Running a remote team instead of an in-house team allows you to hire from a global talent pool. 

But as you would have observed, working remotely eliminates the face-to-face interview experience and removes all the physical cues you’ve relied on to decide whether to hire a candidate.

But you don’t need to worry because virtual interviews can be as powerful as face-to-face interviews.

We scraped the internet for virtual interview advice from HR experts and came up with the top 10 we believe will solve any problem you face with remote interviews.

This blog covers 10 tips for virtual interviews that hiring managers swear by. 

These tips will help eliminate the barriers of virtual interviews and choose the perfect candidates for your team. 

Let’s begin.

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Tip 1: Prepare relevant questions

Prepare a script for the meeting.

Brendan Sullivan, a recruiter at Indeed, believes that the interviewee isn’t the only one who should prepare for the interview.

Before conducting virtual interviews, Sullivan recommends gathering as much information about the job candidates as possible. This will help you prepare relevant questions in advance.

These questions should cover topics related to your company and the job role, as well as broader questions. This will allow your candidates to show their personality and critical thinking skills, even under pressure.

This way, you’re not only testing what the applicant will contribute to your organisation. You also get a feel of their cultural, mental, and cognitive skills. 

Another best practice for virtual interviews is preparing questions around your candidate’s previous job experiences. 

What was their proudest professional moment? 

What are their short and long-term goals?  

Why do they want to leave their current role?

To make the most of your visual interview, jot down all such questions in advance. This way you won’t waste precious time trying to come up with questions on the spot during the interview.

See how this interviewer moves from one question to the next. It’s worth six minutes and 53 seconds of your time.

Did you see how the interview cuts across Glady’s personality and professional skills? The interviewer was obviously prepared for the call.

Tip 2: Examine the candidate’s profile

Your candidate’s online profile tells a story of their work experience and what they’ve worked on before.

But how can you get to know them before interviewing them? 

Here’s a valuable tip for you as a hiring manager during virtual interviews. Take a close at their profiles in advance.

Prince Kapoor, Founder and Marketing Director of ViralChilly, shares his experience. He was considering hiring a candidate for a coding job based on a credible referral. 

But he became doubtful when he came across the candidate’s profile picture on professional networking. 

“Flaunting your moustache on [professional] platforms such as LinkedIn or Upwork seems inappropriate. Do you think a profile picture like this makes sense?” he says.

A fun selfie works fine for a personal profile. But, when it comes to a business profile, your potential candidates should keep things professional.

Ensure to examine your candidates’ professional networking profiles ahead of your virtual interview. This helps you see whether their ethics align with yours.

Why is this important?

What the person does or allows on professional platforms may be what he’d do or allow when you hire them.

A perfect place to go to is LinkedIn.

Don’t just look at their profiles. Go to their activity section and see what they post or engage in.

Tip 3: Take control of the interview process

Una Karanovic, Director of People and Operations at Hudson PRO, suggests hiring managers must take control of the interview process. 

Una says you should have a holistic view of the remote job role you’re hiring for and understand its purpose. 

Implementing this virtual interview practice will make the hiring process easier. 

“Instead of only checking boxes for skills, you should focus on finding candidates who align with your company’s unique value proposition. Remember, hiring is a two-way street. Don’t be afraid to take control of the interview process,” Una adds. 

An easy way is to focus on your company’s core values while searching for your new hire. 

Ensure that your job description perfectly summarises what you’re looking for in an ideal candidate. 

This way, you will shortlist the right candidates for the interview. 

Understanding what you want from your candidates will reduce your time on each interview.

Tip 4: Make your job description stand out

If you’re looking for the crème de la crème, you must put out an offer that attracts the best.

Kate Reilly, Writer, Content Strategist, and Marketer, shares some crucial points.

“Here’s the bad news: 99% of job descriptions are painfully long and boring. But here’s the good news: 99% of job descriptions are painfully long and boring,” Kate says. 

Kate adds this is an advantage for you. “Since so few companies invest time or effort in writing compelling job descriptions, you have an enormous opportunity to stand out,” Kate suggests.

“Job postings can be more than a list of requirements — they can strengthen your employer brand and inspire the right candidates to take action.”

Kate recommends keeping your job descriptions short and to the point.

Make your job description all about the candidates. It should mention what the job offers and what is expected from the candidates.

Use engaging words as if you’re speaking to a real person. This makes your job description highly readable.

Tip 5: Select a good virtual meeting platform

The most technical part of a virtual interview is the meeting platform. 

