Helix Scientific eBook - Flipbook - Page 9
Remote Interviews
It’s probably time to consign the phrase ‘suited and booted’ to history. Not only will candidates be unlikely to be
wearing a suit, if you’re interviewing them remotely you’ll only be able to see them from the waist up. Common
sense should probably lead them to wearing something day appropriate but in general, there should now be much
less focus on a candidate’s appearance than there has been in the past, if any at all. If you do have any specific
requirements, don’t leave it to guesswork, let your recruiter know in advance so they can relay this to candidates.
Prepare for interviews to take a bit longer than
you’re used to. If you’re pushed for time, consider
sending over some or all of your interview questions
in advance in order to let the candidate prepare for a
smoother and more concise experience. Using your
recruiter to filter the first round of candidates could
save valuable time.
Bear in mind that both parties will struggle to read visual cues as to how the interview is going, and that it will be so
much harder for the candidate to redeem themselves if it’s going badly. Both interviewer and interviewee may be
relatively new to remote interviews. Try to give interviewees some constructive feedback as you go along, to allow
them the opportunity to improve. With more remote working, there should be less focus on personality and
cultural fit, look for resilience, a clear communication style and the ability to keep workflows running in the event
of more restrictions.
Technical issues will happen sometimes at either or both ends. Have a backup plan so that you can continue with
the interview. If you’re asking candidates to complete a live test, ask your IT support to carry out plenty of dry runs.
Ensure that the software works on every possible setup, bearing in mind that bandwidth at home will be
significantly less for some candidates.
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