Start Off With A Digital Handshake
When you interview in person, theres a period where the interview has started, but it hasnt started. You and your interviewer are physically meeting, shaking hands, walking into the room, and sitting down. Even if youre not making small talk, theres still some time to settle in. For a video interview, this isnt always the case, so you need to focus on making an initial connection even more than usual, Eonnet says.
Try a digital handshake, she says. After you say hello, look right into the camera to forge a connection, do a small head nod as if to say yes!, and add a smile, which translates warmth and openness.
How To Make A Good Impression In A Virtual Interview
This article has been approved by an Indeed Career Coach.
Related: How to Ace Your Virtual Interview
In this video, Jenn, a career coach at Indeed, explains her top tips for an interview, and how to create a lasting connection with your interviewer from a strong first impression.
While COVID-19 made virtual interviewing a necessary practice, its popularity amongst employers is likely to stick post-pandemic. Virtual interviewing is convenient for employers as it allows for a more efficient interview process, eases scheduling conflicts, saves money and broadens the candidate pool.
In this article, we review the best ways to be successful during your next virtual interview.
Streamline The Scheduling Process
Setting up interviews can feel like just as much work as conducting interviews. Finding a time that works for both parties can be a struggle, especially if time zone differences or current work schedules delay a candidates response.
To avoid wasting time, use an online meeting scheduling tool. Instead of emailing proposed times, candidates select an open slot from the choices provided. The scheduling software updates availability automatically. The program can instantly set up a video meeting and send invitations and calendar events to both parties.
Automating the scheduling process helps recruiters stay more organized. Plus, eliminating the administrative work frees up hiring manager to prepare for the interview.
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Hit A Technical Snag Dont Panic
If, despite all your tests, your call drops or video is buffering, try to stay calm. As frustrating as it might be, sometimes a quick reboot can solve the problem. Try to convey the problem as best you can and what steps you’re going to take to try to remedy it. Hopefully, you can get it sorted and continue with the Zoom interview. If its not possible to continue the interview in Zoom for whatever reason, try a phone call. That doesnt work? Make sure to send an email to your interviewer and recruiter so they can help you with next steps.
Virtual Interview Tips To Help You Get The Job
If you’ve landed on this post, it’s likely that your resume has impressed the hiring manager at the company you’re applying to work for, and you’ve now been invited to a virtual interview. That’s a huge accomplishment.
If you’re looking for video interview tips, tricks, and best practices or just want to know what in the world an automated interview is you’ve come to the right place.
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Give The Interviewee Time To Prepare
Its important to give your candidates time to prepare for the virtual interview rather than scheduling a meeting for the same day. Giving candidates the opportunity to prepare ensures they are confident and at their best when you do hold the interview. This is also a professional courtesy and demonstrates your professionalism and thoughtfulness and can lead to a more positive candidate experience.
Treat It Like A Real Interview
Back in April, as the COVID-19 pandemic crested around the world, a Gartner study revealed that 86 percent of organizations leveraged video conferencing software for conducting job interviews. Months later, virtual interviews and career fairs are still the de facto choice for some of the largest companies in the world, including .
The ability to hire at scale, with optimal convenience and minimal costs, has legitimized this newly trending strategy for hiring teams of all sizes. Meeting talent at a virtual career fair and moving them through the interview process with video conferencing software may have started as a nifty gimmick, like many developments in tech. But theres nothing gimmicky about the results that businesses are discovering through a successful virtual career fair.
Interviewing potential hires over webcam may be jarring at first, as compared to the comforts of a firm handshake at an in-person interview. But in our increasingly digital and connected world, its a natural progression in how we operate, and deserves the same credence as the physical experience we know so well.
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Virtual Interviewing Tips: Before The Interview
When its time for a virtual job interview, making sure youre set up for success is the first step in landing your dream job. To help you make the best of your virtual interview, Comcast recruiters and hiring managers reveal why preparing beforehand is so important and share their tips on how to maximize your home court advantage.
Virtual Interview Tips For Employers And Applicants
Excerpted from page 42 of the July/August 2021 edition of AOA Focus.
Virtual interviewing increased out of necessity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but doctors of optometry are finding that taking their hiring process virtual has allowed them to connect to a broader pool of applicants from locations nationwide.
Bob Kehm, managing director of AOAExcel®, has overseen the AOAExcel Career Centeran online resource where doctors of optometry seeking new opportunities can connect with employerssince 2015. In an excerpt from AOA Focus, Kehm explains how employers and applicants can conduct and participate in successful virtual interviews.
