Are you a hiring manager interviewing via video at present?

While some employers opt for, or prefer even, to interview potential workers by way of a face to face interview, many others choose to do this over the phone, or by video interview. There’s certainly no one correct medium to use when it comes to interviewing - but when there’s a global pandemic that forces businesses to close and organisations to send their staff home to work remotely, video interviews are definitely the way to go. Just because most people are now working remotely, this doesn’t mean that you can’t still hire new employees – here are some of the benefits to interviewing via video.

It shows your adaptability

Adapting your interview methods shows potential employees that your organisation is flexible enough to adapt to market conditions – whether that’s covid-19 or any other business issue that might arise in the future.

This flexibility will ultimately show candidates that you’re strong enough to hire in the current market, and give them confidence in the fact that your business has the ability to weather any storm.

It’ll help you keep moving forward

As we know, covid-19 has shown that actually, the traditional office culture isn’t always necessary to get the job done. While there are benefits to having employees working in the office, we’re now seeing businesses can continue to move forward and grow, even with staff working from home.

This process is one which can also be applied to your hiring methods – we’re working with clients who are interviewing and onboarding their staff via video conferencing, sharing tools online for staff to use which will enable them to get the job done, and ensuring that everyone is set up properly to allow for working remotely. Now more than ever it’s important to keep your business moving forward, particularly in the global climate.

It’s more cost effective

If you’re looking to fill international or expat vacancies, video interviewing allows you to do this without flying candidates to your head office, which often has travel and hotel costs attached. This means that your business can interview more candidates at the final stage, without having to incur any costs – which allows you to make a better-informed decision in the long run.

There will be less external competition

If other companies aren’t adapting to the changing market conditions, then your organisation will have more choice of candidates. Those looking for a new role could end up interviewing at fewer organisations, meaning you’re more likely to secure the candidates you want for the position. If fewer companies are adapting their recruiting methods through this uncertain time, then ultimately there’s less chance of candidates taking opportunities elsewhere.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro who just wants to brush up on video interview best practice before you speak to your next candidate, or whether this will be your first time interviewing someone via video, we’ve compiled a list of our top tips when it comes to getting the video interview right.

Once you’ve set up your interview space, familiarised yourself with the equipment you’ll need to use, tested your microphone and webcam beforehand, logged in, and muted your phone and any other notifications, you’re ready to go. But what should you be doing during the interview itself?

1.     Be conscious of your body language

It’s crucial that you treat a video interview like a face to face one. It’s been suggested that 55% of communication is nonverbal, while another 38% is conveyed through your tone of voice – which means that way you present yourself is extremely important.

Make eye contact, sit up straight, nod along to let the candidate know that you’re following what they’re saying – and most importantly, smile like you would if they were there in the room with you!

2.     Dress appropriately

Just because you’re no longer in the office and are working from home, when you’re conducting a video interview it’s important to dress in a way that mirrors the typical attire for your office. You might be working from home in your shorts or tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt, but be sure to dress appropriately for the interview.

Dressing as you would in the office gives the candidate you’re interviewing an insight into your company culture, and makes a video interview feel more in line with an in-person interview.

3.     Highlight your company culture

An onsite interview gives candidates a small insight into the company’s culture, and what the working environment looks like – and so it’s really important to highlight this in a video interview, as the candidate won’t have been able to have this experience. Emphasize your organisation’s core values and company mission, share stories about team outings, and give the candidate a clear picture of what it’s like to work at your company.

4.     Ask consistent questions

Regardless of the interview format, it’s vital that you treat a video interview the same way that you would an in-person interview. If you have a set list of questions that you’d normally go through with potential employees in a face to face interviews, you should use these for your video interview too. Just because the format is different, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel – and if you use the same set of questions, then it’ll make it easier for you when it comes to evaluating the candidate’s answers and making a decision.

 If you’re new to video interviewing, it might take a couple of interviews before you’ve got it completely sussed and can get into the swing of it, but hopefully by taking these tips on board, your recruiting process will continue as smoothly as possible – pandemic or not!