The popularity of video interviews has increased significantly, with talent acquisition leaders and hiring managers across industries using them now more than ever. Virtual technology allows TA teams to evaluate candidates anywhere in the world – especially beneficial in the ever-growing remote work landscape.
Video interviewing brings big benefits to your TA team. It provides flexibility, cost and time savings, and helps you continue to engage great talent no matter what impacts your business in the future.
This compilation of video interviewing tips and resources will help inform your approach – whether you’re just starting or refining an existing process. Making sure that your TA team, hiring managers, and candidates are prepared for video interviewing will deliver positive outcomes for your business and boost your brand.
Planning for video interviewing
A successful video interviewing approach relies on communication. Make sure both hiring managers and candidates have the information needed for a positive experience. Send an email to both parties – at least 24 hours before the interview – with the following information:
- Why it’ll be a video interview
- Tips on how to conduct a virtual interview
- Easy-to-follow instructions for your video platform, including screenshots showing the basic steps in the process
- Clear instructions for what to set up or test before the interview
- Links to any resources to troubleshoot tech issues
Provide hiring managers with existing interview guides and behavioral-based questions to help them make hiring decisions. Virtual-ready organizations and TA teams will outperform those that are slow to adapt this approach as the way we work continues to evolve.
As you plan your video interviewing approach, consider different platforms and which features or capabilities are most important. There are a variety of dedicated technology solutions for video interviewing – including Microsoft Teams, Skype, Google Hangouts and Zoom. These easily accessible platforms may be easier to navigate for both hiring managers and candidates.
If your organization is ready to consider a dedicated solution, choose one that’ll best match your needs and support great experiences for everyone involved. Try multiple options first – many can integrate with your ATS to help you get the most out of the platform. The best solutions remove as many potential barriers as possible and are mobile-friendly, ensuring candidates won’t be eliminated based on the tech they might or might not own.
Focus on: Candidate experience
When implementing a new solution or approach, it’s easy to just focus on making it happen. But candidate experience needs to be considered for every aspect of video interviewing. Every job – and every candidate – has its own unique traits. Candidates for one role could have a vastly different comfort level with technology and virtual interviewing than candidates for another role. Clear and thorough communication with hiring managers and candidates leads to better experiences and outcomes
Virtual interview types
On-demand – Candidates complete a video interview at their own convenience in a one-way conversation with pre-defined questions. It replaces the initial phone screen conducted by a recruiter.
Live 1:1 – Interview happens in real-time between a hiring manager and candidate. A video replacement of an in-person interview.
Live panel – Enables a company to interview candidates in a live panel setting with multiple interviewers simultaneously.
Phone – Not all roles or circumstances are appropriate for video interviewing. If the candidate or hiring manager is less accustomed to video engagement or a video interview adds an extra step to the process, a phone interview may be better suited before making a hiring decision.
Spotlight on: On-demand interviewing
On-demand video interviewing speeds up the hiring process. It allows candidates to complete an interview at their own convenience and removes the challenge of scheduling an initial screen with the recruiter. For roles where your target candidate may have unique hours, such as nurses, delivery drivers or retail workers, on-demand video interviewing can provide additional flexibility. Reviewing the recordings can be done anytime by a member of your team, allowing interviews with hiring managers to be scheduled faster.
7 best practices for video interviews
Recommendations for how to participate in a virtual interview – for both hiring managers and candidates, regardless of role – include a few nuances to help facilitate a positive experience:
- Present good body language. Don’t let being at home or in a public space lure you into feeling more informal than appropriate.
- Keep your hands in your lap to make sure you don’t make any distracting gestures.
- Silence your devices to avoid any distractions like your smartphone or notifications on your computer.
- Maintain eye contact by looking at the other person’s face on your computer screen, not your own.
- Smile and engage to show your energy around the discussion.
- Manage your speaking pace and tone, ensuring appropriate volume and pauses so the other person has time to respond.
- Be yourself. It may be on video rather than in person but try to give a feel for who you are.
7 video interviewing tips for hiring managers
Hiring managers need to give video interviews the same serious consideration as in-person interviews, which means preparing properly. Support them by sharing the following important tips to help them get ready for successful video interviews:
- Know and understand the job description thoroughly – and the non-negotiable skills and traits for the job.
- Assess the current team culture and dynamics to envision how the next addition could fill a gap, add diversity or enhance the team.
- Find a quiet, well-lit space to conduct the interview.
- Double-check interview time(s), considering time zone differences.
- Dress to mirror your company’s standard dress code.
- Print and have any interview guides or competency frameworks ready.
- Double-check that the recruiter has provided the candidate with the information necessary for a successful interview:
- Confirm that the candidate knows the interview will be virtual.
- Provide the candidate with clear instructions for accessing and using the video technology.
- Communicate to the candidate why the interview is virtual and give a heads up about what they can expect from the interview experience.
The approach and expectations of a virtual interview are different from a typical in-person interview. At the start of the interview, they should acknowledge that the video format may feel different or a bit awkward. The candidate needs to be assured that they shouldn’t worry about any tech difficulties and that the hiring manager will work with them to solve any hiccups. The hiring manager should provide comfort and confidence to the candidate that their interview is important. Focus on the substance of the answers, not on the quality of the candidates’ video interview setup.
Throughout the interview, hiring managers should keep in mind that it can be more difficult to judge how the candidate reacts to something said on video compared to in person. They should be alert and responsive to what the candidate says and avoid talking too much when explaining something, incorporating pauses every few sentences to gauge the candidate’s response. Artificial breaks in the conversation, which can feel uncomfortable in person, can help make sure candidates have a chance to respond to what the hiring manager says.
10 video interview tips for candidates
Preparation is important for candidates going into an interview. For video interviews, this preparation is the same as in person, with a few tweaks. Below are tips you can send to candidates preparing for a video interview:
- Know and understand the job description thoroughly.
- Make sure you have instructions from the recruiter for how to access and use the video technology.
- Choose a quiet, well-lit room to be interviewed. Tell everybody in your living space when your interview is to avoid potential interruptions.
- Consider your seating location within the room to ensure the background behind you won’t be distracting or too bright on camera.
- Dress the same way you would for an in-person interview.
- Be ready to set yourself apart. Video interviews are a unique opportunity to use supplemental tools like a presentation deck with info on your background, skills and plans for the role.
- Practice logging into the interview platform and testing your log-in credentials and device.
- Join the interview early to test out your equipment and internet connection.
- Demonstrate your speaking and listening skills by focusing on your pace and leaving room for the interviewer to respond to what you say.
- Follow the same recommend practice as an in-person interview and send a message afterwards, thanking the interviewer for their time.
