The Do’s And Don’ts Of Virtual Job Interviews

Disagreements are inevitable, so knowing how to navigate and defuse misunderstandings before they get out of hand is an incredibly important skill—especially when you’re part of a remote team. I’ve been contributing to PCMag since 2011, at times as an analyst and columnist, and currently as deputy managing editor for the software team.

• Prospective employees get an idea about the workplace culture and develop a tighter relationship with the hiring manager.
• And, if it doesn’t, make the necessary changes or adjustments.
• Consequently, the body language of a candidate can reveal whether they are confident, goal-oriented, and focused – or indeed, whether the candidate might actually be bored, insecure, or nervous.
• Video platforms including Skype, Meet , and Zoom are excellent choices to conduct a remote interview.
• Consider that what to wear to a remote interview depends on the industry.
• If you’re working with a smaller laptop and don’t have a laptop stand, you can always sit your laptop on top of some books during your interview to get your webcam slightly above eye level.

Take a few minutes in the time leading up to your interview to prepare. If you’re looking for a remote, hybrid, or flexible job, Remote can help. Check out our Choose Remote Toolkit now for a list of remote job boards, companies hiring remotely, and tips to advocate for yourself to stay remote in your current job. Your interviewer might ask you to use other things, like whiteboarding tools for assignments or sharing a presentation you’ve prepared for the role. Read the interview instructions carefully and ask questions if needed so you can practice and be ready for whatever is required technically.

Want a remote job? 18 Interview Questions You Need to Answer.

Almost 80 percent of recruiters have turned to online interviews, and there have been many ways to conduct them. Not only can in-person interviews make people nervous, but cause anxiety. The candidate might succumb to stuttering or lose their train of thought in portions of the interview. Investing in a good microphone and reliable video chat software can also make a good impression by showing off the advanced equipment. However, this doesn’t mean an online interview is an inferior approach. On the contrary, there are many benefits to consider when conducting this kind of interview.

I have found that lately, recruiters have not directly provided me with the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile, so I google “Name” + “Company” to find that beforehand. If you’re more digital, https://remotemode.net/ having the questions in a Google doc are completely fine, as long as you read them naturally. If you aren’t motivated and inspired by what you do, it will be human nature to slack off.

You can also ask specific questions about the role, the company culture, and anything else that matters a lot to you.

Most people who aren’t used to this style of interview aren’t very good at it. Some companies use video chats to help new co-workers connect socially during the onboarding process. Send a thank-you note as soon as possible after the job interview, express your gratitude and emphasize your skills. It’s a good practice to let the candidate know whether they got the job or not when you’ve finished making your decision. That way, they can move on to the next opportunity if it isn’t the right fit. While there are many advantages to conducting a remote interview, there can also be significant disadvantages. “The employer wants to know whether you can recover if things break down,” Leech says.

• Asking candidates about previous behaviours can show you how they might react in similar, future situations on a remote team.
• Do you help facilitate a successful interview through attention to the allotted time and by bringing prepared questions?
• Making eye contact, even if through a laptop, helps foster a sense of genuine connection and attentiveness; it can make all the difference when trying to hit it off with your interviewer.
• Share the names, titles and LinkedIn profiles of everyone from your company who will meet the candidate.
• We make sure shortlisted people get more face time with other team members, especially the co-founders.
• On the other hand, they were companies that saw all the benefits of dispersed teams and decided to go for it – yet this wasn’t as common as nowadays.

If you’ve never taken part in a remote interview, it’s important to familiarize yourself with this type of interview. Here, we explore a few important remote interview tips you can use during your next digital interviewing experience that will help you ace the call and land your next dream job. Make your candidate screening more impactful with these top 30 behavioral interview questions from 1,300+ hiring managers. Keep everyone on the same page by outlining your virtual interview process from start to finish.

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When looking for a lot of talent, you need to think differently. Volume recruitment presents a fantastic opportunity for organizations to connect with many qualified candidates without requiring lengthy screening processes. Even with employers trying to grasp a new concept to appeal to the next generation, a remote interview carries its fair share of technical issues and headaches. Like any other interview, you should put in the time to lay out formal dress codes, practice recruitment questions, and double-check the equipment for technical issues. The hiring team should find opportunities to express the company’s culture and values to create successful candidates. The lead hiring manager should get together with the recruiting team and plan out the day of the interview.

Yasmine advises this for any candidate to help deal with the mental stresses of the interview experience. Gaby Suarez, a senior technical recruiter at Remote, recommends candidates look for everything they can find about the company, both on its website and on external sources. Remember, there’s still a chance you could run into a problem during the interview.

Assess cultural fit

It’s natural to look at the interviewer’s face when you have a remote interview, but watching on the other side of the screen will look as if you are looking down. If the recruiter who sets up your video interview does not provide a backup phone number, you can request one for the call. Make sure you’re connected to the 5G version for your video interview call. All you have to do is go to your WiFi settings and verify which network you are connecting to. If you’re in an industry that expects professional and formal dress, keep in mind that you’ll only be seen from above your waist. If it’ll help you mentally feel ready, dress up from head to toe. And to take it a step further, consider meeting with a FlexJobs career coach.

To make things even easier, our Loops feature flags conflicts immediately, so you can solve them while booking instead of sending a string of individual messages after the fact. If you’re having trouble finding someone to practice with, take advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to within a while. If you’re not used to video chats, this is a great way to get a taste of the richer connection that comes with seeing each other’s emotions on camera in real-time.

Tech issues are also bound to happen during the hiring process. That’s why it’s good practice to test your equipment before the interview starts.

At some point during the interview process, the employer may also ask you for your location—even if your job is entirely remote. This is because some jobs are location-specific due to legal or tax requirements, among other reasons.

It’s also a good idea to close out of any other programs that might be slowing down your computer or hogging data before your interview starts. You don’t want to find out that Zoom doesn’t pick up your microphone during the interview. Speaking of showing up early, you don’t want any surprises when interview time comes. Some of the conferencing programs will require you to download some software, which takes time.

Because you’re unlikely to have ring lights or other expensive lighting equipment on hand, face a window to make use of ample natural light. Place a table lamp about a foot or so in front of you and begin the video connection without a window. Sites like Speedtest are useful for monitoring your bandwidth if you’re wondering about your internet speed. It is reasonable to remove any other apps decelerating your computer or eating up data before your interview.

When you’re a remote worker, you’ll have to organize and coordinate projects differently than you would in person, so bear that in mind when you reply to this. This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with tech, which is so important for a remote worker because what does remote interview mean you simply have to use tech to work remotely. And it also shows some of your personality and outside interests, which is one way a company can gauge how you’ll fit into a team. You don’t want to email a video link or phone number to the candidate at the last minute.