Your Candidates Might Be Nervous
Alright, so candidates are probably going to be nervous whether that interview is happening via phone, video, or in-person. The hiring process itself is nerve-wracking.
But, the element of being on camera so to speak introduces a lot of different anxieties for people. Candidates might not present themselves as well on video as they would if you met in-person.
Virtual Interviewing Tips For Hiring Managers
- Posted onMay 26, 2021
Youve conducted hundreds of face-to-face interviews in the past. A virtual interview simply involves doing the same thing but through a screen, right?
Not quite. Virtual interviews have a unique set of benefits and challenges. Conducting virtual interviews incorrectly can make them seem like a poor alternative to in-person interviews, but getting them right can lead to efficiency gains, reduced bias, and excellent hiring outcomes.
In this article we explore the following topics and share some virtual interview best practices for hiring managers, recruiters, and other interviewers:
Set The Scene And Minimize Distractions
While testing your technology, determine where to take the interview. Find a room with optimal lighting, preferably near a window, or a blank wall to guarantee youre the focal point of the conversation. Whether you sit on your living room couch or in your home office, tidy up your surroundings. Its hard to convince employers youre detail-oriented and organized when theres laundry visibly piling up in the corner.
Once settled, eliminate all distractions. Turn off the TV, silence your cell phone, and close any nearby windows to muffle neighborhood traffic.
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Practice Answers To Common Interview Questions
Theres no way to know exactly what a hiring manager will ask, but there are some common interview questions you can prepare for. Consider prepping answers to the following to ensure you put your best foot forward on camera:
This is another occasion where that Post-It with your notes can come in handy. Jot down high-level ideas so that you feel more prepared if the interviewer does pose any of those questions. Just avoid memorizing your responses you want the conversation to flow naturally, not feel forced or rehearsed. Lastly, dont forget to prepare questions of your own to ask the hiring manager.
Choose A Quiet And Distraction
Conduct your virtual interviews in a place that is quiet and free from distractions to give your full attention. If you need to conduct your interviews from home, choose a quiet room and let your housemates know you will be holding an interview so they can stay as quiet as possible. Your space should have a neutral background so the candidate is not distracted by your environment. Try to keep the environment as professional as possible to mimic the setting of an in-person interview.
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What Is A Virtual Interview Guide
A virtual interview guide is a resource created by employers that are recruiting, interviewing and hiring candidates without meeting them in person. The guide provides candidates with important information about the processes and technologies used in conducting digital job interviews and how candidates can excel in a virtual interview setting and throughout a remote hiring process.
A virtual interview guide provides candidates with important information about digital job interviews and an employers remote hiring process.
A virtual interview guide helps to provide a positive virtual candidate experience by giving candidates the information they need to succeed during your recruiting and hiring process. Some employers are also using these guides to share important information about their company culture that candidates are no longer learning from office tours and in-person interactions.
In this blog post, we feature 7 virtual interview guide examples from these top employers:
Lets go!
You Can Take Your Phone Screenings To The Next Level
Perhaps you arent considering replacing all of your in-person interviews with virtual ones. Instead, youre just looking for an alternative to the dreaded phone screenings.
Sure, phone screenings are a decent starting point to weed out candidates who simply arent qualified.
But, when it comes to giving you greater insight into a candidate, its tough to learn too much beyond whether or not they meet the basic requirements.
This is why more and more companies are forgoing those phone screenings of the past and using virtual video interviews instead.
When its estimated that 55% of communication is body language, using virtual interviews as the first step in the hiring process is enabling hiring managers to get a better sense of what candidates bring to the tableand, as a result, create a much stronger shortlist for second-round interviews.
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Tip : Keep Your Answers Simple
As with any interview, try to keep your answers simple and to the point. When youre on a video call, pauses in conversation can feel awkward and unnatural, so it can be tempting to fill the silence with chatter.
However, its likely that your interviewer will simply be processing your answer during the natural lapses. If the question doesnt warrant it, dont feel like you need to give a long, drawn-out explanation. Being able to respond in a clear, concise manner is an important skill and will stand you in good stead during the interview.
