Seven Tips for a Successful Video Interview

Video Interviews Are Here to Stay

Video interviews used to be something that helped companies stand out from the crowd, but today 86% of companies are conducting job interviews via video. In an increasingly competitive job market where candidate experience has never been more important, and job seekers have never been more discernable, it's more important than ever that you're creating a positive, well-executed, professional video interview to the individuals applying to your open positions. 

HiringThing has been fully remote since our 2012 founding. We've conducted many video interviews and learned a lot about the medium along the way. Here are seven tips for conducting successful, professional video interviews. 

Seven Tips for a Successful Video Interview

1. Make an Effort to Look Professional

We highly suggest trying not to judge candidates for their backgrounds. Not everyone lives somewhere with perfect lighting, a neutral wall, or home office—you want to extend some grace to job candidates, especially if this is their first-time doing a video interview. However, as the professional setting the tone, you want to ensure your background sends the message that you know what you're doing. Make sure the lighting allows candidates to see you, that there isn't any unnecessary mess or clutter, and that it doesn't look like this is your first time on camera. 

2. Create a Welcoming Environment

Just as you would for an in-person interview, welcome the job candidate, introduce yourself right away, and ensure they can see and hear you clearly. Remember, you're courting the job seeker just as much as they're looking for employment. 

3. Be Patient With Your Job Seekers

While more and more individuals have experience with video interviews and remote work, remember that it's still a relatively new concept for many people. Try not to to hold it against a job seekers who has a strange camera angle or has trouble getting the video technology to work. Your next star employee can very easily figure out how to right any missteps by the next interview!

4. Let Candidates Know What to Expect 

Before the interview begins, explain how your video interview is going to work. If it's going to be different than an in-person interview would be, explain that. If it's going to essentially function similarly to an in-person experience explain that as well. The one downside of video interviews is that it could be slightly harder to pick up on body language or other nonverbal cues. Don't make job candidates second guess what's coming up.

5. Introduce All Relevant Parties

If there are multiple people from your organization on the interview, let your job candidates know from the start. If a second party who was previously off-camera is introduced midway through, the candidate might feel as if you were trying to trick them, and candidate-centric recruiting means going out of your way to ensure candidates feel like the interview process is authentic and transparent. 

6. Withhold Bias

Job candidates are not only presenting themselves to you, in some cases they are letting you into their homes. For an in-person interview, we aren't able to judge candidates by what their home looks like. Be cognizant of that. Be cognizant of any inherent biases you may have. A small apartment or messy room doesn't have any correlation to how someone will perform at their job ("small" and "messy" are both subjective too). 

7. Outline Next Steps

Let your job candidates know what the steps of your entire interview process are. And even if you figure out during your interview that this candidate probably won't be moving forward, let them know an approximate time they can expect to hear back from your organization. 

Check Out the HiringThing Remote Work Hub

As stated earlier, HiringThing has been a fully remote company since 2012. Visit our HiringThing Remote Work Hub to find our Remote Work Manifesto, work-from-anywhere guides, and other great remote-working resources.

This blog was rewritten for relevancy on 12/10/21.

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