Virtual interviews have become more popular due to their convenience and cost benefits. If you are hiring new team members, considering the virtual interview option can offer you many benefits, including the ability to reach a greater number of potential candidates, access to a larger talent pool, and cost savings for travel, to name a few. Virtual interviews also provide an opportunity to assess a candidate’s demeanor in a digital communication environment which is a relevant concern for business in today’s world.

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Virtual interviews also offer a number of benefits to job seekers. Virtual interviews give candidates the opportunity to interview for positions in different locations without requiring them to move or even travel for the interview. This saves the job seeker and the employer. Additionally, virtual interviews can often be conducted more quickly than traditional interviews since scheduling conflicts are reduced or eliminated entirely. There are also potential negatives to be considered, but we will launch into that later when we discuss some of the pros and cons of virtual interviews. 

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As the interviewer, conducting your interviews virtually gives you the ability to guide your interview, distraction-free. When you are able to have your computer screen open to other things, like notes, questions, and other materials, you are often able to be more comfortable and organized. This is a benefit for both interviewer and interviewee. And with certain platforms, like the interview intelligence software offered by Pillar, interviewers can take notes specific to each candidate as they occur and go back to review them later. You can write down your thoughts about a candidate’s response to a question, make note of something that the candidate said that you’d like to remember, and more. This makes organizing your thoughts about each interview simpler and more organized, especially if after 10 or more interviews all of the candidates begin blurring together. 

In 2023 and beyond, the business world lives online in many ways and virtual interviewing is just one of the many areas that have made their way to an online system in a permanent way. It’s unlikely that we’ll be returning to an entirely analog world anytime in the near future so it makes sense to embrace the virtual. The technology available has been adapted to meet our business needs in ways that were only dreamt of before. Using what is available can give us so many useful tools for our business arsenal. 

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Online Interview Advantages And Disadvantages

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Online interviews offer advantages and disadvantages to both employers and job candidates, but ultimately no matter where you stand on the face-to-face interviews vs. online interviews debate, the truth remains that virtual options are here to stay. In the post-pandemic world, we are all far more comfortable operating in remote, virtual environments than ever before and this has become a standard for many workplaces and employees. With the availability of virtual interviews, candidates will expect to be able to go through the majority of the interview process before being called to travel or go into the office for a face-to-face interview. Knowing that this is the standard, it’s important to ensure that, as a hiring manager or employer, you understand how a virtual interview should be conducted. 

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If you’re planning to interview virtually, you may be searching online for an online interview description. This process will necessarily vary depending on the particular industry you’re interviewing for, the position you are looking to fill, the level of the position, and more. Consider the difference between asking an hourly associate questions about their work ethic and talking with a C-suite candidate about their experience running a business. Obviously the criteria will be as different as the roles being filled. Still, there are certain things that will remain the same across the board. Since most companies will be investing more time and effort into the higher level candidates, we’ll focus on that here. 

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During a manager interview, the online interview description will likely be as follows:

An online interview for a manager typically consists of several components including background and experience questions, skill assessment tests, behavioral simulations, role-play scenarios, and personality assessments. 

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Background and experience questions help to assess the candidate’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities associated with managing people, as well as their ability to apply their knowledge effectively. Skill assessment tests help to measure the candidate’s knowledge of specific management areas, such as leading teams and managing projects. Behavioral simulations are tasks designed to evaluate how the candidate would react in certain situations that they may encounter on the job. Role-play scenarios involve putting the candidate in hypothetical situations so they can demonstrate their ability to handle problem solving and conflict resolution. 

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Finally, personality assessments measure the candidate’s level of emotional intelligence and their ability to handle stress and pressure in a managerial role. The combination of these components helps interviewers make an informed decision on the best possible candidate for a manager position. 

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Advantages Of In Person Interviews

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Let’s talk about some of advantages and disadvantages of in-person interviews. 

Depending on the individuals conducting the interview, virtual interviews can be more difficult for some people. After all, when meeting someone for the first time over a digital video platform, it is not as easy to read people’s body language or determine the difference between personality and technical difficulties. Digital meetings come with a certain level of ingrained trust. Interviewers have to anticipate that the people they are interviewing are serious about the position and have to operate without the immediate visual cues that are often so much easier to read in person. If you’re asking yourself, should I interview in person or on Zoom, go with your gut. If you are typically more comfortable in one or the other setting, that is an important thing to consider as the interviewer. 

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When it comes to selecting a face-to-face interview vs. an online interview, some of the advantages of interviewing online are that you can have your notes and other important materials at your fingertips the entire time. If you are a person who often struggles with remembering details, having this available can be crucial to conducting a comfortable and inclusive interview. Many interviewers find it more comfortable to have their questions in front of them, as well as to have the option of taking notes during the interview regarding their impressions as well as the quality of the answers received by the interviewee. 

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No matter which type of interview you decide to go with, keep in mind that we live in an age where we can be flexible and have options. It’s best to work with whichever style is most suited to you and your team. If you’re using an online interview option, we recommend utilizing interview intelligence software as it helps you to organize your data much better and keep track of all of your potential candidates with ease. 

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In Person Interview Advantages And Disadvantages

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When it comes to considering the in-person interview advantages and disadvantages, ultimately the decision is subjective and personal. You should consider the needs of your team and your company when making this decision. There are, of course, many advantages of face-to-face interviews in research as your new team member will be working closely with you and it’s important to make sure that they are a good match for your team in whatever manner you will be working together. For example, in situations where you’ll be working in person, it may be best to conduct an in-person interview, meaning you may want to discover the in-person chemistry between the candidate and team before making critical hiring decisions. 

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When you’re in the initial stages of hiring, you will be asking yourself about the benefits of a face-to-face interview vs an online interview. Do your research, consider your team’s needs, understand where the most qualified candidates live and whether they will prefer in-person or remote work for the role you’re hiring for, etc. When faced with the question of whether to conduct a telephone interview, advantages and disadvantages of the decision, and the best way to make a candidate selection, your team will be well-equipped to make that decision. 

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