Prep For Optimal Eye Contact
Have you ever had a conversation with someone where they seemed to be looking over your shoulder or away from you entirely? Did you feel like you connected with that person? Probably not. So while actual eye contact isnt possible in a video interview, youll want to get as close as possible. Looking at someones face is usually enough to show that youre listening and engaged with what theyre saying.
To that end, make sure youve found a comfortable distance that allows you to look straight ahead rather than down at the camera. And place the window where your interviewer will appear on the same monitor as your camera and move it as close to the camera as possiblecentered is best. That way, when you look at them, as you naturally will during your conversation, youre also looking at the camera.
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What Is A Virtual Interview
A virtual interview is an interview that takes place remotely, sometimes over the phone, but often using technology like video conferencing and other online communication platforms. During a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal government recommends people practice social distancing, it’s become essential for both human resources employees and candidates to learn how to perfect the virtual interview process. Virtual interviews are often conducted much the same way as face-to-face interviews. That said, virtual communication requires special considerations and adjustments due to the limited ability to read body language and facial expressions.
Read more: 25 Phone Interview Tips to Get You to the Next Round
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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Purpose Of Virtual Interviews
This type of interview has become increasingly popular. Companies can interview candidates who are far away and save money on travel costs. It is better than phone interview because the interviewer can see the candidates clothing and both can see each others body language and facial expressions which contribute to the communication process.
Sit In A Public Place
If you truly want to convey professionalism, loud, public places are a no-go. Finding the perfect setting for your interview might be a struggle, but your local coffee shop is guaranteed to be a noisy and distracting environment. There’s no use taking an interview if your answers can’t be heard and it will be downright embarrassing if you keep having to shout over a busy background.
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What To Expect In A Hirevue Interview
If you’ve been asked to do a HireVue video interview, you might be feeling a bit nervous. That’s natural since this is a new way of interviewing and you haven’t had many chances to practice. Luckily, knowing what you can expect will help
Here’s what’ll happen: The company you’re interviewing with will send you the information you need to get started. You can choose to do your interview on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, as long as your device has a camera, a microphone, and an internet connection. Once you’re in the system, you’ll fire a setup page, which tells you more about the process and includes a video tutorial.
HireVue also gives you the opportunity to answer practice questions. This part is set up just like a real interview, so you can feel more comfortable with the process and you have unlimited chances to practice before you move on to the actual interview. However, once you start the actual interview, you won’t have a second chance to record your answers.
Prepare For The Interview By Outlining Questions
Prepare questions you need to ask during the virtual interview. Review the candidates information, including their resume, cover letter and any additional documentation they provided. Use this information to develop questions you want to ask related to their specific experience and qualifications. Have a list of several job-related questions that you ask every candidate as part of your standardized rating system.
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Navigating A Virtual Interview
A virtual interview is an interview that takes place remotely, sometimes over the phone, but often using technology like video conferencing and other online communication platforms. Some virtual platforms that you might be expected to use include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, or Adobe Connect. Below are some best practices for video interviews. “Video conferencing has taken the business world by storm in 2020. No one could predict this trend, but the fact remains that now we all need to get used to brand new daily habits and professional procedures.” – Vault.
Dress For Success Even Remotely
Make sure that you look polished and professional at least up top. Consider a button-up shirt or blouse, and be sure to groom just as thoughtfully as you would for an in-person meeting. Not only will this help you make a great impression with your interviewer, but wearing clothes that make you feel confident will also help you get your head in the game!
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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.
Virtual College Interviews: Everything You Need To Know
The college interview is an excellent opportunity for students to show off attributes that are not easily conveyed through the more black-and-white sections of an applicationthis provides applicants a chance to inject their personality, demonstrate maturity, and talk about their passions and interests.
Although COVID-19 has made in-person interviews problematic, many colleges are adopting virtual interviews as a way to better know their applicants. Heres everything you need to know about these interviews.
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Basic Interview Skills Still Matter
In 2020, the Harvard Business Review watched and analyzed more than 500 virtual interviews, looking at recruiter and job candidate responses, length of interview, aesthetics and participant engagement, among other factors.
Of the 72% of job candidates observed who didnt receive job offers, about 80% seemed distracted, appeared to be reading from a script and failed to engage the recruiter in a meaningful way. Of the 28% of candidates who received job offers, about 90% had a strong virtual presence, displayed confidence and were able to communicate clearly and establish a natural rapport with their interviewers.
