Whether you’re recruiting employees to help grow your business or looking to hire someone as an independent contractor, conducting job interviews can be a draining process for both you and the candidate. It’s especially difficult if you have no face-to-face contact with the interviewee and must instead rely on written communication alone. In order to conduct remote job interviews that get the information you need and are less time-consuming and stressful for all parties involved, here are nine tips for conducting successful remote job interviews.
1) Set Expectations: Outline Requirements Before Contacting Candidates
Tell applicants how you’d like to be contacted, how far in advance you need candidates to apply, and which job requirements are firm (such as a bachelor’s degree). Be sure to set expectations about online video interviews so that there aren’t any surprises during an in-person interview. Candidates should know that they’ll be recorded, who will have access to their video files, and what will happen with those recordings (such as whether they’ll be discarded after an interview cycle ends). And then have some reassurance that all of your bases are covered! Include questions related to protecting employee privacy. Many companies in high-risk industries use remote job interviews as a way of getting more candidates without sacrificing security or creating additional workload.
2) Create an Impressive Application Process
Working remotely requires more than simply sitting in front of your computer. You’ll need to be able to show that you can be productive and motivated, so it’s important to have your remote job interview align with your normal workday. For example, if you are working on different days or at different times each week, ask about your specific schedule when booking your video interview. In addition, make sure all of your technology is working properly and that you have all of the necessary equipment before scheduling an interview.
3) Include Tests in the Application Process
Rather than asking applicants to travel or take time off of work, many employers now choose to test job candidates remotely. This means that they can get an objective measure of skill and aptitude without making anyone feel uncomfortable, as video interviews are generally easier to conduct on one’s own terms. The real danger comes in not preparing properly before your interview: Before you press record, make sure you know exactly what skills and traits you’re looking for—and how you’ll be able to measure them in real-time during your conversation. If possible, prepare a standard set of questions (or scenarios) beforehand so that each interview will be as close to uniform as possible. Even with thoughtful preparation and planning, there are going to be slip-ups—it happens!
4) Add Face-to-Face Time at the End
If you’re scheduling a remote job interview, be sure to schedule an in-person meeting at some point. It’s more difficult to make accurate judgments about candidates based on long-distance interviews. And you want to make sure that your candidate is comfortable with you as well—it can help establish rapport. Remember, though, not all cultures are comfortable with face-to-face interactions right away. Make sure you plan out at least one in-person meeting at some point during your recruitment process if doing so isn’t standard in your region or industry. (And if it is, don’t stop there! You’ll still benefit from having in-person meetings.)
5) Offer Remuneration Based on Performance, Not Hours Worked
It may sound strange to hear that performance reviews shouldn’t include an assessment of hours worked, but if you’re interested in hiring top performers and keeping them happy, you need to ditch that outdated approach. Remuneration should be based on an employee’s contribution to their team or department—not how many hours they spend in front of their computer. To make sure everyone on your team is motivated, let them know what their benchmarks are going into a review period and then compare their actual performance against those goals after it ends. This is much easier when reviewing remote workers who can’t easily be observed by managers or HR professionals. If you want remote employees to feel valued, treat them like valued employees!
6) Follow Up After Interviews
If you’re like most interviewers, you ask all of your questions and then move on to offer feedback and determine next steps. But what if there was another way? What if after asking your last question, you paused and asked some follow-up questions? For example: What do you see as some of our main strengths as an organization? or If I could wave a magic wand, what is one thing we could improve here at Company XYZ? The answers to these questions can be insightful. And it doesn’t have to stop with that – keep it up! What’s more, these answers can help paint a more comprehensive picture of who is being interviewed.
7) Set your candidates up for success
You want your candidates to succeed, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re doing all you can to help them shine during their interview. You may be tempted to sit in on every interview, but resist that urge if at all possible. It can be difficult for some remote job candidates (especially if they’re introverts) and besides—your time is better spent on other things. Letting candidates interact via video chat means they can come prepared with questions, look professional with their business attire, and feel confident without being able to gauge your reactions.
8) Don’t forget that you’re being interviewed, too
When you’re interviewing someone, it’s easy to feel like they’re being interviewed by you. However, it is important to remember that, in most cases, you are being interviewed just as much as they are. This can be a lot more difficult when both of you are not in an office together! The key is to schedule meetings with everyone at their own convenience, and always make sure to check up on people after their interviews.
9) Deliver a strong close
Hiring someone is always going to be a risky prospect, and if you’re doing it remotely there are new risks to worry about. This means you need to make sure your process is as strong as possible. In addition to using effective remote job interview questions, ensure that you ask open-ended questions (ones that can’t be answered with yes or no), and set up regular follow-up meetings with your candidates. If possible, schedule these meetings at times when they won’t overlap with their workday—for example, early in the morning if they live in Asia. You should also talk through any doubts or concerns you have with your current employees and allow them to contribute their input on the candidates before making any hiring decisions.
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