9 Steps For Conducting Virtual Interviews

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Virtual interviews are everywhere, and it’s not hard to see why. Since the Covid Pandemic forced many companies to conduct remote interviews, the technology has improved, and cultural comfort level with the practice has increased.

Even with companies returning to their offices, they still conduct virtual interviews since they provide so many benefits to this crucial stage of the hiring process.

Key Takeaways:

• Treat a virtual interview as you would an in-person interview.

• Virtual interviews can range from 15 minutes to one hour.

• Test out your equipment ahead of time to avoid technical issues.

How To Prepare For Virtual Interviews

Your preparation ensures the virtual interview runs as smoothly as possible, so make sure to:

1. Prepare yourself and your team. There are a lot of variables that are in play with virtual interviews. Luckily you have a high level of control over a lot of them:

   • Structure with standardized questions. This gives your interview a logical flow and creates uniformity across interviews. As a result, your interviews will be more useful as a resource to evaluate candidates.

   • Prepare an answer scorecard. Since you know what questions you will ask, an answer scorecard allows you to rate the responses of candidates. This will be helpful when comparing candidates later.

   • Test equipment. One of the most common struggles with remote interviews is the potential for technical errors. Do your best to prevent this by testing equipment ahead of time. If you plan to use features like virtual backgrounds or shared screens, try them out in advance to get comfortable with the process.

   • Choose an appropriate location. You do not want to be distracted during your interview, so pick either an office or a room that is away from action and noise. Also, consider the lighting and make sure you are clearly visible.

   • Dress professionally. Even if you are at home, dress as you would for an in-person interview. This establishes the level of professionalism you expect in yourself and your employees.

   • Review the job description. Go over the job description so that you are clear about the needs that must be met by the candidate.

   • Review candidates’ resumes, cover letters, and other material. Since you will likely use these resources at some point in the interview, go over them again to familiarize yourself with what you want to discuss.

2. Prepare the candidate. You want to set your candidates up for success and see how they handle it, so give them a chance to come into the interview feeling prepared. To help:

   • Confirm an appropriate time. Virtual interviews are easy to schedule, but make sure the time works for your interviewee so you can be confident they will show up.

   • Send resources. If you plan to use anything during your interviews, such as a survey or a specific type of video conferencing software, make sure to send the necessary links.

   • Share process and expectations. It can help reduce stress by letting the candidate know how the interview will play out. Tell them the estimated time length, who will be present, and anything else that might set expectations.

   • Send an invite via email. Both Outlook and Gmail allow you to send invites that can be confirmed and automatically scheduled into digital calendars. Use these to your advantage to avoid miscommunication.

How to Conduct Virtual Interviews

After you have made your preparations, you should conduct your virtual interview:

1. Introduce yourself and your role. When the virtual interview begins, it can feel a little awkward because everyone is just looking at each other. You can’t get up and offer a handshake, so you have to be intentional with your greeting.

   Let the candidate know who you, and anyone else, are, what your roles are with the company, and feel free to offer a little small talk to get settled.

2. Briefly describe the company and position. Naturally, flow into the interview by going over the mission, values, and approach of your company. You want to set the stage for questions related to the job.

   This also has the added benefit of marketing your company as an attractive place to work. Then you should talk about the position in question and how it relates to the company, which gears the conversation toward the interview questions.

3. Ask your prepared questions. You want your questions to have a natural flow. A good way to do this is to prioritize which information is most important to you. That way, as the interview continues, you can let the conversation evolve organically.

4. Give the candidate time to respond. Video conferencing technology has come a long way; however, you may still experience moments of lag in audio and visual communication. When you ask a question, give at least ten seconds for your candidate to give a response to ensure there is no confusion.

5. Rate answer. This is where you will use your answer scorecard. Rate your answers in a standardized way that allows you to easily compare scorecards between candidates.

