Chances are fairly strong that virtual hiring and onboarding would have seen a surge in 2020 no matter what, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions it imposed on countless aspects of business operations kicked this trend into overdrive. Hiring managers, interviewers, company leaders and prospective employees themselves all had to learn a great deal of new things on the fly as a result. CNBC noted that 84% of recruiters adapted their processes to include virtual recruiting and hiring in response to the new coronavirus crisis, while 58% were also using LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networks for this purpose.
While the essential conversation that comprises a job interview does not significantly change in a virtual environment, there are still a great deal of differences involved — changes that apply just as much to the interviewer as the interviewee. It will be essential for both parties to dig into this new hiring paradigm and learn the best practices for successfully navigating it from either end of the spectrum.
Test equipment in advance
While perhaps obvious, this point bears repeating: At least several hours before every video interview is conducted, both interviewers and prospective employees should make sure that they have a fully functioning webcam and mic, as well as speakers, headphones or a combined headset. Most common video conferencing programs, including Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, GoToMeeting and Microsoft Teams, allow you to check that everything is working; it's typically found somewhere in the settings. If this is your first time using a new program, it may be wise to conduct a few test calls and monitor the video and signal quality.
Setting and appearance
Although some businesses have fully or partially reopened, placing some employees back in offices (many of which have been reshaped to accommodate social-distancing best practices, according to a report by PwC), many continue to operate remotely. This means that interviewers and job applicants alike are in their homes, and as such, whichever videoconferencing solution both parties use for the conversation will quite explicitly reveal each individual's environment.
Forbes senior contributor Kathy Caprino noted that some people may use virtual backgrounds on these apps rather than show whatever is actually behind them, be it a plain wall, an office bookshelf or a nearby window. Caprino discouraged this practice — unless for some reason it becomes absolutely necessary — because it diminishes authenticity. Instead, interviewers and their subjects are best off tidying up the space around them and letting it give a more genuine impression of who they are. That said, while business attire might not be what either hiring managers or prospective employees wear to work at home usually, it's a wise choice for interviews.
Don't be afraid to "overcommunicate"
Video conferencing is inherently a stopgap measure (or perhaps "workaround" might be a more apt term). Even though it's become an effectively mundane norm for many employees at this point — a trend that may only intensify in light of COVID-19's midsummer resurgence — it can still ultimately fall short by comparison to in-person interactions. As a result, it may be necessary for applicants, new hires and HR personnel to be even more deeply engaged with the process than they would be face to face. Business.com characterizes this as "overcommunication," but cites it as a major positive.
In an interview with the news provider, HR and onboarding expert Mike Lantz said that this process was especially valuable when someone has been newly hired.
"[Overcommunication] is especially important for new hires," Lantz said to Business.com. "They have joined a team, where in most cases they have never met any of their co-workers, except through video chat. It is important for new hires to feel included and a part of something."
For prospective employees and hiring managers alike, this approach — particularly in the form of clearly understandable body language and facial expressions — can also be helpful during the interview stage. Gestures or looks that might appear overly broad in person could be just the ticket in the setting of a video interview, in which both primary participants in the conversation have to compensate for being in separate spaces (and possibly a connection of fluctuating quality).
The culture factor
Interviewers must not let the limitation of distance hinder their ability to promote the culture of their organization in an interview setting, as well as throughout the entirety of the onboarding process. For their part, applicants need to ask questions of their own specifically related to this aspect of the company with which they're seeking a position, because it may not be as clear in a virtual interview as it would be in a headquarter office. This twofold focus on culture will serve all parties well.