Remote interviews are a great way to get in touch with candidates who may not otherwise be able to come in personally for an emergency or any valid reason. But, like any other type of interview, remote interviews must be conducted carefully and thoughtfully.
With that, the following tips will help you conduct remote interviews with ease:
Use Automated Hiring Software.
Interviewing is a complex process for both the employer and the candidate. It can be hard to get a sense of someone’s personality over the phone or video call, and it’s even harder to determine if they’re a good fit for your company.
Automated hiring software like Hireflix eliminates some of these challenges by providing a structured interview process that helps you identify and recruit the best candidates for your team. Thus, it allows you to:
- Get a better sense of your candidate’s personality
- Make sure your company’s culture fits with the candidate’s personality
- Conduct more interviews in less time
- Reduce bias in the hiring process
Prepare Your Technology.
When conducting remote interviews, it’s important to test your internet connection before you begin. You don’t want any technical issues to derail the conversation or make it hard for you to hear your interviewee. Aside from that, you might want to check your computer accessories.
Make sure your webcam is in good shape and can capture your face clearly. If you don’t have a webcam, use your computer’s built-in camera instead. A good microphone is also necessary. If you can’t hear what someone is saying, it’ll be hard to conduct an interview properly.
With that, you’ll need a headset with an earpiece or microphone attached so that you can speak into the device without holding it up to your mouth or shouting into it. While this might seem obvious, many people forget they need to wear headphones while conducting remote interviews.
Ask Open-Ended Questions.
The process of conducting a remote interview can be challenging. Although most people are used to speaking over the phone, there’s still a stigma associated with it. It’s why asking engaging questions is important to keep your candidates on topic.
Ask open-ended questions that’ll allow the candidate to elaborate on their answers. You want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your time with each candidate, so asking open-ended questions allows you to avoid having one-word answers from your candidates.
And here are some questions you can ask during a remote interview:
- How would you describe yourself?
- What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
- What’s the most challenging project you’ve worked on? How did it go?
- What were some of the challenges you faced in that role? How did you overcome them? What did you learn?
- What would be your ideal role at this company? Why?
Find A Quiet Place.
When conducting remote interviews, it’s essential to find a quiet place at home or in another place where you can focus on the conversation. Even if you’re interviewing from the comfort of your own house, many distractions can hinder your ability to communicate effectively with your candidate. So, here are some tips for finding a quiet room:
- Find a quiet room in your house that doesn’t have a lot of distractions. If you don’t have your own office space, consider using a spare bedroom or guest room. Make sure it’s clean and free of clutter so that you don’t get distracted by anything else while interviewing candidates.
- If there’s no way for you to find a quiet room in your house, book an available conference room at a local hotel or conference center for your interviews instead. This will help ensure that your candidate has the best experience possible during their remote interview with you.
Set A Time Limit.
One of the biggest challenges with remote interviews is trying to keep them from dragging on endlessly. You want to ensure that you give yourself enough time on the front end to schedule the interview, but if you let it go too long, you may lose out on valuable time that could’ve been spent interviewing other candidates.
If you have multiple people conducting the interview, ensure they have an idea of how much time each person will have, so they don’t overlap or talk over each other during the interview.
Final Thoughts.
Good luck, and remember that remote interviews are hard but can be done. Keep a positive attitude, and don’t let anything get you down. You’ll find your groove eventually once you follow these expert tips for conducting remote interviews.
