The world has shifted to remote work, and so have the hiring processes.
But you don’t need to worry because virtual interviews can be just as powerful as face-to-face ones.
We’ve got you covered with the ultimate guide to virtual interviews, straight from experts in remote screening, hiring and onboarding.
In this guide, you’ll find 10 expert virtual interview tips for hiring managers. You can use these tips to supercharge your hiring process starting now.
Following these tips will ultimately help you choose the perfect candidates for your team.
Let’s begin.
Also, check out our guide on how to hire international talent.
Virtual interview tip 1: Prepare relevant questions
Brendan Sullivan, a recruiter at Indeed, believes that the interviewee isn’t the only one who should prepare for the interview.
Before conducting virtual interviews, Sullivan recommends gathering as much information about the candidates as possible. This will help you prepare relevant questions in advance.
These questions should cover topics related to your company and the job role, as well as broader questions. This will allow your candidates to show their personality and critical thinking skills, even under pressure.
This way, you’re not only testing what the applicant will contribute to your organisation. You also get a feel of their cultural, mental, and cognitive skills.
Another best practice for virtual interviews is preparing questions around your candidate’s previous job experiences.
- What was their proudest professional moment?
- What are their short and long-term goals?
- Why do they want to leave their current role?
To maximise your visual interview, jot down all such questions in advance. This way, you won’t waste time coming up with questions on the spot during the interview.
Let’s move to the next virtual interview tips for hiring managers.
Virtual interview tip 2: Examine the candidate’s profile
Knowing your candidates goes a long way in the hiring process.
But how can you get to know them before interviewing them?
Here’s a valuable tip for hiring managers during virtual interviews. Take a close at their online profiles in advance.
Prince Kapoor, Founder and Marketing Director of ViralChilly, shares his experience. He was considering hiring a candidate for a coding job based on a credible referral.
However, he became doubtful when he came across the candidate’s profile picture online.
“Flaunting your moustache on [professional] platforms such as LinkedIn or Upwork seems inappropriate. Do you think a profile picture like this makes sense?” he says.
A fun selfie works fine for a personal profile. But, when it comes to a business profile, your potential candidates should keep things professional.
Ensure to examine your candidates’ professional networking profiles ahead of your virtual interview. This helps you see whether their ethics align with yours.
After all, you don’t want to hire someone who makes gender or racial slurs on the internet.
Virtual interview tip 3: Take control of the interview process
Una Karanovic, Director of People and Operations at Hudson PRO, suggests hiring managers must take control of the interview process.
Una says you should have a holistic view of the remote job role you’re hiring for and understand its purpose.
Implementing this virtual interview practice for remote jobs will make the hiring process easier.
“Instead of only checking boxes for skills, you should focus on finding candidates who align with your company’s culture and values. Remember, hiring is a two-way street. Don’t be afraid to take control of the interview process,” Una adds.
An easy way is to focus on your company’s core values while searching for your new hire.
Ensure that your job description perfectly summarises what you’re looking for in an ideal candidate.
This way, you will shortlist the right candidates for the interview.
Understanding what you want from your candidates will reduce the time you spend on each interview.
Virtual interview tip 4: Make your job description stand out
If you’re looking for the crème de la crème, you must put out an offer that attracts the best.
Kate Reilly, Writer, Content Strategist, and Marketer, shares some crucial points.
“Here’s the bad news. 99% of job descriptions are painfully long and boring. But here’s the good news. 99% of job descriptions are painfully long and boring,” Kate says.
Kate adds this is an advantage for you. “Since so few companies invest time or effort in writing compelling job descriptions, you have an enormous opportunity to stand out,” Kate suggests.
“Job postings can be more than a list of requirements — they can strengthen your employer brand and inspire the right candidates to take action.”
Kate recommends keeping your job descriptions short and to the point.
Make your job description all about the candidates. It should mention what the job offers and what is expected from the candidates.
Use engaging words as if you’re speaking to a real person. This makes your job description highly readable.
Unto to the next virtual interview tips for hiring managers.
Virtual interview tip 5: Select a good virtual meeting platform
The most technical part of a virtual interview is the meeting platform.
You don’t want candidates downloading multiple apps to appear for your virtual interview.
