Rise of Remote Interviewing and its Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic permanently altered the worldwide workforce. UpWork stated in late 2020 that 41.8 percent of the American workforce worked remotely last year, with an anticipated 26.7 percent projected to continue working from home through 2021, according to the platform.

While remote employment was already on the rise, and technology has improved to aid recruiters and employers in better vetting individuals before making a job offer, the pandemic’s fast changeover was nevertheless a shock to the system. However, recruiting is a flexible business, and by utilizing existing technologies, the process was simplified.

The Evolution of Recruitment and Remote Work

The development of remote recruiting has been fueled by the shift to remote employment, which has been particularly abrupt in many situations. New hires are now required to work remotely from the start, which alters the entire onboarding and training process.

In the last year, every element of the hiring process has changed dramatically. Advancements made prior to the pandemic were reorganized and tweaked to make the overall experience more remote-friendly.

When it comes to connecting with elite talent, recruiters know what to expect from the first phone screen to the last in-person interview (as well as the when, where, and how). With that basic framework in place, the only thing left to do is optimize.

However, as the world of work changes, expectations for when, where, and how recruiters engage with prospects are changing at a rapid pace. All-remote interviews and dispersed hiring are now the norms, and they may stay that way for a long time.

Some Tips to Conduct Remote Interviews

If you’re someone who cares about doing things well, doing a remote interview might be intimidating. Here are a few pointers to help you get started (or better) with remote interviews.

Plan the Remote Interview Process Through

Determine how many individuals will be engaged in the decision-making process based on the nature of the work and the duties involved. Some jobs may just require one encounter, while others may necessitate a lengthier, more team-oriented hiring process.

Define your recruiting manager’s job ahead of time. Who will be in charge of the interview? For a certain job description, how many rounds of communication would you like? Will you make all of your decisions on it, or would you like to make them in rounds?

Communicate Well

Don’t resist the impulse to say everything that’s on your mind. Ask all of the questions that you believe are important, even if they appear little.

It’s typical for a few things to get lost in translation via a video conference/phone conversation, as opposed to an interview performed in a real environment. The easiest approach to deal with this is to just chat. Conversations about leave rules, establishing working hours, and other topics might help you get started.

Include a few remote interview suggestions (such as recommending a quiet location with a solid internet connection) to show that virtual interviews are just as authentic as physical ones. It can assist the candidate in better preparing for the interview and in looking forward to it.

Ask In-Depth Questions

The most critical component of doing a remote interview. Even if it’s a good idea to talk a lot during a remote interview, be sure you’re talking about the correct topics. Given that you’ve never met this individual before and the demographic variations that come with remote recruiting, you’ll want to get a sense of their background. Change roles as a talker and a listener. Make an effort to give both positions properly.

Since a result, it’s critical to keep on topic and not be sidetracked by an unexpected subject that simply came up and looks intriguing, as this will eat into interview time that might have been spent discussing things you really intended to talk about.

Discuss Work Culture

It’s no secret that the first few days at a new job are like trekking through a strange jungle. Consider the magnification it provides during a distant work. As a hiring manager, make sure you schedule a time to explain how your firm operates.

Telling them about your company culture, beliefs, and goal for the firm, for example, is a simple approach to start this conversation. To help them understand and absorb words, share tales, examples, and references.

Challenges in Remote Interviewing

We have listed down a few Remote Interviewing Challenges below.

Technical Difficulties

When doing all-remote interviews, it’s critical to guarantee a seamless process on both the candidate’s and your sides. Doing a little more pre-planning than you would for an in-person interview is the best way to avoid technological issues.

Determine if the interview will be a video or a phone call before sending out your first calendar invitation. It may sound paradoxical, but not every interview requires a video call. Allowing yourself and your candidate to communicate through several channels will help you gain a more comprehensive picture of their suitability for the job.

Will you use screen sharing or give a pre-read to the candidate if you opt for a video interview? To prevent any last-minute rushing, make sure you have all of your supplies ready to go ahead of time. If you and your interviewee both feel more prepared and confident, that energy will most likely put your interviewee at ease as well.

Having Trouble Explaining Our Company Culture to Remote Candidates

True, an all-remote interview procedure does not provide the same ease in conveying your company’s culture to a prospective employee. Walking into an office may convey a lot: the building’s location, the way the space is organized, what’s supplied in the break room, and how the conference rooms and workstations are placed can all tell a lot.

You should consider communicating each stage of the employee lifecycle during the interview process to make remote candidates feel more at ease in your company: what happens before they start working for you, during their new hire onboarding, and once they’ve become a regular contributing member of your team.

Scheduling conflicts with candidates

If your schedule issues are caused by an influx of job applications, consider organizing and prioritizing your candidate pipeline first. Reduce the number of individual emails you send when you might instead bundle and send batches, and use data reports to see whether you’re attracting applicants who are a good fit for the positions you’re seeking to fill.

Finally, while doing an interview over the phone, show empathy. Many people are adapting and modifying the manner in which we normally organize our days, due to a variety of factors including children at home and health issues. It’s critical to be more adaptable and deal with schedule conflicts as they emerge (within reason).

Remote Interview Process Can Be a Growth Opportunity

Rather than just adapting an existing procedure to match a virtual setting, recruiters should use this chance to innovate and develop something completely new. When things go tough, it’s more vital than ever to adapt and develop, as well as find new ways to approach existing systems and expectations. We can generate new chances for our employees and applicants by working together.

Read our article on Interview Question Every Recruiter should ask for more Interview Tips.

Originally published at https://recruitmentpk.com on August 18, 2021.