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As employers begin asking employees to work from home to stop the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, virtual interactions are taking the place of in-person job interviews.
Every day, more and more companies are starting remote work for at least some of their staff, while several of the nation’s top companies — Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft — required employees to work from home in early March, as employees in Seattle offices began giving positive samples for COVID-19.
Amazon has canceled most in-person interviews and created virtual interview portals so candidates can connect with recruiters, fill out required paperwork and participate in interviews through Amazon Chime, the company’s video conferencing software.
Google informs its candidates that interviews will take place on Google Hangouts or using the BlueJeans video conferencing service. LinkedIn told interested job seekers they have the option to conduct their interviews virtually through BlueJeans or reschedule until an in-person meeting is possible.
“In settings where telecommuting is feasible, job seekers should be prepared to be interviewed via Skype or Zoom instead of in person and should also expect delays in the interview schedule, especially if seeking roles at companies with large numbers of employees based in regions that are affected by the coronavirus,” said Irina Novoselsky, CEO of CareerBuilder.
Kathy Albarado, CEO of Reston, Va.-based HR outsourcing and talent acquisition consultancy Helios HR, said she has asked her staff of 40 to work remotely pending further notice because there is reason to believes that the safety of its employees is at risk.
She said, “All of our internal interviews are moving forward” using Microsoft Teams, a communication and collaboration platform that combines chat, video meetings, file storage and application integration.
“As part of our interview process for HR and recruiting consultants, we start with an initial phone screen, then move on to in-person interviews and pitching candidates,” she said. “We’ve moved these interviews and presentations to video, and we encourage our customers to do the same.”
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Microsoft is offering a free six-month trial of the premium version of Teams.
Albarado said virtual interviewing “is different,” but it’s not a hindrance or detracts from the interviewing experience.
Irene DeNigris, chief people officer at recruiting software company iCIMS, said: “You don’t lose the human connection with video. You can still gauge facial expressions and engagement levels when speaking virtually with candidates. We’ve found that there are many meaningful ways to communicate with people besides face-to-face. You don’t have to shake someone’s hand to hire them.”
[SHRM members-only toolkit:
Interviewing Candidates for Employment]
A ray of hope
Many of the companies Helios worked with were not fully prepared for remote work. “One good thing that will come out of this situation is that it will encourage employers to use their telecommuting technology or invest in it in the first place,” Albarado said. “We’re hoping that people will feel more comfortable with these practices, and it will expand the opportunity for flexibility in the workplace — which is one of the biggest things we’re seeing candidates excited about.”
iCIMS director of talent acquisition Amy Warner agreed, noting that “remote working is not a passing phase and virtual recruitment solutions are critical to the future of work. Current events give us the opportunity to build best practices and stress test remote capabilities and the way we connect with candidates. There’s a strong sense of appreciation from applicants when you show concern for their health, schedule or family situation.”
Tips for a virtual interview
Video interviews don’t have to be scary, said Imo Udom, chief strategy officer at OutMatch, a talent recruiting platform in Dallas.
Here are some best practices for conducting interviews via video conferencing:
Be prepared. Treat video interviews with the same seriousness as in-person interviews. Familiarize yourself with the job description, the candidate’s resume, and specific questions to ask. Choose a quiet, well-lit interview room. Make sure all parties have the correct interview time on their calendar, properly adjusting for different time zones. Share with applicants how to access the video conferencing technology and whether they need to download any software.
Set expectations. Notify candidates in advance that interviews will be held virtually. “Just sending a link to a video interview to a candidate can be embarrassing,” Udom said. “Give them context as to why you’re using video interviewing and very specifically give guidance on the experience and what’s expected of the interview.”
Check your technique. Double check the technology you will be using and ask the candidate to do the same. Test the camera and microphone before the interview.
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