We are going through a pandemic situation that will not vanish suddenly and shall stay for an extended time, such as the remote interview. Giving a face-to-face interview, walking into the interview room, and facing the interviewer had a different impact than giving the remote interview. The challenges need to be faced both by the employers and the candidates equally. So, employers need to plan with a lot of care while interviewing remotely to select the best candidates for their organization.
- Focus on emotional intelligence: While hiring a candidate, we primarily focus on skills and general intelligence level, but now we need to focus more on emotional intelligence. As the situation around us is having a lot of adverse effects on our mental health, we need to know how the candidate will cope with the adverse conditions. So, they must be asked questions based on some challenging situations and how they will deal with them.
- Take advantage of the screen: The interviewer and the candidate are not sitting face to face, but there is a screen between them. It gives the candidate a kind of psychological safety, which might help them open up more. So, please take advantage of this situation and ask questions that will help the candidate open up more and allow you to know him in a much better way.
- Challenges of a pandemic: Ask real-life questions about the pandemic situation. Watch closely the expression and answers of the candidate to know about their reaction that will help you study them better.
- Check for distractions: During the interview, there can be some distractions like a doorbell ringing, dog barking, a child crying, etc., check for the candidate’s reaction. How gracefully the candidate is handling the situation can give you an idea about how the candidate will deal with your customers or clients.
- Managing back-to-back interviews: In the case of remote interviews, you may need to take back-to-back interviews, so keep a notebook with you and take note of each candidate immediately while taking the interview. Take a break between interviews, walk a little, and relax in between the interviews.
- Provide a sense of importance: Many employers send a detailed schedule link to their bio-data to all the candidates before the interview. This information gives the candidates a sense of importance, and they feel boosted up to sit for the interview.
- Don’t forget that you are also being interviewed: The candidates are also watching you from the other part, how are you dressed up, your postures, your attitude which gives an impression about the work culture of your company. Now, candidates are looking to boost up their salaries, but they are also seeking a healthy work environment.
So, keep in mind these important points while taking a remote interview.