Since the pandemic broke out, many companies around the world are turning to virtual interviews. And if you are searching for a job, there is a high chance that you might appear virtually for an interview.

After COVID-19 companies started taking virtual interviews to follow the issued guidelines of their respective governments for maintaining the social distance, and since then, virtual job interview has now become the most practiced part of the hiring process.

Not only virtual online interview, but work-from-home also became a new normal since the existence of COVID-19. A survey found that 64% of employees feel they are more comfortable and productive in working from home and feel less stressed. With things slowly shifting towards telecommuting, a majority of companies also prefer conducting virtual interviews for many reasons.

To guide you through the important aspects, we have curated the following tips for a virtual interview that can help both interviewers and employees.

Tips for candidates

1. Be Well prepared

No matter, if you are VR interviewing a candidate or answering the questions of the interviewer, preparing yourself well should be your first step. If you are getting ready as an interviewer, make sure you have a good knowledge of the particular job opening. Go through all the resumes and try to create short notes of anything you may want to ask.

For the interviewee, it is important to gather knowledge about the history of the company they are applying for. Also, it is important to understand the job title well and the role it requires.

Other than that, make sure to dress well. Take it as a normal interview and not a regular video chat. So, dressing neatly and formally is another important thing that everyone should follow.

2. Choose decent location

One of the most important things to do is choose a decent location for the virtual round in the interview. It can’t be done from a busy or loud place with numerous distractions around. A calm, simple-looking, or professional zoom background for the interview, and a silent place should be the ideal choice for good interaction. You can also ask your family members to give the entire process some space and avoid making any noise to avoid any kind of distraction.

Also, check all the connectivity and equipment like the camera, sound system, and internet speed. Try to arrange mock calls with your family members or friends to test everything a day before to avoid any interruption.

Important tip: Always check the uploading speed of the internet to ensure a smooth video conferencing experience.

These were the most common virtual interview tips that ensure a flawless session.

Tips for Interviewer

On the other side, if you are an interviewer, the following are a few specific tips that you can apply for the virtual interview preparation.

1. Send an invitation

Sending an invite to the candidate for the interview with all the relevant information looks more professional. Many organizations use an automation process to practice this before every video conferencing.

You can include information such as the applied job profile, time of the interview, login procedures, an access code, and attach informative documents like a resume and job description. Doing this can organize the pre-interview information very well and can be easy to track.

2. Strategize the whole interview

Another important move that should be taken by both interviewer and candidate is to strategize the complete interview. As the interviewee prepares to make an impact, it is also important for the interviewer to take this as an opportunity for a good first impression of the organization, and strategizing the interview can be very helpful for that.

The interviewing panel can also strategize the set of questions to be asked as per the job description of different candidates. This ensures that no area regarding the required skill set remains uncovered during the interview.

3. Be consistent

Consistency can be maintained by having an unbiased approach toward all the candidates. This can be achieved by standardizing some of the questions that interviewers can ask every candidate for a fair process.

Also, the panel must ensure that the interview displays consistency in addressing different candidates with the same skills. This not only makes the organization look professional but also helps in finding the right talent for the offered profile.

4. Share the companys culture and values

Do not miss any chance to communicate about the company’s work culture and values. Even if it is a virtual interaction, interviewing panel members should make sure they provide an in-depth understanding of the cultural values of the organization to all the potential candidates. Not only that, but it is also obvious to talk more about the company norms so that the applicants can come up with an organized mindset.

Conclusion

While video conferencing still might not be considered as a mainstream interaction, it is still one of the most common practices in many organizations. You, therefore, are required to prepare well to meet the expectations of the interviewing team to showcase your skills and virtual interview etiquette. And at the same time, interviewing panel members are required to show agility, a flexible attitude, and an organized approach while representing their company.

Frequently Asked Questions