In these unprecedented times, where the majority of the workforce is operating remotely, it’s important to consider how businesses can continue to hire and nurture the best talent to drive their success.
As Covid-19 takes its toll on our normal working day, PRWeek Jobs explores ways in which you can continue to effectively recruit via online interviewing techniques.
How to take your interviews online
Video conferencing tools like Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom, to name a few, have often been used in the early stages of candidate screening. But in a more remote working world, could the interview process move to an entirely online setup?
There are two techniques that we’re going to talk about here, the first is video interviewing. With a video interview, you set a number of questions which a candidate must film their answers to. The second is conferencing tools, which allow you to join a virtual meeting (with video) wherever you are in the world.
Video Interviews
Video interviews allow you to screen candidates more effectively than simply viewing their CV, whilst also saving you time and energy spent sitting face to face. They also offer a better user experience for the candidate. By completing a video interview, they will feel engaged and valued whilst learning more about your organisation, ultimately making them more likely to remain in the candidate pool.
Using video interviewing software can help to alleviate any unconscious bias as lots of people can view the same video and check each other’s bias. They also allow you to interview more people than you’d be able to face to face. Therefore, the more people you interview, the less likely you are to be influenced by any preconceptions.
Video interviews give you the chance to find out more about the candidate than what you can see on paper. It brings the candidates to life, making it easier to decide whether someone is a good cultural fit and right for the role.
Conferencing tools
Of course, video interviewing can form part of your recruitment process, but most hiring managers would like to speak to a potential candidate before they hire them. That’s where conferencing tools come in.
Conferencing tools like Skype, Hangouts and Zoom enable interviewers and interviewees to engage in a conversation from anywhere in the world. So, if you are in an enforced remote working situation, you can still connect and interview your potential recruits.
Even if you are not in self-isolation, conferencing tools offer you the opportunity to streamline your recruitment process and reduce your time to hire. It’s much easier to find the time to jump on a conference call than to set up a time to meet face to face. It also cuts out the time in between interviews, meaning you can fit more into your day. Overall, making the whole process more efficient.
Video interviews and conferencing tools are great solutions to help you recruit remotely. Everyone can join from wherever they are working and you can ensure a candidate fits the requirements of the job without having to meet face to face. It improves efficiency and time to hire. It might just be the way recruitment has to go.
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