Essential Interview Questions
In today’s digital age, remote interviews have become a normal part of some hiring processes, especially with accessible tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and phone calls. Conducting interviews remotely can be efficient and convenient for both employers and candidates.
However, it requires some specific best practices to ensure a smooth and effective process.
How exactly?
Don’t worry, we’ll cover everything: setting up, conducting and concluding your remote interview! Read on for more!
1. Setting Up Virtual Interviews
a) Choosing the Right Platform
- Video Call Interviews: Platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams are both popular tools for video call interviews. They offer features like screen sharing, recording, and virtual backgrounds, all of which can contribute to making the interview process seamless.
- Phone Interviews: For positions that do not require visual interaction, or for initial screenings, phone interviews can be a good alternative. Ensure you have a reliable phone connection and a quiet environment.
b) Preparing Your Environment
- Quiet Space: Choose a quiet, well-lit room with minimal distractions. Inform household members or colleagues about the interview to avoid interruptions.
- Professional Background: Use a neutral or professional background, whatever you have available to you such as one of your office walls. If needed, use virtual backgrounds available on video platforms such as blurring your background, or using something simple and clean like a virtual office or other room background.
- Technical Check: This one is very important! Before your interview, at least two hours before, test your internet connection, camera, and microphone to ensure everything is in working condition, and all application updates have been finished. Be sure to have a backup plan in case of technical issues.
c) Scheduling and Communication
- Clear Instructions: Send candidates clear instructions on how to join the interview, including links, login details, and any necessary downloads. Remind them to make sure they have a private space to conduct the interview, and request they have a relatively stable internet connection, and to check that their cameras and microphones are working.
- Time Zones: Be mindful of time zones when scheduling interviews! Especially if candidates are in different regions.
2. Conducting the Interview
a) Beginning the Interview
- Introduction: Start with a brief introduction of yourself, your role, and a summary of the interview process. Don’t leave any room for surprises.
- Small Talk: Engage in a few minutes of small talk to make the candidate comfortable and use the transition to ease into the interview. Ask them how their week is going, and if they have any fun weekend plans, for example.
b) Effective Questioning
- Structured Questions: Prepare a list of structured questions to ensure consistency and fairness. Tailor questions that are specific to the role and the candidate’s resume.
- Behavioral Questions: Ask behavioral questions to understand how candidates handle situations and solve problems. For example, "Can you describe a time when you had to manage a difficult project?"
c) Engaging with Candidates
- Active Listening: Pay close attention to the candidate’s responses. Nod, smile, and maintain eye contact to show engagement. If you’re doing an interview over the phone, ensure you use acknowledgements like “mmhm”, or “interesting”, or “yes, makes sense” so that they know they’re being heard.
- Clarification: If a candidate’s answer is unclear, politely ask for clarification or more details.
d) Managing Technical Issues
- Stay Calm: If technical issues arise, stay calm and patient. Apologize for the inconvenience and try to resolve the issue quickly with the tools that you have available. If it is appropriate, send a request ticket to your available IT support staff and see if they can help you.
- Rescheduling: If issues persist, consider rescheduling the interview to ensure a fair and comprehensive evaluation.
3. Completing the Interview
a) Summarizing the Interview
- Recap: At the end of the interview, summarize the key points discussed and allow the candidate to ask any questions they might have for you.
- Next Steps: Inform the candidate about the next steps in the hiring process and the expected timeline for feedback.
b) Post-Interview Follow-Up
- Timely Communication: Send a thank-you email to the candidate within 24 hours, appreciating their time and effort. Thank them for their answers, and reiterate the next steps as discussed during the interview.
- Feedback: When you can, provide constructive feedback to candidates, especially if they won’t be moving forward in the process. This helps maintain a positive employer brand, and also gives the candidate the opportunity to take the information and work on it for any future applications.
- Internal Review: Discuss the candidate’s performance with your team and document your impressions and decisions.
Bonus: Common Interview Questions
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1. What attracted you to our company?
Why It’s Useful: This question helps you understand the candidate’s primary motivation for applying, and knowledge/research that they’ve done about your company. -
2. Can you tell me about a time when you faced a challenge at work and how you handled it?
Why It’s Useful: This behavioral question reveals the candidate’s problem-solving skills and resilience, as well as some insight into how they might manage conflict. -
3. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why It’s Useful: This question helps gauge the candidate’s career aspirations and long-term commitment; it can also tell you the type of growth they are looking for in terms of support and training opportunities.
Want some more ideas? Check out our article “Essential Interview Questions”, and the list of resources at the end of this guide for more!
Conducting remote interviews can be an efficient and effective way to find the right candidate for your organization. By following these best practices for setting up, conducting, and completing virtual and phone interviews, you can ensure a smoother process for both you and your candidates.
Additional resources to help you out with your next virtual interview!
The Human Resources Professionals Association offers guidelines and best practices for remote interviewing and recruitment in Canada.
KES has a wide variety of Hiring Advice articles for you to access. Here’s a few related to interviewing, and onboarding, that you might find helpful:
Chartered Professionals in Human Resources Canada features resources and webinars on remote interview strategies and best practices.
Canadian HR Reporter’s provides articles and resources on managing remote hiring processes and effective interviewing techniques.