6. Take notes. Additionally, to rating answers, take notes about the applicant that you will use later to evaluate their interview. Your note can be more subjective. They are a tool to provide reminders about your initial observations.

7. Explain the next steps. Once the interview is over, let the candidate know when and how you plan to get back to them. If you think this is a candidate you want to move further with, offer a non-committal overview of the next steps in the hiring process.

Tips for Conducting Virtual Interviews

If you want your virtual interview with the hiring candidate to go well, consider the following tips:

• Treat it like a normal interview. Just because the virtual interview allows for greater flexibility, it still requires the same time, energy, and attention as an in-person interview. Prepare and act as you would at an office or conference.

• Be both professional and personable. You want to strike a balance here. If you are too professional, you can appear stiff and unnatural. If you are too personable, you might be less objective in your search. Work towards focusing on your goal of finding the best candidate while also building an empathetic connection with the interviewee.

• Maintain eye contact and smile. This is helpful since your body language is more limited in a virtual interview. Wandering eyes and a lack of smiling comes off worse in a virtual interview.

• Observe the candidate’s EQ. The interviewee’s answers are going to reflect their personality and emotional intelligence. These are strong indicators of success in the workplace; however, they require extra attention in a virtual interview due to the lack of body language.

• Pitch the company. Remember that this interview is a two-way street. The candidate wants to know if your business is a good match for them. This is especially important because the candidate doesn’t get the chance to observe the workplace and employees in action.

  At some point, highlight your company’s culture and values. If possible, offer a virtual tour or conversations with others to provide a better representation of your company.

• Give yourself time before and after the interview. Avoid rushing in and out of interviews. Especially don’t schedule interviews back to back. You need time to go over your preparations in the beginning. After the interview, you should give your mind time to process the interview and retain important information.

Benefits of Remote Interviews

Remote interviews provide a lot of great benefits for employers and candidates alike, including:

• Easier to schedule. Since you don’t have to worry about commuting, you can schedule a virtual interview based on the convenience of everyone involved.

• Reduces biases. Without the distractions of certain types of body language, physical appearances, or cultural norms in prolonged small talk, you can be more focused on the objective of the interview.

• Allows you to take notes. It is easier to take notes off-screen because they are less of a distraction than they would during an in-person interview.

• Diversifies candidate pool. Video interviews allow you to pick a person anywhere in the world, so you might as well take advantage of that.

• Health and remote-friendly. Even if someone is feeling sick or needs to be somewhere else, they may be able to take some time out of their day to interview.

Conducting Remote Interviews FAQ

1. What are the types of virtual interviews?

   There are two main types of virtual interviews: live and automated. In a live virtual interview, you conduct the interview as you would in person, with face-to-face conversation. In an automated interview, you provide the candidate with pre-recorded questions to which they can respond.

2. What questions should I ask in a virtual interview?

   You should ask questions that reveal the candidate’s qualifications, including skills and personality. Prioritize your questions so that you can learn if this interviewee will fulfill the company’s needs. Behavioral questions are a great way to give the candidate’s the opportunity to give a SMART response, which is easier to judge.

3. How long should the virtual interview be?

   Most virtual interviews are between 15 minutes to one hour. It depends on your needs and the type of interview. If you really want to get to know something, you will need more time.

   However, if it is just a screening interview, you can keep it short. Understand that longer virtual interviews require more time and energy from both you and the candidate.

4. How do you end a virtual interview?

   End a virtual interview naturally with a thank you and discuss further steps. Regardless of how you feel about the candidate, it is good that they were able to take time out of their day to be interviewed. Acknowledge this as well as what they can expect to happen next.

References

1. Government Of Vermont – Video Interviewing Guidance & Best Practices

Author

Conor McMahon

Conor McMahon is a writer for Zippia, with previous experience in the nonprofit, customer service, and technical support industries. He has a degree in Music Industry from Northeastern University and in his free time he plays guitar with his friends. Conor enjoys creative writing between his work doing professional content creation and technical documentation.