Prepare to conduct a video interview in 5 steps

It’s not only candidates who have to think about how they are going to prepare for a video interview.

Hiring managers within IT Solutions & Services Providers must also think about how they will best be able to present themselves, the business and the opportunity to the prospective candidate.

Will Martin talks to us about how to prepare to conduct a video interview the right way:

“Over the COVID-19 pandemic the video interview quickly became THE way to meet prospective candidates and employers alike.

Video interviews are certainly here to stay.

It has help to drastically reduced time-to-hire in many businesses and has become a very effective method to meet potential candidates.

Now while there are no ‘rules’ to conducting video interviews, there are a few key things that can make the interview run really well to give both the candidate and hiring managers a great experience.

There are standards which run across video and in-person interviews, including dress accordingly, prepare the questions and have a pre-determined format from which to adhere.

When it comes to the specificities of video interviews, there are some technical elements IT Solutions & Services Providers need to consider.

1. Prepare your environment

The most important technical aspect to video interviews is to prepare your environment and test your technology.

If you are conducting the interview in the office you should avoid empty office rooms as that annoying echo can be heard over the microphone and distract the candidate and others on the call.

Make sure your colleagues are aware that a video interview is taking place to avoid potential distractions.

Turn off your mobile phone in the interview so you can focus on the candidate.

Place your webcam at arms length from where you will be sat and make sure your eyeline is level to the camera at all times.

Trial the virtual meeting room with a colleague to ensure the sound and video levels and quality are correct.

Finally think about your lighting. Make sure you are adequately lit and that your lighting setup is not creating strange shadows, glares or other affects on the camera.

2. Have a backup plan

Also if not equally as important as primary preparation is to have a back up plan in case of something going wrong.

Make sure you have the phone number of the candidate to hand.

If the video interview platform you are using becomes unavailable you will still be able to conduct the interview over the phone.

3. Control your tone and talking pace

There of course obvious differences in the communication possible in a video interview compared to a face-to-face.

Use your tone and the pace of your voice to calm nervous candidates.

It will also help to dictate their pace, making it clearer for everyone to understand their answers and for them to show off the best version of themselves to you.

4. Get rid of potential background noise

Background noise is difficult to for any situation where you need to concentrate.

Turn off any distracting or noisy background apps on your device, as well as finding a quieter room from which to conduct the interview.

5. Stay still

Finally, remember that your camera is on!

It’s really distracting for candidates when being interviewed if the interviewer is moving around or looking away from their device.

Try and stay as focussed as you can on the person in front of you.

It also helps to keep the candidate at ease.

By doing these five things you will help to get more from the candidate’s interview, retain higher quality candidates and put your business across to prospective new employees as a place which cares about their time and effort.”