Recruitment will change over the next few months, particularly the way we manage candidate interviews. Below are ideas to help navigate the process for the best outcomes. 

A more candid approach.

Video recruiting using platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts or Skype are easy to navigate and most candidates are comfortable and familiar with these platforms. 

Generally though, the interview can feel a bit more relaxed on both sides and it’s a good idea to set up expectations for the interview upfront. A lot of candidates are a bit uncertain on how to approach dress-code for a video conference feeling a bit inauthentic dressing up in business attire for a video chat at home. We suggest sending a note that sets some ground rules before the chat: 

“We understand these are unusual times so our interview tomorrow may be a bit less formal than our normal process. Feel free to dress a little more casually than you would otherwise but if you could please try to avoid background noise and interruptions so we can have a detailed chat, that would be great”. 

“Can you hear me?”

Spend a few moments at the start of the interview to combat any technical issues. Make sure everyone can hear clearly and be open with your candidate if they are on a strange angle on their laptop or you can’t see or hear clearly. 

“ The quality isn’t great, perhaps the internet is down” or “You’re actually sitting a bit too far away from the camera, would you mind sitting closer so we can have a clearer conversation”. 

If you encounter technical issues or sound delay it might be worth rescheduling. Be really open with your candidate if the set up isn’t quite right, as you need to be able to make a good assessment.

Also ensure you have the candidate’s phone number so you can switch to a phone call or arrange a back-up plan quickly.

Build in some additional criteria. 

Getting a good assessment of a candidate through a virtual process can be challenging so consider any additional steps that may be able to be built into the recruitment process to help you get a full picture of the candidate. 

Some ideas may include:

• A short video summary of who they are, demonstrating their personality and presentations skills. 
• Answer a specific response to a brief and chat through a presentation. Platforms such as Zoom allow documents to be shared and discussed easily. 
• Online personality or phycological tests may also be considered.