Your interviewee is nervous and your screen freezes. How do you keep the conversation flowing smoothly?

Handling technical issues during virtual interviews requires finesse. Here’s how: Acknowledge & Reassure: Address the issue calmly and reassure the candidate. Use Humor: Lighten the mood with humor like, "Even tech can have its off days!" Transition Smoothly: Shift to a phone call or ask to reconnect if needed. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Keep the conversation flowing while troubleshooting. Share Personal Stories: Relate with a personal anecdote to build rapport. Show Empathy: Understand technical glitches happen; stay patient and supportive. Maintain a positive interview experience despite challenges.

Calm down the applicant first. The appropriate candidate must be hired, but their career is just as important. During a nervous candidate's interview, if your screen abruptly ceases, give them a call promptly to soothe them, apologize for the glitch and discuss next best possible solution. And Yes!! The show must go on. So for that, prepare an "Emergency Kit" with quizzes, mini-presentations, or suggest a virtual coffee break. Alternatively, initiate a story swap to reveal their communication skills and resilience. Since we've all faced or might face such issues, being prepared can turn a tech hiccup into a memorable experience for all involved.

Start by acknowledging the unexpected challenge and momentary awkwardness it can create. Don't dwell on the technical issue for long. Things like this happen. Assuming the audio connection still works, let the interviewee know you'll continue the conversation as if it were a phone interview. Restart the question or point interrupted by the video issue to give the interviewee a fair chance to respond. As the discussion proceeds, provide additional verbal responses and cues for the interviewee to compensate for the lack of body language that can be picked up via video. Alternatively, ask the interviewee if they would prefer to continue, reschedule, or switch to another approach such as phone if the process timeline permits.

In such a situation, it's essential to remain calm and reassuring. Start by acknowledging the technical issue with empathy to alleviate any tension. Encourage the interviewee to take a moment to relax and assure them that technical glitches happen. Utilize this time to ask a casual, friendly question to lighten the mood and keep the conversation flowing. Once the screen unfreezes, recap what you last heard to reconnect smoothly and proceed with the interview. This approach helps maintain rapport and ensures the interviewee feels supported despite the interruption.

As the Interviewer, you have to make the candidate calm by chipping in some jokes to lighten up the mood. Assure the candidate that it is a friendly chat.

Avaliar rapidamente a situa??o e adaptar-se conforme necessário demonstra flexibilidade e garante que a entrevista continue sem interrup??es significativas. Sugira alternativas como uma chamada telef?nica ou outra plataforma de videoconferência se o problema persistir.

It is important to switch to an alternative, such as calling, leaving a message, or emailing, to keep the interviewee engaged.

Comunica??o clara durante problemas técnicos é crucial. Informar o entrevistado sobre as a??es em curso e como ele pode ajudar os mantém envolvidos e reduz o nervosismo, proporcionando uma sensa??o de controle.

Phone them. Give them a call and reassure them that the technical issue will not affect their interview outcome. There is no use persevering on a broken line and aggravating anxiety.

Seguramente el enrevistado se pondrá nervioso o ansioso por la falla. Como entrevistador lo que me ha funcionado es darles la tranquilidad de que no se preocupen, no pasa nada, es normal que pueda pasar con la tecnología. Y con tranquilidad darle algunas opciones, quizá, salir y volver a entrar, llamada telefónica. Y quizá también podemos darle un consejo de que cuando algo así le suceda no pasa nada con el problema técnico, pero si con la rección que pueda pesentar el entrevistado pues de ahí podemos darnos cuenta de alguans competencias.

Mantente casual, apaga tu cámara y ofrece alternativas y refiere a que esto es mucho más común de lo que pareciera… continúa con la conversación :), si es necesario también ofrécele la oportunidad de reiniciar y esperar ahí. No habrá ningún impacto y tu interés por continuar es mucho más que la falla técnica.

Una buena comunicación es siempre un pilar fundamental en cualquier interacción entre dos personas, y todavía lo es más entre un entrevistador y un entrevistado. Por ello, en caso de que surja algún problema técnico que dificulte la comunicación por videollamada, lo más sensato es mantener la calma y comunicarle de manera clara y paciente lo que está sucediendo. Una buena opción es cambiar a una llamada telefónica y continuar la entrevista por este medio, explicándole que no hay ningún problema en hacerlo así, transmitiéndole tranquilidad y dándole las gracias por su paciencia y fácil adaptación. Retomaremos el punto por el que estábamos y continuaremos la entrevista sin perder el ritmo que teníamos hasta ese momento.