Remote interview: basic guide to prepare as a recruiter

17 of October, 2022

Discover how to prepare a successful remote interview, what are the most common questions and what aspects you should pay attention to as a recruiter. Remember that there are personnel selection tools designed to help you with your recruitment processes.

What is a remote interview?

What does online interview mean? An interview in this format is a type of job interview that can be carried out through a digital tool, either via Skype, an ATS or other solutions that help putting two interested parties, the recruiter and the candidate, in contact. In other words, it is a job interview that can be done from home and not face to face.

How to prepare for a remote interview as a recruiter

If you want to carry out an online recruitment process, there are many benefits that you can obtain as an interviewer. On the one hand, you can have the interview recorded on video and review it later. On the other hand, you have greater flexibility when setting interview times. And finally, you will expand the range of options when it comes to attracting international talent.

Prior to the interview, there is work to be done, both interviewees and recruiters must prepare for the appointment. This is not just about asking potential candidates the right questions, it is about preparing for a remote interview following several steps:

1. Thoroughly analyze the vacancy: be very clear about the job position you want to cover within your organization. The interviewer must know the professional skills and competencies that are sought in the candidates for a particular vacancy.
2. Review the CVs received: review each of the candidates and establish a first filter to find the professionals who best fit the job position.
3. Analyze the digital footprint of candidates: check the digital reputation of each of the professionals you have selected, their references and their professional career in social networks.
4. Contact those selected: get in touch with potential candidates to get to know them better and set a time to interview them, clarify the means of communication that will be used in the online interview so that when the time comes this aspect is clear.
5. Define a scoring scale: in order to assess the results and the online interviews you have to establish a series of scores associated with each part of the interview, according to its relevance.
6. Trace various parts of the digital interview: define a structure, ideally divide the time into: introductions, questions, closing questions, etc. as well as a time so that the interviewee can also ask questions.
7. Create a list of questions for the interview: obtain as much information as possible about the candidate and the recruitment process to know if this person will add value to the organization and to what extent they are the best fit for the published job offer.
8. Once in the interview: look at the non-verbal communication, the clothing, the way of answering and the messages that the candidate transmits when communicating. For example, a candidate who has his arms crossed shows a little open attitude.
9. During the conversation: try to be close but professional, attentive and allow the candidate to show his added value. It allows him to expose his achievements, projects and successes freely.
10. Update the candidate’s information in the hiring software and optimize your hiring and talent search process.

Frequently asked questions about online job interviews

Job Interviews by video call may seem simple, but it is important for the recruiter to establish the interview parts, make a list of questions and have the appropriate tools to review all aspects. Here is a list of questions to get to know the interviewees, take note:

• How did you find the job offer?
• How can you contribute to the company?
• What are your most valuable professional skills and abilities?
• What do you like most about your job?
• Do you have autonomy when it comes to assuming your responsibilities?
• Why are you interested in this vacancy?
• What is your professional background?
• Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
• Are you currently working?
• What increases your work motivation?
• Why have you applied for this job opportunity?
• What is your dream job?
• When could you join the team, even if you are working remotely?
• How do you make decisions?

Online tools for job interviews

As you can see, the basic aspects of a job interview are not very different in remote interviews. However, it is key to know the tools that can help you in this task. In this sense, there are communication tools, ATS or editing tools:

• Skype
• Zoom
• Hangouts
• Facetime
• Webex
• Paltalk
• Audacity
• Youtube Editor
• Camtasia Studio
• MyInterview
• Filmijob

The new interview paradigm

Will remote interviews finally replace face-to-face interviews? Is the importance of finding teleworkers who are capable of working remotely with a certain capacity for autonomy and independence growing? Is the search for international talent more booming than ever?

There are many questions that online interviews leave open, for now it is clear that there is great progress in this field and that recruiters obtain very valuable information with the use of an HR Software, with functionalities oriented to hiring processes, recruitment and selection.