8 tips to help hiring managers be prepared for video interviews.
Plan ahead, read the candidate's CV and prepare questions. This should be standard practice for in-person interviews but some may feel unprepared to conduct a virtual interview. A virtual interview should have the same preparation and planning as an in-person interview. Familiarize yourself with how to use a virtual whiteboard. If you need to share your screen during the interview, make sure you’re not sharing anything confidential and your desktop background is appropriate. Lastly, make sure you understand how to hand off the candidate to the next interviewer and/or close out the interview.
Make a solid introduction, explain your role and highlight what you'll be covering in the interview. Small talk can be more difficult over video, so you'll want to introduce yourself and set the scene for the interview as quickly as possible.
Close your email and turn off or silence your mobile device. When you're sitting at your computer, there is a much greater risk of becoming distracted. By closing your email and any other apps where messages pop up, you'll help ensure that your focus is where it should be. A lot of you may choose to interview candidates via your mobile device, however, we have found that interviewing candidates on your laptop is best along with earbuds or headset.
Be mindful of your setting, dress professionally, ensure good light for the virtual and a sensible background. Remember, when you’re at home conducting a video interview, it’s different than your normal office setting. Be conscious of what's in your background, ensure that you're well lit, and dress as you would if you were going into the office.
Maintain good eye contact and be cautious of your body language. When you're in a video meeting, it's easy to be distracted by an email, pets in the background, deliveries, etc. Be intentional about connecting with the person on the other side of the screen by making regular eye contact, as well as maintaining engaged, interested and positive body language.
Assume you'll be taking notes throughout the interview. Let the candidate know this, so when they see you writing or hear you typing, they know why. Telling the candidate at the beginning of your virtual interview, sets clear expectations on what they should expect.
Be an active listener. It's important to remember you’re not in a multi-person conference call and your complete attention is essential. This will not only ensure that you hear the information being shared but it is also out of respect for the person you’re interviewing. Their attention is on you–this interview is very important to them–listen to them at all times.
Be friendly and generate conversation, don't just ask question after question. As with in-person interviews, the best way to get to know a candidate is through general conversation. Well, the same applies to virtual interviews. The sooner you can do this, the easier it is to forget you’re in a virtual interview and feel like you are actually in-person.
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