Remote interviews are the leading candidate screening technique these days. They were already on the rise, with a growing global workforce. COVID-19 just accelerated things.
During a remote interview the candidate and the interviewer are not present in the same room physically, of course. As a result, both parties must ensure their interview tools are in good working order. They must test video and audio quality before the interview.
For candidates, this is easy enough. But interviewers?
Can remote interviews be as effective as their traditional counterparts? Yes, as long as recruiters are ready to go back and change some obsolete practices in the traditional interviewing process.
Reviewing The Pre Covid-19 Interview Process
Tech recruiters who have just switched to remote interviewing need to review, update and streamline their existing interview process. In many companies the process of recruiting has no standard procedure. It usually consists of a series of meetings with the potential candidate.
But interviews are not meetings. This is something recruiters need to keep in mind. Each interview is an opportunity for recruiters to collect material that will help them decide if a candidate meets their requirements and deserves the job or not.
A structured or streamlined interview process is highly recommended. Not only will this standardize the interview structure, but also raise the performance level of individual recruiters. It reduces subjectivity when tech recruiters have to decide on hiring a candidate.
Recruiters should also pay special attention to the shortlisting process. Shortlisting potential tech talent for interviews is more complex than it looks. Every ‘yes’ means saying ‘no’ to promising tech talent. Here, online assessments again help reduce subjectivity and make the selection easier and more transparent.
At this stage, it’s also important for recruiters to judge if their shortlisted tech talent can perform as well onsite as he/she can in a remote work environment.
Remote interviews can help highlight things that may be missed in a face-to-face interview. It can be a tool for neutral relationship building, getting to know the tech talent better and more.
