Author: Kate Earnshaw, Senior HR Business Partner (Consultancy)

In this article we will look at some things to consider on the day of the actual interview so the process runs smoothly, candidates receive the same quality experience and feel excited about the prospect of working for you and your organisation.

During the Interview

Introductions

As with face to face interviews, it is important to introduce everyone present and explain the format for the interview. This puts the candidate at ease and settles everyone down ready for what is to come. Checking in with the candidate that they can hear you ok, see you ok for example, will make the rest of the process run smoothly.

“You go…no, you go..."

Chairing a telephone or streamed interview takes a new set of skills. We are less likely to speak over one another if we plan well for the interview and know who is asking what and in what order for example. Some software allows you to “raise your hand” during telephone interviews we are limited solely to the spoken word for cues. It can also be difficult to identify people by voice alone, especially if the line is not the best quality. Consider agreeing that you will start each question by saying your name so that everyone knows who is speaking and ensuring panel members ask a set of questions, rather than jumping about between each panel member.

Mute

Anyone who has video-called family and friends will have experienced the confused exchanges which take place when you don’t realise you are on mute. But mute can also be a really helpful tool when interviewing, especially when there’s a few people involved at once. If you are not speaking, hit the mute. This reduces background noise and distractions and is simply good etiquette. This is especially important if you are typing your notes on the interview, rather than hand writing them. No candidate wants to listen to the thunder of keys whilst trying to maintain their train of thought on answering a question on behaviour management in the classroom!

Know the tech

As mentioned in the previous article, practice using the tech and make sure you know what functions you have available to you. Some video conferencing options for example, allow you to type questions in a chat window simultaneously which might be useful should sound quality dip in and out. You might just want to use it so that the candidate has a visual cue of the question in front of them as they respond.

“Is this thing recording?”

If you choose to record the interview then make sure you abide by all data protection regulations, inform the candidate prior to recording that you plan to record and the purposes for doing this. You will also need to explain how long you intend on retaining the recording for and how you will dispose of it. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

Closing

As you would with a face to face interview, explain to the candidate what the next steps will be. Are you interviewing over a few days? Will there be another form of assessment after this? My advice when interviewing is to end with the questions:

• Are you still a firm candidate for the position?
• Do you feel the interview process today has been fair?

Need help?

Don’t get stuck, we are here to help. If you want advice or support on the different options available to you when interviewing, please contact the PACT HR Consultancy Team on 07970 181138 or email kate.earnshaw@bradford.gov.uk

Read more

- For part one of our series of articles, 'The New World of Online Recruitment', read here.

- For part three of our series of articles, 'The New World of Online Recruitment', read here.

- For part four of our series of articles, 'The New World of Online Recruitment', read here.