Onsite interviews are ideal for both parties to get to know each other from a professional and cultural perspective. This post describes how it also works in a remote setting.
What is it?
It is a process for hiring remotely.
Why use it?
Remote interviews enable hiring new employees without having onsite interviews.
How to do it?
Before the interview:
- Decide for a video call tool which is easy to use for all participants and respects the GDPR
- Reflect if you need additional tools. For example, if the interviewee has to solve a technical task during the interview
- Inform the candidates about your remote recruiting process and explain them why you are recruiting remotely
- Invite the candidate to a video call and ask if a remote interview is fine. If the candidate prefers an onsite meeting, try to organize a meeting onsite or explain him/her why you are not able to meet onsite.
- Send the login credentials and inform the candidate about the procedure. Don’t forget to send your contact details (including a telephone number) in case the candidate needs to get in touch with you, i.e. if there is a technical issue
- Share your remote meeting guidelines (see Meeting Guideline) and inform the candidate about the dress code
- Make sure you have enough time for the meeting
- If you are more than one interviewer, prepare a clear structure of the meeting and decide who will be the moderator
During the interview:
- Start the interview with a warm welcome and make sure all participants can hear you
- If needed, give a short introduction to the use of the video call tool
- Explain the agenda und keep track of the time. If the interview lasts longer, don’t forget to make breaks.
- Speak into the camera and smile. As the candidate can only see your face, a smile is an important sign for the candidate and helps him/her to be less nervous.
- The ongoing interview is equivalent to interviews onsite. Use a combination of technical and cultural questions. During a virtual interview it seems to be more difficult to get a feel for the person. Therefore, we focus more on questions regarding the cultural fit.
- Be aware that the time between question and answer seems to be longer than in face-to-face interviews. Thus, allow the candidate to take his/her time before answering to not stress him/her.
- You can use telepresence hardware to take a virtual walk through the office with the candidate (see Telepresence)
- For more tips on video conferencing in general also have a look at this post Video Conferencing
