Interviewing online: What hasn’t changed, what to adapt and a few benefits of interviewing virtually

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed much about how we do business, including how we conduct hiring interviews.

Gone now, and for the foreseeable future, is the practice of inviting strangers to meet with you or with an interview panel in your office or other confined space. Interviews have gone virtual.

What does that mean for leaders with a vacancy to fill? How does interviewing need to change? And what remains the same?

The good news is that the essence of good of interviewing practice has not changed. Interviewers still write and ask questions that focus on the candidates’ past performance. They create interview experiences that are fair to all candidates and maximize the quality and quantity of information gathered. Reference checks can still be conducted during telephone conversation, as they were pre-COVID.

There are even benefits derived from the transition to online interviews using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Team and Go To Meeting:

Virtual interviews save money and time—Neither the candidate nor the interviewers need to travel. This eliminates or significantly reduces the costs associated with interviews, both financial (gas or airfare, accommodation, meals) and in terms of the time required for travel. 

Virtual interviews make scheduling easier—Because no one has to travel, either across the country or just across town, it’s easier to find times that are convenient for both candidates and members of the interview panel.

Virtual interviews can be “blind”—Biases can influence hiring decisions, in both positive and negative ways. Visual clues related to biases, particularly race and gender, can be eliminated by turning off the candidate’s video, just as orchestras audition musicians sight unseen by asking them to perform from behind a screen, so that factors such as race and gender don’t enter into decision about who gets hired.

Related article: Name-blind recruitment meant to exclude biases from hiring process

Virtual interviews might end coffee shop interviews—The inappropriate practice of interviewing candidates in public settings, such as in coffee shops, is less common since the pandemic struck. This is a good thing. Asking candidates to talk about themselves in a public space, surrounded by distractions and by others who may inadvertently overhear the conversation is interview malpractice. Even when life “gets back to normal,” online interviews will be a superior alternative to interviewing in public.

Although the core elements of interviewing and hiring haven’t changed, we need to adapt how we prepare, conduct and follow up virtual interviews:

Preparing for Interviews

How to prepare yourself:

1. The criteria for finding the right place to interview hasn’t changed. The space should be quiet, free from interruptions and free from items that could distract you. For video interviews, consider what will appear behind you that might distract candidates or other panel members. You don’t want people to spend the interview wondering why you have “that thing” on your bookshelf. A blank wall works best. And please, avoid those virtual backgrounds. The halos they create and the way they cause arms and other body parts to disappear can be distracting.
2. Check the technology you will be using to ensure that the audio and video are working properly. Check the lighting. Too much or too little light may make it difficult for others to see you.
3. There are items that you should bring to traditional interviews that you will still require during virtual interviews—the candidate’s resumé, a list of the questions you plan to ask, and paper or a note-taking form (and at least two pens, just in case).

How to prepare the interview panel:

1. Encourage panel members to find a quiet, interruption- and distraction-free space from which to join the interview.
2. Because you are not going to be together, ensure that all panel members have what they need beforehand—resumés, questions, note-taking forms.
3. Encourage panel members to pre-check the technology they will be using.
4. Design an interview plan. Who is going to ask each question? What is the process for asking followup questions?

How to prepare the candidate:

1. Encourage the candidate to find a space that is quiet and interruption-free for the interview. At the same time, be tolerant of unexpected distractions on the candidate’s end. There may be an unexpected phone call. The dog may bark. The candidate’s partner may be working from home or the kids may be off school.
2. Ask the candidate to test the technology that will be used. You might even set up a brief test call if the candidate is unfamiliar with the platform you will be using. Provide your phone number in case something goes wrong during the interview. 
3. In a traditional interview, you would provide water for the candidate. For the virtual interview, suggest the candidate have water or something else to drink on hand. 
4. I suggest that prior to traditional interviews, the person managing the process meet briefly with candidates outside the interview room to prepare them for what they will experience: let them know how many people will be on the interview panel, who will be asking questions, where the candidate will be sitting.  Answer the candidate’s questions about the interview. In the context of a virtual interview, this information could be provided when the candidate first joins the call, or better yet, provide this information in an email or during a short virtual meeting prior to the interview.

During the interview

The candidate should remain in the waiting room until the panel is ready to begin. Emphasize the importance of all panel members being online before the candidate  arrives. When the candidate is invited into the room, begin the interview as you would begin an in-person interview—introduce the panel, explain the process. Then proceed as you would have done prior to the pandemic—ask questions and probe for additional information. For traditional interviews, I suggest printing questions on cards that you hand to the candidate as you ask each question. For virtual interviews, prepare slides and use the screen-share option.

Ending the Interview

In a traditional in-person interview, the process ends with the interviewer providing information about the organization, reviewing the decision-making timeline, offering an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions and finally, handing the candidate a business card with instructions to “contact me if you have any questions or additional information for us, prior to us letting you know our decision.” In the virtual setting, tell the candidate you will be sending information about the organization and highlight what’s included before inviting the candidate’s questions.