You might even lose good candidates due to a complex virtual interview process.
So, find a simple virtual meeting platform that works for all parties, such as TelebuJoin.
Virtual interview tip 6: Try icebreaker questions
Juste Semetaite, marketing lead at Toggl Hire, shares an important best practice for remote interviews.
Juste suggests asking icebreaker questions to make your candidates more comfortable.
Physical meetings can get uncomfortable. But sitting in awkward virtual silence is even worse.
Juste proposes that you set an easy tone for your virtual interview by asking icebreaker questions.
Remember to maintain professionalism so your candidates don’t get uncomfortable.
Juste proposes asking these questions:
● What’s your favourite place in the world and why?
● What’s your favourite emoji?
● What are your favourite pizza toppings?
● What do your family and friends think you do all day?
● What’s one sentence you’d like to hear from your boss?
Virtual interview tip 7: Assess their ability to work remotely
Jo Alilovic, an employment lawyer, urges hiring managers to understand the candidate’s capability to work remotely during the virtual interview.
He recommends assessing the available technology to enable a new remote employee to work productively and stay connected with the broader team.
“This might include cloud-based systems, email, video conferencing and messaging tools like Slack/Teams/Whatsapp/Voxer. Ensure you have these and that everyone knows how to use them.”
The work dynamics change when you build a remote team. The way your team communicates changes. How you supervise your also team changes.
To ensure smooth communication, you’d need an instant team chat app such as Talk Magnet. This will help you maintain seamless communication within your remote teams.
Talk Magnet is a secure, simple, and light instant messaging and communication solution.
Unlike Slack and Microsoft Teams, Talk Magnet is not complicated or exhausting.
Since there’s no steep learning curve, Talk Magent is a great fit for your new hire to get work started from day 1.
It also greatly works for hybrid or remote businesses that want to boost employee engagement and make work more enjoyable.
So before hiring your new staff, ensure they have a good grasp of using simple team chat apps.
Also, explain your company policies concerning communication and workflow to prospective hires during the virtual interview.
Virtual interview tip 8: Don’t talk down on your current or previous staff
Recruiting organisation Insight Recruits warns against speaking badly about your current or former staff. This can portray your company in a bad light before potential candidates during remote interviews.
Yes, you’re looking for a new employee that can fit in with your company. But you’re also selling your company to prospective employees.
So don’t make inappropriate jokes or comments about your current or previous staff. This is unprofessional behaviour and might send the wrong signals to the candidate.
Speaking negatively may send the wrong impression to your candidates. And you may lose a prospective hire.
Virtual interview tip 9: Use a schedule
David Seidman, former hiring manager for Microsoft and Google, recommends hiring managers setting time limits for remote interviews.
“New interviewers often run long. Explicitly allocate time to every segment of the interview and each question. When you hit time on any section, move to the next one within a few minutes,” David says.
“Don’t hesitate to tell the candidate about the schedule – it will help them stay on track,” David adds.
It’s easy to lose track of time during a virtual interview. The candidate might be passionate about their job experiences and talk for too long.
Or, you, the interviewer, might come up with new questions as the interview progresses.
Allocate a specific time for each candidate and stick with it.
Before the interview begins, you can state the time duration for the virtual interview.
Now, the last virtual interview tips for hiring managers.
Virtual interview tip 10: Let the interviewees ask questions
Stephan Szugat, a practical coach for business owners, managers & executives, reminds us of the importance of letting interviewees speak their minds.
Stephan says this is one remote interview practice you should never skip.
“Let the candidate ask as many questions as possible. If questions arise you may not like to answer, you could refer to another interview round,” Stephan says.
So if your candidates ask questions regarding their role or the company during the virtual interview, don’t hesitate to answer as best as you can.
Questions from the interviewees are also a great way to assess their cognitive and problem-solving skills.
Check out 5 examples of remote companies to inspire how you manage your team.
Handle your virtual interviews like a pro with Talk Magnet
So there you have it!
These 10 expert tips will make your virtual interviews with candidates a breeze.
Talk Magnet can take things up a notch for you. Use this simple yet effective tool to integrate most of these best practices for your virtual interviews. Sign up now for a free trial of Talk Magnet, or book a free demo to see how it works.