Position Yourself In A Well
It’s essential to choose a quiet, well-lit, neutral, and clean space to conduct your interview, especially if you’re taking the virtual interview from home to limit distractions. Unlike interviewing in the office or a public space, virtual interviews provide an intimate glimpse into your personal life. Be sure to give a great first impression by keeping your area clean and limit any interruptions from family members, pets, partners, and roommates.
Dont plan to have your remote interview just anywhere. Its important to choose a location that is free of distractions and noises when participating in a video interview, as these interruptions can leave an interviewer with a negative impression of you. Take stock of your space and choose a location that is far from potential noises and distractions, such as a ringing doorbell, a childs room, or near a TV that could be turned on. And if you can select a room with a door, make a sign to hang on the door that asks not to be disturbed.
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Use Your Face To Show Youre Engaged
Nonverbal communication is important in any conversation. But when it comes to a video interview, a lot of the avenues through which we usually give nonverbal cueseye contact, body language, and small murmurs of agreementare cut off. So we have to lean more heavily on what we have left, namely facial expressions.
If youre in the room with someone, you can usually tell if theyre listening to you intently even if their face is not moving much . But everybody can look like a statue over video interview, Turner says. You shouldnt be so static that your interviewer has to wonder if youre still connected.
Short vocalizations arent the way to solve this problem here since on many common video interview platforms, only one mic can be used at once, Eonnet says. So while two people can speak simultaneously in the same room or over the phone, on a video call, your yes, definitely! can mute the other persons microphone momentarily, breaking up the flow of conversation and possibly causing you to miss key information.
Instead of saying mm-hm or yeah, nod or smile when youd usually speak. That way your interviewer still gets the feedback they need without your mic accidentally overriding theirs.
How To Make A Good Impression In A Virtual Job Interview
Follow this guide to prep and perfect your video interview skills.
Theres no question that for many job-seekers, interviewing is the most intimidating part of the process. But what if you could do it from the comfort of home? For many employers, virtual interviewing is the futurewhether you live far away or need to interview remotely for another reason, video conferencing is an easy fix that many companies utilize when meeting candidates face to face.
While video interviewing doesnt allow for some tried-and-true methods for making a good impression, like giving a firm handshake, there are many ways to wow your potential boss from behind a screen. Simply follow this guide to prep and perfect your video interview skills.
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Tips For Knocking Your Virtual Interview Out Of The Park
Job interviews are nerve-wracking no matter how they take place, but virtual interviews are especially daunting. Youâre trying to connect with the interviewers while dealing with the ins and outs of cameras, background noises, and potential internet troubles.
However, if you take time in advance to make sure youâre set up for success â if you follow these virtual interview tips â you can ensure youâll able to put your best foot forward, even from hundreds of miles away.
Check Your Internet Connection
The last thing you want before a virtual interview is having no internet connection. Save yourself the panic and avoid the dreadful task of having to cancel an interview by testing your connection beforehand. If you don’t have strong wi-fi at home, make sure to do the interview elsewhere such as a quiet hotel lounge or a reserved private room.
A lagging connection will only frustrate the panel and result in miscommunication. If you do happen to run into unexpected internet issues, make sure to inform the interviewers in advance.
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Test Things Are Working
When working with tech, things can go wrong in unexpected and mysterious ways. Be sure to check your whole setup, both well in advance so you can fix any problems, and on the day so you can be sure nothing gets in the way.
Internet Connection
A slow internet connection can make the image and audio choppy on the video call. There are a few things you can do to improve it.
First, check your internet speed at a website like speedtest.net or Bandwidth Place. Youll receive three numbers: ping, download speed and upload speed. The lower ping the better, and the higher of the other two the better.
Your download speed will determine how the interviewers image and audio look. Youll want at least 10 Mbps, but 25 and above is ideal. The same goes for upload speed, which will determine how your image and audio comes across.
Check this several times throughout a typical day. If your internet connection is patchy or slow at certain times, try to avoid these if you can when scheduling your virtual interview.
Everything Else
For everything else tech-wise, have a run-through at least an hour before your interview and check the following:
