10 Tips for Conducting Successful Virtual Interviews

Posted: August 31, 2020

There have been many changes to the interview process in response to COVID-19. While many companies are still conducting initial phone interviews to filter out candidates, they are now using virtual meeting tools in place of in-person interviews.

Here are a few tips on conducting successful virtual interviews:

1. Test out the virtual meeting technology. Make sure that all the meeting technology is working correctly. There are different settings on the meeting apps that allow you to determine if you will use a headset, your laptop, or your cell phone. It is critical to make sure you can hear yourself clearly on your chosen device and be sure to turn your web camera on in advance to check the lighting and examine how you look on the camera.
2. Prepare for a virtual interview as you would for an in-person interview. Review the candidate’s resume, along with any prior interview notes to prepare questions to allow for a continuous discussion. 
3. Dress the part, start on time, and make proper introductions. Put aside the fact that you may not be in the office but uphold the same level of professionalism at all times.
4. Turn the volume off on all devices and mute notifications to give the candidate your full attention. 
5. Declutter your background to allow the candidate to easily focus on you during the virtual interview.
6. Make a connection with the candidate. Put the candidate at ease with some easy get to know you questions before diving into the nitty gritty questions on their skill set and experience. You can still make a connection with your candidate even in a virtual meeting by making eye contact and remaining engaged throughout the interview to leave a lasting impression long after the interview is over.
7. Do not just read your company’s mission and values from a script, share the reasons why and how the mission and values drive the daily decisions made in the company from the top down. 
8. Paint a detailed picture of the company culture. Candidates derive a lot of information on the office culture when they are physically present for an interview. Share how the company participates in community service events and make it personal by sharing the details like, “last April we were elbow to elbow pulling weeds and painting park benches at our annual Park Clean Up event.”  Talk about a few of the annual company hosted events they could expect to attend if they were an employee, again make it more personal by sharing some memorable moments.
9. Use a universal rating system to evaluate the candidate. All interviewers use the same evaluation template to ensure interviews are conducted equally for all candidates.
10. Advise the candidate on what they can expect next.  Give the candidate an approximate timeline on when the hiring decision will be made, let them know a virtual background check will be conducted if they are offered the position and ask them if they have any remaining questions.

For more tips on conducting virtual interviews, or on virtual hiring, feel free to contact the Info Cubic team at 888-925-0922.

Jennifer Aguilar
Human Resource Generalist
Info Cubic