After the Interview

1. As occurs following traditional in-person interviews, panel members should assess the candidate, following the process agreed to prior to beginning the interview.
2. Send information to the candidate (as promised). 
3. Conduct reference checks and make sure that what you learn is one more part of the information used to hire the right person to fill your vacancy.
4. Take time to determine how to improve the virtual interview process. Ask panel members three questions: What went well? What could have been done differently? What is the key lesson we learned from these interviews? You might also ask candidates for their input, using a brief survey about their interview experience.

 When this pandemic ends, we may return to interviewing in person, but we are unlikely to totally discard virtual interviews from our hiring toolkit. What we learn now from interviewing virtually may make us better interviewers in the future, whether we are asking our questions in person or online.

Timely—Making staff recognition prompt

This is the final article in a series focused on the five ingredients of GREAT staff recognition. It suggestions eight ways to make recognition Timely, plus there’s a bonus tip for those times when we failed to give people recognition as soon as we should have.

Pervious articles in this series:

Genuine—making recognition authentic (includes five practices that cause your staff recognition efforts to seem insincere and nine ways to ensure recognition appears Genuine)

Relevant—making recognition strategic (includes nine ways to make recognition Relevant)

Explicit—making recognition specific (includes seven tips to provide Explicit recognition)

Appropriate—making recognition personal (includes 10 suggestions to provide recognition that is Appropriate)

Timely—Making staff recognition prompt

Does this seem familiar? You observe a staff member performing a task well and you think, “That’s deserving of recognition. I’ll do that … later.”

You really intend to do it. 

Later, you will have more time to acknowledge the person’s contribution. Waiting allows time to figure out the best way to say, ”Well done!“ There will be time to write a thank-you note or to find a small token to express your appreciation.

But then life happens. You get even busier. A crisis demands your immediate response. Your praise goes unspoken and the contribution is forgotten.

Eventually, when there is a chance to say thank you, you begin, “I should have said something sooner.” 

Yes, you should have. Recognition too long delayed seems an insincere afterthought.

Worse yet, you say, “I can’t remember what you did, but I know you did a good job of something.”

When you don’t remember what happened, providing Explicit recognition is impossible, whereas recalling the details would strengthen your message of appreciation. It would  seem more Genuine.

Stop waiting for the right moment. Be spontaneous. Provide immediate feedback. When you see behaviour deserving of recognition, there’s no reason to put off saying or doing something.

Let people know you saw what they did and appreciate their contribution while what happened is still fresh in both of your minds. 

Smile. Give the staff member a pat on the back or a thumbs-up. Express your appreciation in a few words.

What you say or do may not be the most Appropriate way to recognize this individual, but immediate recognition sends a powerful message of appreciation.

Want to do more? You can always follow up on-the-spot recognition with some other gesture of appreciation if you wish, but when the recognition is Timely, something more may not be needed.

Here are eight ways to ensure recognition is Timely, plus a bonus tip:

1. Add “recognize staff” to your daily to-do list. Recognition is important and best when delivered in a Timely fashion.
2. Prepare to provide Timely recognition by stocking up on tools you will need to express appreciation when you witness behaviour that deserves to be recognized: thank-you cards, sticky notes, treats, small gifts, coffee shop gift cards, etc.
3. Schedule time to recognize staff—a time to write notes, send emails, make phone calls, or to drop by to say thank you. It could be a few minutes each day or an hour or two once a week, but never wait any longer to acknowledge contributions. The longer you wait, the less Timely the recognition becomes.
4. Using email or texts may be the most Timely way to recognize staff, but don’t always leave it at that. You can strengthen your message of appreciation by following up in person.
5. E-cards are a simple way to provide Timely recognition.
6. While recognition should be Timely, this doesn’t mean it must always be immediate. Let a staff member know you would like to meet to provide positive feedback. “When would be a good time, tomorrow or the next day, for us to meet so that I can recognize you for what you did recently?” Waiting for praise that they know is coming may increase the impact of your message of appreciation. 
7. Recognition is most meaningful when it’s Timely, delivered immediately after you witness behaviour that you appreciate. However, there are times when this is not possible—you don’t want to interrupt what the deserving employee is doing, you are on your way to an appointment for which you can’t be late, or you are involved in a conversation with others (perhaps even congratulating them on a job well done). Plan to connect with this staff member as soon as is reasonably possible to recognition his/her contribution.
8. If your recognition program requires a supervisor’s approval before recognition is bestowed, ensure the timeline for the approval process is short to ensure recognition is Timely.

