Johnny Campbell walks through the basics of running a remote video interview: set up a plain background, position your camera at eye level, get proper lighting, use a wired headset, and test your software first. Don't ask personal or illegal questions, and remember that judging someone's home can bias your assessment.
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Why we like to interview candidates face to face is obvious, but if you're working from home for the next few weeks, interviewing candidates over a video call is the next best thing. Over the phone just won't cut it. Being able to see your candidate and for them to see you is what we're trying to replicate. So camera's on. However, video calls are rife with problems and we really want to make the best impression on this interview. So first things first, you're at home. Our Are you sitting in an appropriate place where the backdrop is appropriate? While you're at home, your home is on show, so try to sit where behind you is a relatively plain wall, but definitely not facing into your bedroom or the kids playroom or a messy office or a pile of laundry. Next, is your laptop's webcam at the right level? Really, your candidate should just see you, not the whole room around you and also not up your nose. So raise your laptop up on some books if you need to, to get your eye line just right. Next, turn the lights on. It might be daylight outside, but often webcams over emphasize daylight outside and therefore throw us into shade. Can you be heard clearly? My advice? Wear a wired headset. I find Bluetooth headsets lose connectivity at just the wrong moment, and while I love my AirPods, their microphones pick up every bit of noise around me, which is a huge distraction to the person who I'm on a video call with. Have you thought who else might be at home too, aside from your pets? Chances are, if you're working from home, so too are your partner and kids. So we all remember that BBC video interview bomb so well. Make sure everybody who else is at home knows you're doing a video interview and ask them to steer clear. Next, what are you wearing? Yes, you're at home, but it's okay to be casual. But wearing appropriate clothing all the way down is important. I've heard horror stories from people who've been on video calls wearing pajama pants or even worse, just underwear that they didn't realize their camera was able to see. Last but not least, test the software. Usually the first five minutes of every video call is lost to getting the software to work properly. Make that time up by testing the software first. Maybe have a test call with a colleague to test your light, your sound, your eyeliner, while appropriate. And some closing words about video interviewing. As interviewers, we know that bias is detrimental to our interview process, so you must keep in mind that we also are now interviewing candidates who are possibly in their homes too, which may inadvertently color our perception of a candidate. Do not stray into illegal question territory by asking about current events like pandemics, how they're affecting them, even in small talk, or anything else that's personal that is not relevant to their job, like their family status. Don't forget, every second of this video call is part of the interview, not just the official questions. Have you any tips you'd like to share that you found helpful for video interviewing? Let us know by sharing them in the comments below. Send this video to a colleague who you know is interviewing candidates from home this week if they'll find it helpful.
