Remote Recruitment: How to Make the Most of Video Interviews

Did you know 63% of high-growth companies have adopted a hybrid or remote work model? With the shift towards a 'productivity anywhere' mindset, many hiring teams are now expanding their talent pool globally and hiring people remotely. To do it right, companies should master digital recruitment tools and technologies like video interviews, online assessments, and advanced recruitment software, to name a few. 

In this blog post, we're diving deep into how companies can embrace remote recruitment while keeping the interviewing process as smooth as possible and providing a positive experience to candidates and recruiters. 

Decide what type of video interviews you need

The two main types of video interviews are pre-recorded and live interviews. A pre-recorded interview is one where recruiters and candidates record their video questions and answers whenever and wherever they wish. Pre-recorded interviews are great for candidate screening and are used to complement, or in some cases, replace the more traditional screening methods like cover letters and CVs.

A live interview is done through a video call. This method is an effective alternative to face-to-face interviews when in-person meetings are difficult or impossible to arrange. You can also record live interviews to refer back to afterwards.

Depending on your recruitment needs and the stage of your hiring process, you may choose to use only one or both types of video interviews. If you’re at an early stage of the hiring process and want to quickly gauge the personality and cultural fit of your candidates, consider using pre-recorded video interviews. On the other hand, if you have finished shortlisting and are ready to get to know your best candidates better, live interviews might be more up your alley. You can have several live interview rounds according to your needs or add additional recruitment steps to learn more about your candidates.

Involve your team

In recruitment, collaboration is key—it promotes a culture of transparency and trust and reduces unconscious bias.

With video interviews, you can share your candidates and their videos with your colleagues hassle-free. Your colleagues can assess the candidates based on the same information you have about them, leave comments under candidates’ videos, challenge each other’s biases, and contribute to fair recruitment. By encouraging your colleagues to collaborate, you’re getting a better view of your candidates and ensuring your new employee will be a good fit.

Prepare your questions ahead of time

Think carefully of the competencies, skills, and attitudes you’re looking for from candidates and prepare thoughtful and meaningful questions that are aligned with your main recruitment criteria. If you’re hiring remote candidates (temporarily or full-time), consider asking questions relating to remote working, such as autonomous working, self-motivation, collaboration, communication, and time management.

With pre-recorded video interviews, you can ask your candidates the same set of questions. To use this opportunity wisely, ask questions that will help you identify the most suitable candidates right away and help you with the screening.

When you're preparing for your live interview, as with in-person interviews, properly check the candidates’ applications beforehand and come up with questions around what you most want to learn about your candidates. For example, if your candidate mentioned in their application that they worked on a project similar to the one you’re running, why don’t you ask them about that?

Check your tech and your surroundings 

Whether you’re conducting live interviews or recording your questions for pre-recorded interviews, here are some basic things to keep in mind: 

• Make sure the lighting is good—natural light will give you the best results.
• Stay in a quiet room with a neutral background where no one will disturb you.
• Put away your phone like you would in a face-to-face interview so you won’t get distracted or disturbed.
• Test your camera and your microphone beforehand.
• Make sure you have a reliable internet connection to avoid any technical problems from happening during the interview. An internet connection with a bandwidth speed of at least 1 megabits per second is ideal.
• Have a backup plan. For example, ask for your candidate’s phone number or give your own, so you can continue your conversation over a phone call in case things don’t work out as intended. 

Over-communicate  

Irregular or lack of communication has always been a major complaint from candidates. We can’t stress enough the importance of candidate communication, especially when hiring remotely. When you can't meet your candidates in person and invite them for a coffee at your office, you need to put an extra effort and over-communicate to your candidates to create a positive candidate experience.

Remember to provide your candidates with all the necessary information in your video interview invitation and follow up after the interview. In case video interviews are not common in your area, it might be a good idea to explain the process to your candidates so they know what to expect. Show your candidates you value their time by proactively communicating with them—it'll greatly improve their candidate experience.

Aim to put candidates at ease 

During your video interviews, remember to show friendliness and approachability by smiling and not being overly stiff or serious. Be mindful of your body language and tone of voice when speaking with your candidate.

When you’re conducting live interviews, let your candidates know there’s no need to rush their answers. Allow pauses after your questions before the candidate responds and pause after your candidate speakers to make sure they’re done with their answer.

Convey your company’s mission and values

Perhaps now more than ever, your candidates are interested in learning about your company’s mission and values. Many candidates are curious about your policies and benefits, and many want to know how you act when faced with uncertainty.

What did your company do to help employees switch to working from home? Does your company provide mental healthcare for all employees? Have your answers to these questions ready when talking to candidates or initiate these conversations yourself, but be mindful of your language so you don't come across as braggy.

Give and ask for feedback

Giving constructive feedback is a simple way to show you care about a candidate's success and leave a positive impression of your company. But don’t forget that recruitment is a two-way process, so be sure to ask your candidates about their experience to learn what you need to improve on.

The transition to a remote recruitment process can be challenging, but we are here to help. Get yourself a 14-day trial of Recright video interviews to test out the method for yourself, and if you want to learn more about Recright, drop us a line here, and we'll get back to you.