For a lot of companies, hiring isn’t a dedicated process, it’s a bunch of meetings with potential employees. But you’re not just meeting another person, you’re gathering evidence to decide if that person has the necessary skills, values and cultural fit to carry out a role at your company. Fernández-Aráoz says you should “go out of your way to find a mutual acquaintance” to mention in your cover letter to grab the reader’s attention. Of course, it’s good practice to keep your resume updated at any time, but is especially important when you’ve just lost your job or expect you might soon. And the classic advice on how to draft a cover letter and resume still holds true. Your interviewer might ask you to use other tools, like virtual whiteboards for an assignment or sharing a presentation you’ve prepared for the role.
I’m very much a self-starter – I needed minimal supervision to get the work done in my previous roles. This is so the interviewing process is continually moving forward – the last thing you or the candidate wants is for anything to cause the hiring process to stall. Job hunting is stressful enough without introducing unnecessary delays into the equation. Involving execs into the interviewing process, especially for more senior roles, has a positive effect on candidate experience and engagement. Now more than ever, online assessments are important to help you narrow down your candidate pool. Without being able to meet and speak to people in person, it is essential to make sure you can assess applicants for the skills and competencies they need in a remote setting.
Ask pertinent questions
Of candidates indicate that a video interview lasting over an hour feels too long. Trying to understand a company’s culture when you can’t experience it firsthand is tough for anyone, so build a picture for the candidate. Of candidates say it would be valuable to video interview with a member of the executive team.
- A clean background, like a wall behind you, and good natural light usually works best.
- Employers may send screening questions or do a phone call first, or they may move right to video chat.
- This interview is likely to be focused on the company and departmental goals – so they will ask how you can help achieve them.
- In a video interview, I acted like the remote work aspect wasn’t one of the reasons I applied.
- But it’s going to be particularly hard right now, so try to be easy on yourself during the process.
Conclusion: How to Prepare for a Remote Interview
Also, pay attention to how you’re shortlisting candidates for your interviews. But it’s going to be particularly hard right now, so try to be easy on yourself during the process. Chances are that you aren’t out of work because of anything you did and many, many people are in the same boat. The economy will come back and, until it does, remember that you’re doing the best you can. Listen, respond, engage with your interviewer, and be yourself.
How do you manage your tasks and time in order to stay productive?
Finally, thank the interviewer for their valuable time and giving you the opportunity to connect with them. It’s important to know your answers to these questions but keep them organic during the interview itself. Don’t just say what you think the interviewer wants you to say – identify your root motivators and be open with the interviewer.
To get to the interview stage, you need to get past the applicant tracking system and impress the hiring manager. The remote interview process best way to do this is to show the employer that you’re a fit by highlighting your most relevant qualifications for the job. As with every interview ever, it’s essential to show up well-prepared. But when it comes to interviews for remote roles, it’s even more important, as people who work from home need to be especially proactive, organized, and communicative.
Again, you don’t want to make yourself so self-conscious that it hinders your performance. If you’d like to join this workforce and land a work-from-home job, it’s helpful to understand the remote hiring process. While many aspects of the interview process are similar to the in-person version, there are enough subtle differences that it pays to read up on how it works before you jump in. Working remotely means that sometimes you’re going to feel a bit…remote.
So hiring managers will want some assurance that you’ve got a grasp on how to push through the inherent distractions and distance of remote work. “You have a lot of independence in how you manage your time when working remotely,” Taparia says. There’s no one sitting next to you to make sure you’re working on this or almost done with that. Even if you’re not going to be interacting face-to-face with people in an office environment, you’ll still make a better impression on employers if you dress well for the interview. You’re not going to impress a potential employer when interviewing if you can’t explain why their exact position attracted your attention and why you thought to apply for this role. If you’ve been scheduled for a video interview and don’t know what platform it’s being conducted on, ask the company ahead of time.
Fernández-Aráoz says that if you have a professional-looking space you can show in the background, it can help to humanize you, and it’s better than being right up against a wall. However, a blank wall can be less risky when it comes to interruptions or accidentally displaying a messy room. “It’s more dynamic and your vocal chords warm up faster and it’s easier to project,” he says. There are more high-quality remote opportunities available on the job market than ever before, and if you continue to apply and interview, you’ll eventually find the perfect fit for your values and skill sets. As you ask questions, you build a picture of what your daily life will look like if you get the role.