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Why Remote Interviews Are Different
Remote interviews and face to face ones are similar, but theyre not identical. Other than the obvious elimination of the travel, waste-down dress code, and shuffling through magazines in a waiting room, remote interviewers lose the non-verbal cues that they usually lean into when interviewing candidates.
In-person interviews often let the company wow the candidate a little with a prestigious office, a complimentary drink, or other amenities that show attention to detail. In digital interviews, theres not a lot of chance to impress candidates aside from preparing well, being on time, and having a nice background.
In remote interviews, the candidate can control the image you have of them. They are comfortable where they are and can blur out a background they dont want to show. In-person interviews require the candidate to think quickly in a foreign environment, giving the employer the home field advantage.
There are also different rules for online meeting etiquette that both the interviewer and candidate have to follow.
Employers have to prepare more to get a holistic picture of candidates. With the standard show-you-around-the-office tours and introductions out, employers have to use tech to make the interviewing process as seamless as possible for the candidates.
Tips For Acing Your Next Virtual Interview
As technology continues to evolve, the workplace has been quick to follow suit adopting new innovations that save time and increase efficiency. In fact, fifty percent of employers surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management said they use virtual interviews as a way to narrow their applicant pool. Video conferencing software, such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts, has helped recruiters reach a more diverse, global group of candidates, and offers a cost-effective way to screen prospective hires.
Due to current events like the Coronavirus pandemic and the sudden need to bring many positions online, virtual interviews have also become a necessity when traditional interviews cannot take place face-to-face. Many professionals are now working from home or pursuing new positions remotely, and the hiring process has become increasingly virtual as a result.
Mastering the virtual interview is often one of the first steps toward a follow-up interview and subsequent employment. Heres how you can increase the likelihood that an employer asks you to come in for round two of an interview.
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Make Eye Contact With The Camera
If it helps, consider putting some googly eyes next to your webcam to remind you to look directly at it throughout the call. This gives the appearance of making eye contact, not distractedly staring at your screen! Making eye contact, even if through a laptop, helps foster a sense of genuine connection and attentiveness it can make all the difference when trying to hit it off with your interviewer.
Mastering The Virtual Interview
Virtual interviews are becoming increasingly popular as workplaces continue to evolve to meet the needs of their employees. Professionals who are or will be navigating the job market are bound to encounter this new type of video meeting and should take the necessary steps to prepare themselves. Follow these eight tips to mastering the virtual interview, and youll be one step closer to joining the team.
This article was originally published in February 2018. It has since been updated for accuracy and relevance.
About Ashley DiFranza
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Provide Information On What The Candidate Can Expect Going Forward
At the end of each virtual interview you conduct, inform the interviewee of what they can expect going forward. Let them know when you plan to choose a candidate for the position, how you will inform candidates on whether or not they got the job and if you require additional information from the candidate for consideration.
Come Prepared To Answer And Ask Questions
Would you wing any interview? Probably not! Just because you arent coming to the office in person, doesnt mean you shouldnt be prepared to answer questions or to ask questions of your own. Do your research and be prepared for each type of interview. And if youre doing a case, read up on how to ace it! Your recruiter will be sending instructions on how to conduct your case interview over Zoom, so read those carefully so you understand everything.
In fact, because you arent visiting the office in person, it might be a good idea to ask even more questions, including ones about team dynamics and the workspace. What is the teams work from home policy? If they routinely work from home, how do they stay connected? You can also explore the resources here on the blog, including checking out our offices in McLean, Richmond, Plano and New York, as well as finding out more about our on-campus food services.
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Prepare Your Questions Beforehand
It’s often a common practice for hiring managers to build a list of questions that they can use during interviews. However, because a virtual interview uses a different format and creates a new type of interviewing environment, it can still be helpful to practice your questions before interviewing candidates. You might read through the questions you want to ask with a friend or record yourself on your computer to make sure you speak clearly and ask questions that a candidate can answer within the interview’s time frame.
Virtual Interviews: 25 Tips To Get You To The Next Round
Kaboom! Thats the sound of tech heavyweights returning to the office, with .
Before you think corporate Americas return to the office move will be the virtual death of virtual interviews, think again. The practice is here to stay, according to a report by Indeed.com, which listed six reasons why. During the pandemic, 82 percent of U.S. employers surveyed said they implemented virtual interviews and 93 percent of these employers plan to continue to use them, according to an Indeed.com survey of 1,100 U.S. employers.
