One of the biggest challenges companies face between identifying top talent and turning them into high-performing employees is the interview process. The challenge with the interview process is that, for the most part, it's highly subjective. Interviewers often bring their own experiences and biases into the interview process and assess candidates based on their past experiences in life and with other candidates - this can be good in that a seasoned veteran can often identify candidates that aren't a great fit based on seeing many who were, but it also means that bias and subjectivity can creep into a process that should be based on merit alone and be devoid of subjectivity.

An objective hiring process is critical for hiring the best talent, and video interviewing can help. Video interview tips abound online today as much of the industry recognized the benefits and switches to video interview platforms that offer a great candidate experience as well as interviewer coaching tools. To help you get the most out of your video interviewing process, here are five tips to consider when preparing for your video interviews:

1. Utilize Pre-Screening Tools: Pre-screening tools can help streamline the interview process as they can automatically filter out resumes that don’t meet certain criteria. This allows recruiters to quickly and easily identify candidates who are the best fit for the role.

2. Make Sure Your Technology is Ready: To provide a great candidate experience, make sure your video interviewing technology is up to date and that all necessary hardware and software are working properly. Using tools like Interview intelligence software can help take the guesswork out of the video interviewing process.

3. Set Clear Expectations: Make sure your candidates understand what is expected of them during the video interview. Provide clear instructions on how to participate, how long the interview will take, and what type of feedback they can expect afterward.

4. Prepare a Set of Video Interview Questions and Answers: Prepare a set of video interview questions and answers to ensure that you’re asking the same questions of all candidates. This helps maintain consistency in your interviewing process and ensures that each candidate is evaluated on their merits, not subjectivity (Pillar has a library of over 1000 questions that can serve as a guide).

5. Ask Follow-Up Questions: As with any interview, it’s important to ask follow-up questions to get a full picture of the candidate’s skills and experience. Don't be afraid to probe to really understand how the candidate will fit into your team and organization.

Video interview tips can focus on anything from the actual interaction with the candidate, to the technology surrounding your interview, or the preparation you make beforehand. There are so many variables that we won't be able to help you plan out every single step of your video interviewing process - but, hopefully, the tips above will help you get started with setting up an effective and efficient video process.

Sample Video Interview Questions and Answers

As with any hiring process, your goal is to ensure that each candidate is evaluated on their merits and fit for your team, not subjectivity. The following sample video interview questions and answers can help you gain an understanding of the candidate’s skillset and experience. Please remember that these are hypothetical questions meant to inspire you, and the ones that you actually ask candidates need to be tailored to the job, industry, and company expectations you've set for talent.

Virtual Interview Questions and Answers:

Question: Tell me about what inspired you to apply for this role in our company.
Answer: I've always been passionate about innovation and technology, and the opportunity to work for a company that is at the forefront of those advancements really drew me in. I've also been following your company for the last few years and am very impressed with the success you've had in the industry. I'm confident that I could help contribute to your continued success.

Question: As you said, we're innovating quickly and at the forefront of industry advancements - What makes you a good fit for this role?
Answer: I've been following the industry closely for several years, I have a passion for it, and experience with the tools, technologies, and processes that are needed to be successful in this role. I'm also a highly organized individual who's always looking for ways to identify process improvements and create efficiencies. All of this makes me a great fit for the company as you rapidly expand.

Question: I noticed that your last company RIF'd - What were the biggest challenges that you faced at that company and since that you feel have prepared you for this role?
Answer: The biggest challenge was transitioning from a slower-paced and more established environment to one that was quickly changing, and required me to adapt quickly. I think the most important thing that I've learned since then is to be flexible and open-minded in the face of change, which is an invaluable skill for the role you're hiring for. I'm confident that my experience has prepared me well and I'm excited to take on this challenge.

Questions like these will help you dig into the depths of a candidate's psychology. They will help you understand how they process information, their decision-making processes, and how they can handle different kinds of situations. By asking the right questions, you'll get a better understanding of who the candidate is and their capabilities. A unique benefit of asking questions like this is that candidates will showcase who they really are to you. I know this sounds cliche, but it's true!

Think back to the last time, someone approached you with a genuinely curious question that connected to something that was going on in your life. It's almost like this genuine interest unlocks something in the human mind, creates a safe place for open dialogue, and allows for honest conversation. This is the essence of what you will achieve by asking questions like these during a video interview process.

Video Interviews

So we've talked at length about video interviews and how video interview questions can help you understand your candidates on a deeper level, but what are the other benefits of virtual interviews? Well, the answer is plenty.

Virtual interview examples allow for a two-way conversation with candidates which can save a lot of time and money. Video interviews also take very little additional time from your work day, since you have 5-10 minutes of preparation, the interview, and maybe a couple of follow-up emails to the candidate and members of your team - so they're efficient. If you were to meet someone in person, you would have transportation time, this could be driving or even flying in some cases and the costs associated with that. Finally, video interview platforms also record all responses so you can review them at a later time - plus they store the recordings in one single place for easy access and record keeping.

Video interview questions are also easier to ask. This may get ethereal, but bear with me for a second and you'll see where I'm going with this. Think about the last time you had a conversation with someone face-to-face where you had to ask a really hard question. You probably need to psych yourself up a little bit, wait for the right moment, and even then it was still hard to ask.

Virtual interview examples from Pillar give you prompts as the interview progresses. This means that you're seeing the question pop up on your dashboard, asking the questions, getting a response from the candidate, and then moving on to the next question - all without any judgment or fear of reprisal. This makes the entire process easier and more comfortable for both you and the candidate.

Overall, video interviews are a valuable tool for any organization looking to streamline its hiring process. They provide an avenue to get the insights you need about a candidate, while also saving time and money. With today's incredible technology, you can interview candidates quickly and efficiently and gain insights that will help you make great hiring decisions.

‍Interview intelligence by Pillar is one of those solutions. With a suite of solutions to help you become the magnet for talent in your industry, Pillar makes it easy to find and connect with ideal candidates so that you can make great hires. We offer interview scheduling and automated candidate introductions so that your team is freed up to focus on their work until the interview, then our integrations with Zoom and Teams help your interviewers and hiring managers navigate the interview in a fair and objective way for each candidate- with candidate scoring, interview indexing, and transcriptions built-in, then, our suite of interviewer coaching tools asses each interview and helps your team improve so that you can find new team members who are the best fit for you.

Ready to see how it works? Schedule a demo of Pillar's interview intelligence software today and begin finding the right candidates with video interviews.