You don’t want candidates downloading multiple apps to appear for your virtual interview.

You might even lose good candidates due to a complex virtual interview process. 

So, find a simple virtual meeting platform that works for all parties, such as Telebu Join.

Here’s why you should use Telebu Join for your next online interview: 

• It’s easy to setup
• Doesn’t require any app download by your candidate
• You can record the call for future reference
• The app is aesthetically pleasing and appealing

So sign up for Join and get set for your next interview. 

Tip 6: Try icebreaker questions

Juste Semetaite, marketing lead at Toggl Hire, shares an important best practice for remote interviews. 

Semetaite suggests asking icebreaker questions to make your candidates more comfortable. Because physical meetings can get uncomfortable, but sitting in awkward virtual silence is even worse. 

Semetaite proposes that you set an easy tone for your virtual interview by asking icebreaker questions.

Remember to maintain professionalism so your candidates don’t get uncomfortable.

Semetaite proposes asking these questions:

●     What’s your favourite place in the world and why?

●     What’s your favourite emoji?

●     What are your favourite pizza toppings?

●     What do your family and friends think you do all day?

●     What’s one sentence you’d like to hear from your boss?

Tip 7: Assess their ability to work remotely

Jo Alilovic, an employment lawyer, urges hiring managers to understand the candidate’s capability to work remotely during the virtual interview. 

Jo recommends assessing the available technology to enable a new remote employee to work productively and stay connected with the broader team. 

“This might include cloud-based systems, email, video conferencing and messaging tools. Ensure you have these and that everyone knows how to use them.”

The work dynamics change when you build a remote team. The way your team communicates changes. How you supervise your team changes. 

In the interview, ask the candidate how familiar they are with the team communication software your team uses. If they are not familiar with the team communication tool that you use, you can get them started ahead of joining your team.

To make this easy for you and your potential new hire, you’d need an instant team chat app that’s super easy to use, such as Talk Magnet. 

Why should you move your team to Talk Magnet? Unlike other team communication software, Talk Magnet is so easy to use that your new hire gets work done from day one. Instead of wasting hours trying to figure out how the platform works.

Tip 8: Don’t talk down on your current or previous staff

Recruiting organisation Insight Recruits warns against speaking badly about your current or former staff. This can portray your company badly before potential candidates during remote interviews.

Yes, you’re looking for a new employee who fits in with your company. But you’re also selling your company to prospective employees.

So don’t make inappropriate jokes or comments about your current or previous staff. This is unprofessional behaviour and might send the wrong signals to the candidate.

Speaking negatively may send the wrong impression to your candidates. And you may lose a prospective hire.

Tip 9: Use a schedule

David Seidman, former interviewer & hiring manager for Microsoft and Google, recommends hiring managers setting time limits for remote interviews.

“New interviewers often run long. Explicitly allocate time to every segment of the interview and each question. When you hit time on any section, move to the next one within a few minutes,” David says. 

“Don’t hesitate to tell the candidate about the schedule – it will help them stay on track,” David adds. 

It’s easy to lose track of time during a virtual interview. The candidate might be passionate about their job experiences and talk for too long.

Or, you, the interviewer, might come up with new questions as the interview progresses.

Allocate a specific time for each candidate and stick with it. 

Before the interview begins, you can state the time duration of the virtual interview.

Tip 10: Let the candidates ask questions

Stephan Szugat, a practical coach for business owners, managers & executives, reminds us of the importance of letting candidates speak their minds. 

Stephan says that this is one remote interview practice that you should never skip.

In the Zoom interview we shared, see how the interviewer asked Gladys if she had any questions at the end of this interview.

Skip to 6:14.

“Let the candidate ask as many questions as possible. If questions arise you may not like to answer, you could refer to another interview round,” Stephan says.

So if your candidates ask questions regarding the role or the company during the virtual interview, don’t hesitate to answer as best as you can.

Questions from the interviewees are also a great way to assess their cognitive and problem-solving skills.

Run a remote team?

• These memes are sure to make your team laugh
• Your team members will ❤ these WFH office setup ideas
• 21 games you can play with your team

Build a strong team with Talk Magnet

So there you have it! 

These 10 expert tips will make your virtual interviews with candidates a breeze. 

Choose the best team chat apps for your enterprise to make communication with your remote team more efficient.  If you’re hearing about Talk Magnet, you can learn more on the Talk Magnet website.

Sign up now for a free trial of Talk Magnet, or contact us for a free demo.