Talent Acquisition: Important Do’s and Don’ts For Video Interviewing in 2021

In today’s visual and digital world, video interviews are becoming predominantly popular in the HR industry and for talent acquisition teams.

There are many viable reasons as to why you should consider conducting live video interviews with your candidates.

Video interviews can significantly help talent acquisition teams:

1. Speed up the hiring process
2. Improve the candidate’s experience
3. Reduce expenses
4. Improve the quality of hire
5. Decrease candidate no-shows
6. Eliminate all scheduling headaches

And much more!

Whether you’re looking for new ways to tap into remote talent, hire candidates remotely, or speed up the initial screening process – then you’re going to need some best practices for conducting video interviews.

Today, we are going to share with you some of our favorite best practices for video interviews for talent acquisition teams and some awesome do’s and don’ts!

Do find out if the candidate is comfortable with technology

Video interviews became the standard operating process for talent acquisition teams. But are your candidates tech savvy? Have they conducted video interviews in the past? If not, it would be wise to check in with the candidates first, because they might feel more nervous than usual.

Ask candidates beforehand if they are comfortable with conducting a video interview. Jump on a quick call and give them a quick chat over the phone about the process. Walk them through the process step by step, and be clear about what to expect.

It would also be great if you can share a few helpful YouTube videos and resourceful blogs with them. Finally, reassure them that the process will be smooth and interactive, and that they have nothing to worry about.

Don’t get caught off-guard with technical difficulties

We all know that Wi-Fi can be fickle and technical difficulties are common. Let’s be real here, nothing is more stressful than praying the internet connection won’t disconnect while using video interviewing software. But, we do strongly advise talent acquisition teams to anticipate these issues in advance.

Make sure you don’t allow them to catch you off guard and ruin the smooth flow of the interview.

Instead, be quick to give your candidate a quick call when that happens. Inform them of the technical mishap and offer a step-by-step guide on how to get back into the call if necessary. Try not to show frustration over the problem. Rather, make a light joke about it and continue the interview on the same note!

Do be considerate of home invasions

With remote work in the picture, its normal to have your work life and personal life blended together. From honking cars in the background to kids marching through the door to cats jumping on your computer screen – home invasions are very common in a remote work environment.

If your candidate gets interrupted in the middle of the interview, be understanding and graceful. If the candidate needs to leave the room, take it as a quick chance to assess how the interview is going and keep note of the key discussion points to emphasize on when he or she comes back.

Don’t come unprepared

Advance planning will go a long way when it comes to video interviews. As a best practice, we suggest talent acquisition teams to prepare their interview questions in advance, maybe even prepare a warm introduction that builds a friendly connection with your candidates. Also, adjust your webcam to eye-level and prepare a professional setting for the interview. This way you can avoid unflattering lighting or any awkward shadows!

Do test out the audio and video in advance

At one point or another, we’ve all started a phone call or video interview with “Can you hear me?”. This is why we strongly suggest you test out the audio and video before the interview starts. Talent acquisition teams should give the technology a quick check and make sure that everything is working as planned.

This way, you’ll have all the time you need to troubleshoot any technical difficulties before the call. Make sure you’re connected to a strong internet connection, and that you’ve downloaded and installed everything you need beforehand.

Bottom line

The success of a live video interview lies in the preparation.  Therefore, talent acquisition teams should adopt the best practices for video interviews and ensure that everyone is comfortable enough to unleash their full potential.
We hope that these do’s and don’ts can help you be well equipped before your next big interview. Give your interview a quick test run, and gather feedback from your teammates. You might even discover best practices of your own and find out what you can improve next time!

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