7 MAJOR Virtual Interview Tips For Remote Recruiters

With remote work becoming the corporate norm, more and more industries are shifting to hybrid or remote work cultures. And, the recruitment industry is not left behind.

Since remote work allows employees to work from diverse locations, remote recruiters need to interview potential candidates without making them travel to the office.

That’s where virtual interviews come into play.

It offers the perfect solution for hiring employees remotely. Moreover, it provides a technology-based interviewing process for the recruiter to evaluate the candidates.

But conducting remote interviews is not a piece of cake. It needs the perfect blend of best hiring practices and communication technologies.

So, today, I have brought you some virtual interview tips to help you conduct remote interviews with efficiency. In this blog, I am going to explore—

• What a virtual interview is,
• Its dos and don’ts,
• Some major tips, and more.

Stay tuned!

What Is A Virtual Interview?

First things first, a virtual interview refers to the interviewing process conducted remotely. From phone calls to video-conferencing platforms, it can be conducted over multiple channels.

Moreover, it is a remote version of the in-person interview process. So, its purpose is also to evaluate the qualifications and potential of the candidates.

However, compared to regular interviews, it offers a cost-efficient and flexible mode of the interview process. Benefiting both the candidates and the remote recruiters.

Benefits Of Virtual Interviews

Since virtual interviews are flexible, they offer countless benefits. Some of these advantages include—

1. Access to a wider talent pool from global locations.
2. Provides a cost and time-saving process with streamlined operations.
3. Flexible and convenient for scheduling and conducting multiple interviews.
4. Fewer bias and inconsistency issues with remote evaluation.
5. Improved candidate experience with the company culture.

How Remote Recruiters Conduct Virtual Interviews?

Unlike regular in-person interviews, the process of virtual interviews is quite different. So, here’s how recruiters conduct them—

1. Researching and assessing the potential of the candidate before the interview.
2. Planning the questionnaire for evaluating the candidates.
3. Choosing a video-conferencing software to conduct the interview.
4. Instructing the candidate about the process and the link to join the interview.
5. Creating a digital space with a professional background and formal attire.
6. Providing the space for candidates to answer the questions with ease.

Dos And Don’ts Of Virtual Interviewing

Dos	Don’ts
1. Use proper technology for the interview.	1. Multitasking without listening to the answers of the candidates.
2. Research and investigate the qualifications of the candidates.	2. Interrupting candidates and ignoring tech issues.
3. Prepare a professional setup for the interview.	3. Using inappropriate backgrounds.

7 MAJOR Virtual Interview Tips For Remote Recruiters

Now that you have a clear idea about the remote interviews, here are some major virtual interview tips to streamline the process for remote recruiters.

1. Define The Interview Process

Firstly, it is important to conduct a proper interview that aligns with the company’s hiring policies. So, define the process, highlighting the details and communicating it with the teammates.

According to Darren Murph of GitLab, “Put concerted effort around systematically documenting important process changes in a central place to minimize confusion and dysfunction”.

2. Test-run The Essential Technology

Moreover, to conduct a virtual interview, you need video-conferencing tools— Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and others.

So, choose a proficient platform and test run it before finalizing the interview process. That is, identifying the tech issues and resolving them before starting the actual process.

3. Choose A Professional Setting

Even though virtual interviews are not conducted in an office setup, it is important to maintain a professional setting for the process.

So, from the countless backdrops, choose a professional and less distracting one for the interview. Also, ensure that your place is well-lit and quiet for the process.

According to the Reddit reviews—

“Also, since it’s a virtual interview, make sure your internet connection is stable, and you have a quiet space where you won’t be distracted. Dress professionally for the call, even if you’re staying in PJs at home”.

4. Prepare Standardized Industry-Related Questions

In addition to this, having a prepared questionnaire can help in conducting a standard interview without biased or informal questions popping up.

So, based on the industry standards and role requirements, draft the interview questions. This way, you can conduct an unbiased and consistent evaluation of the candidates.

5. Create A Compelling Company Culture Pitch

Unlike the common practice, giving a company culture pitch to the candidates can help them feel connected with the company. So, prepare a compelling story or video tour of the company.

According to Brendan Browne on LinkedIn—

“There’s a humongous opportunity to differentiate yourself as a recruiter by telling a compelling story focusing on your company’s mission and vision”.

6. Maintain An Unbiased Evaluation Scorecard

Moreover, ensure that the interview is consistent and unbiased for all the candidates. So, maintain a scorecard against which the potential applicants are evaluated.

Also, this scorecard should be the same for all the candidates. That is, no one is giving special priority for personal reasons or other biases.

7. Provide Feedback To Candidates

Finally, giving proper feedback to the candidates can essentially improve their relationship with the company recruiters.

Whether they get selected or not, they won’t hold grudges. That is, in the future, if you need to hire them, you can still reach out.

Things To Keep In Mind For Virtual Interviews

Even though virtual interviews feel less natural compared to regular interviews, where you can sit face-to-face with the candidates, it actually works better.

Moreover, it provides a digital space to engage the candidates and speed up the interview process with streamlined workflows.

However, keeping a few considerations along with the virtual interview tips for remote recruiters can further enhance the hiring process—

• Allowing candidates to answer questions while feeling at ease.
• Giving them time to answer without hurrying them.
• Understanding their tech issues before screening them out.

So, by keeping these considerations in mind, you can provide a proper virtual interview for recruiting remote employees.

Now, with this complete guide on remote interviews, prepare the best company interview. Sourcing and retaining candidates for a longer term.

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