A separate survey by video interview and assessment provider HireVue found 41 percent of the 1,140 hiring leaders surveyed said they plan to use a combination of in-person and virtual interviews, and 23 percent plan to solely use virtual interviews.
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Care About The Company
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Vacancies have exceeded 11 million since late last year and the unemployment rate remains historically low.
By Reade Pickert
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The C-suite may have many individuals, and the trick is to look at the group collectively to see if they, combined, can communicate effectively and are humble listeners.
August 30
Yes, people are still quitting their jobs in droves and theyre looking for their next big opportunity. Can your company come out on top?
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Lackadaisical Behavior Or Shabby Attire
While its alright for candidates to dress up in slightly less formal attire for virtual interviews, its not a good sign if theyre overly casual in their approach. Virtual interviews are not an excuse to show up in front of the camera in nightwear or athletic apparel.
Also communicating colloquially and slangy might make their intentions tough to read so pay attention to how candidates are communicating to get an idea of how well they can gel with your corporate culture.
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Give The Interviewee Time To Answer
At times, there may be a lag when using a computer or phone to conduct an interview. To account for this lag, provide the candidate with plenty of time to respond. If the candidate cuts out during their response, ask them to repeat their answer to ensure you hear everything the interviewee has to say.
Select A Business Casual Interview Outfit With Pants
Many of us got accustomed to a style of dress that felt very comfortable at home but it may not be appropriate in the office. A suit and tie probably arent appropriate for a lot of these tech roles and many may wear super casual clothing, but that doesnt mean as a candidate you should wear that, said Sarah Sikowitz, director of career education and coaching for Harvard Universitys Harvard Business School. I think you can never go wrong with business casual or something neutral.
Wearing real pants, rather than shorts or sweats, will put you in the mindset to crush the interview, Amos advised.
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Think About Your Background
You probably wouldnt invite your future boss over to your house if it were strewn with socks, right? So dont let them see that on video! Find a clean, quiet area of your living space where you can take the call. Be sure to speak with any housemates in advance to ensure that nobody will walk behind you or make loud noises while youre in the middle of discussing your professional strengths and weaknesses.
What Types Of Virtual Interview Questions Do You Need To Ask During Remote Interviews
The types of virtual interview questions are influenced by the kind of work the candidates will do.
The interview might be the only opportunity to determine if you and the candidate can work together well. Your questions will then be focused particularly on the kind of work that needs to get done, how the candidate meets deadlines and overcomes obstacles.
When the job requires a lot of video time, you assess their skills during the remote interview, and that affects your questions. You focus more on how tech savvy a candidate is, how well they present themselves and how effective their communication skills are.
If a job has a large collaboration component, tailor your questions accordingly. Questions should revolve around the candidates attitude towards teamwork, how they establish rapport with coworkers and how they navigate disputes.
For some roles, by the time you get to an actual live interview, theyve already demonstrated the essential skills and the interview is more of a chance to get to know them. You should focus your virtual interview questions more on their personal work style and how you can work best together.
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Recording Amidst Distracting Background
This can also be a clue that candidates are carefree about the position or your organization. If they have not taken time to arrange the interview space, would they try to reduce distractions when employed remotely?
If youve tried the above methods, youll find Intromagics tool more convenient for virtual interviews.
With the help of Intromagics video interviewing platform, HR professionals and candidates can now meet each other without barriers. Its a simple and secure way to connect with future employees wherever they are.
With a paradigm shift in recruitment strategy, we saw the markets needed a simpler way to abridge the gap left by COVID-19.
Today, virtual interviewing and recruiting is a reality to which many companies are waking up to because its seamless and efficient in hunting talent. Why our product is distinct is because its free of cost and takes only minutes to configure.
Most importantly, its for freshers, and experienced job seekers who are looking for ways to get found and stand out from the pack.
Promote The Company Values And Culture
The values and culture of an organisation can be an important factor in helping candidates decide whether to accept a job offer. As virtual interviews do not allow the candidate to visit the office premises, highlighting the company culture becomes extremely crucial. Make sure you describe the overall atmosphere and working environment at the company, explain the benefits and share personal anecdotes if required.
If the organisation offers some unique rewards or benefits, make sure you explain them adequately. Allocate some time towards the end of the discussion to allow the candidate to ask relevant questions about the company and role.
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