Bonus Tip: No Statute of Limitations on Recognition—Most of us, at one time or another, have failed to give people recognition when we should have—soon after becoming aware that they had done a task well. We may have been distracted by other duties and now it seems too late to recognize the person. While recognition should ideally be Timely, being late with recognition is not a reason to forego it. Even recognition delayed is better than no recognition at all. What’s important is that it’s motivated by a Genuine sense of appreciation. You can then strengthen your message by including at least one other ingredient of GREAT staff recognition: make it Relevant, Explicit or Appropriate.

Want more ways to recognize staff? Subscribe to Briefly Noted to receive tips every two weeks on how to hire, engage and retain the right people. Or purchase Thanks! GREAT Job! for hundreds of tips, tools and techniques to boost morale, increase engagement and improve retention with high-value, low-cost staff recognition.

Appropriate — Making staff recognition personal

This article explores how to personalize recognition by ensuring it is Appropriate, one of the five ingredients of GREAT staff recognition. The article includes 10 suggestions of ways to provide recognition that is Appropriate.

Pervious articles in this series:

Genuine—making recognition authentic (includes five practices that cause your staff recognition efforts to seem insincere, and nine ways to ensure recognition appears Genuine)

Relevant—making recognition strategic (includes nine ways to make recognition Relevant)

Explicit—making recognition specific (includes seven tips to provide Explicit recognition)

Coming next: Timely—Making recognition Current

The key to meaningful recognition is knowing staff members as individuals.

This enables you to personalize staff recognition. You can express appreciation in ways that reflect staff members’ interests, their preferences for public or private recognition, and their need to be noticed and acknowledged.

Because the value of recognition is determined by the recipients, all three variables should be considered when deciding how to recognize staff.

How well do you know the people with whom you work? How do they spend non-work time (hobbies, travel, volunteering)? Which do they prefer, coffee or tea? What are their career goals? 

Answers to these questions provide clues to how to personalize your recognition of individual staff members.

Much recognition, particularly formal recognition, occurs in public, in front of colleagues, friends and family. But a surprisingly large number of people tell researchers that they would prefer to be recognized in private.

Knowing everyone’s preference is important because the value of recognition will be diminished when the recipient feels uncomfortable being acknowledged in front of others.

Avoiding all public recognition, such as what occurs during staff meetings, may be difficult, but whenever possible find ways to respect people’s wish to be recognized in private—in your office, during a visit to the recipient’s work station, with a thank-you note left in the staff member’s mailbox or delivered by the post office, or in an email.

Recently, I wrote about a third factor to consider when finding ways to recognize staff in Appropriate ways —some people need more recognition than others.

Responding to this need is a challenge. Nevertheless, you need to satisfy those with a greater need for recognition, without recognizing others less frequently.

We all want to treat everyone fairly, but this does not mean treating everyone equally.

High-need-people’s thirst for recognition might be satisfied with a simple gesture of appreciation, delivered more frequently—a few simple words of appreciation written on a sticky note, in a text message or email, or a “pat on the back” when you meet in the hallway.

Here are a 10 ways to provide Appropriate staff recognition:

1. Learn what’s important to staff members by asking the 7 questions to recognize staff appropriately.
2. Listen to staff members’ expectations and aspirations. What clues can you discover to enable you to recognize staff in Appropriate ways?
3. Not sure how staff members prefer to be recognized? Ask them. Bring it up during one-on-one meetings. Ask them to list how they prefer to be acknowledged for doing their jobs well. Add a question to a staff survey. Make it a topic for discussion at your next staff meeting.
4. Consider how you have recognized staff in the past. How have they received the recognition? What have they done with awards and certificates, thank-you notes or small gifts? What you observe may lead you to more Appropriate ways to recognize staff.
5. Recognition that works in one work environment may not work in yours. Provide recognition that fits your organization’s culture. Consider whether you can Adopt recognition practices you encounter, Adapt them for your circumstances, or if you should Abandon them (Staff Recognition Tip #1: The 3 A’s).
6. Ask a staff member to lead a brainstorming session with his/her colleagues to answer the question: “What are the best ways to recognize staff for how they contribute and what they achieve?” Have this facilitator leave a list on your desk to guide you when recognizing staff in the future.

7. When you know a hard-working employee devotes much of her personal life to a not-for-profit organization in the community, reward her hard work with a day off that she can spend volunteering for that organization.

8. Get to know each employee’s interests. Surprise staff members with a special calendar or another small gift that reflects their interest in sailing, cats, cooking or their hobbies.

9. A mug can help convey your appreciation. Make the recognition Appropriate and show that you know the recipient as an individual by filling the mug with the employee’s favourite treat, or include a gift card from the employee’s favourite coffee shop. Make this gesture of appreciation even more Appropriate by beginning with a mug decorated with the recipient’s favourite cartoon character or the logo of the sports team for which the recipient cheers.

10. Try semi-private recognition. Rather than acknowledging publicity-shy staff members in front of the entire staff, deliver your message in the presence of just a few of the people with whom they work most closely and who know what they do every day.