourself a bit of a break. Scheduling back-to-back interviews will only serve to tire you out and make the process more difficult.
You need time to process each interview afterwards and give yourself a bit of a break.
Recruitment is a tough business. Good candidates are hard to find and it's tricky to determine whether someone is a good fit at the best of times, never mind while social distancing. Every month, I get a little more hopeful that social distancing will come to an end, but it's becoming clear that COVID-19 isn't going anywhere any time soon. And, in the meantime, we still need to work and hire new employees. So, we may as well have a game plan for remote interviews to help us out.