Kathleen Driscoll, BridgeTower Media Newswires
“I’ve interviewed hundreds of people for jobs in my career and have prided myself on making good hires. I must say that the prospect of interviewing candidates on Zoom upsets me. I’ve always depended a lot on handshakes and body language during in-person interviews. Without that, I feel like I’m going to hire the wrong person. Please advise.”
Interviewing job candidates on video can feel like a big change — especially if you’ve relied completely on face-to-face conversations. But in the age of coronavirus when we’re all tethered to home offices, interviewing candidates on video has become non-negotiable.
“First, understand a lot of people feel the same way,” says Scott Love, president of The Attorney Search Group, part of the Sanford Rose Associates, a network of independently owned executive search firms. “Everyone is feeling a deficit of resources. And the playing field overnight has been leveled all over the world, everywhere.”
During this crisis, Love says he’s seen organizations go in two different directions — either shut their interviewing down completely because interviews can’t be done face-to-face or go all in on video interviewing, even when they haven’t done much of it before.
“Those organizations which can adapt and lead their employees and manage their approaches and how they conduct business, those are the ones that are going to fare well,” he says.
But there are some challenges to think about, says Paul Bailo, a digital executive and author of a book, “The Essential Digital Interview Handbook: Lights, Camera, Interview: Tips for Skype, Google Hangout, Go to Meeting and More.”
“If you’re not educated, the idea of communicating over a digital channel is much more difficult,” Bailo says. “A face-to-face interview is more three dimensional — you hear them, see them and feel them.
“The difference is that the video interview is two dimensional — you can just see and hear them. But you can get pretty close to a face-to-face if you do the right things.”
To get more comfortable with the technology aspect, Bailo suggests getting ready to interview at least 30 minutes ahead of time. And pay attention to your microphone, your lighting and your backdrop, he says.
Ideally, you wouldn’t use a headset — you would select a really high quality microphone and make sure that you have more than just backlighting, but lighting on the front, side and back as well.
“You have to be thinking as though you are a Hollywood star,” he says.
Some people might want to buy seamless paper background to use behind them during their interviews.
“If there’s traffic in the background, no one will pay attention,” he says.
Recruiter Scott Rivers, managing director of Cerca Talent, a recruiting agency for diagnostic and life sciences, agrees on the lighting.
“Since most people don’t have professional lighting in their house, most of the time if you are facing an outside window, you will cast enough light on your face that you can be seen clearly,” he says. “If there is direct sunlight, close the shades so that you are not blinded. Do not put the window to your back because you will probably show up very dark on the screen of the other person. And let everyone in the house know you are conducting a video interview.”
The major visual focus during the interview should be on what Bailo calls the “triangle of love,” which is the top of your head to your right shoulder to your left shoulder. That’s where the focus of the digital job interview will be — your face and your facial expressions.
To enhance your presence on video, Bailo suggests something called a “10-degree head nod,” where you are looking forward and bowing your head slightly. You’re not waving to the person but looking at them.
“Your eyes are always looking at the camera,” he says. “You should never lose sight of that person’s eyes.”
Other suggestions include recording yourself and rehearsing with someone on your team. The way you think you sound is not the way you actually sound over a digital channel.
“Listen to how you sound over the digital channel,” Bailo advises.
And take the opportunity to establish a human connection with the interviewee as much as possible, he adds, “Understand the time zone and be aware of what’s happening in that person’s state. Those few minutes can make it more human and it shows concern for the other person.”
Along those lines, remember that listening is the greatest skill you can employ — and something you already have if you’ve done so many in-person interviews.
“At the end of the day, recruiters and hiring managers have to be great listeners and ask follow-up questions that prove to the candidate that they understand them. When trying to woo candidates, there is no greater quality than empathy,” says Tom McGee, vice president and general manager of the sales and marketing division of executive search firm Lucas Group. “It is the most valuable currency you have at your disposal.”
While you might feel worried, video interviews can help you connect and build relationships with candidates.
“It’s really about showing them how you present yourself,” he says. “It gives you the opportunity to communicate through body language, energy level and professionalism — everything from grooming to how you dress becomes apparent through a video interview.”
There is also the opportunity, which hiring managers and recruiters sometimes forget, to express enthusiasm and excitement for the particular opportunity you’re talking about.
“Seeing our body language and energy could positively impact how seriously a candidate may consider an opportunity, which is significant considering how often top candidates are contacted by recruiters,” McGee says.
You can also help that by asking them other conversational questions to see how the candidates interact with you in a more relaxed way, says Jessica Sweet, a career coach in Boston.
“Ask them questions about themselves, not to trip them up, but to get to know them as people,” Sweet says. “If they can feel relaxed and engaged, it can become more apparent whether their handshake and persona would be comfortable or uncomfortable with the team.
“The more ‘real’ the other person seems on the other end of the video call, the more comfortable the hire will feel, even if it’s done virtually.”
To take some of the pressure off, remember that you can always have another video conversation, says Sandie Troup, a career coach, author and executive recruiter.
“If there are any doubts, a second webcam interview cannot hurt,” she says. “It’s easy and very low cost and it may be worth another interview to dig deeper into some of the concerns that were addressed in an interview debrief.”
As time goes on, your skills will improve with practice. You may even come to appreciate the fact that you can have personal contact with candidates and do so efficiently.
“You might be able to harness this adversity to your advantage,” Love says.
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Contact Kathleen Driscoll with questions or comments by email at kadriscoll20@gmail.com.
