In Human Resources terms, onboarding is a series of activities carried out to introduce new hires to the people, processes and culture of an organisation. In keeping with changing dynamics globally, remote onboarding has pretty much become the norm for most organisations. An established virtual onboarding process has, thus, become a necessity for the recruitment cycle.

Why Onboarding is Important

When done right, onboarding helps unlock long-term employee potential and increases the chances of employee retention. Going far beyond paperwork and employee orientation, it builds excitement for new hires, making them look forward to immersing themselves in the organisation.

Virtual onboarding especially assumes importance in remote recruitment, as employees don’t have access to a physical office space and coworkers. Traditional onboarding processes are not effective for remote workers, and this means that they need to be restructured and well-defined to cater to virtual hiring.

Organized onboarding helps cement the right first impression of the organisation. Inefficiency in the initial days can lead to employees feeling frustrated, and a sound process helps to create the right perception. New hires are eased into team and organisational culture, while being made aware of expectation. Also, a streamlined process results in lower HR workloads, but with higher employee engagement.

However, remote onboarding comes with a different kind of challenge – how is it possible to welcome new hires virtually without face-to-face introductions, office tours and team lunches? To keep remote hires engaged, a plethora of structured activities need to be conducted, so that enthusiasm levels remain high, and the new employee stays committed. Given that the person does not have any physical connect with the workplace, any kind of delay and disorganisation, especially with regard to approvals and required infrastructure, can quickly lead to frustration..

A virtual platform can completely automate all aspects of post-offer engagement and onboarding activities. Besides, coordination with different teams who need to interact with the new hire becomes a breeze.

Make it Smooth Sailing

Remote working has made it necessary for organisations to re-strategize onboarding. There are several considerations while virtually onboarding a remote employee. These include:

• Clear establishment of rules and regulations to ensure compliance
• Keeping audit trails of important communication
• Defining roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders
• Defining values and policies that need to be shared with the new hire
• Emphasizing relationships with peers, team leads, mentors and managers.

Using a virtual onboarding platform to create structured processes which also easily integrates with existing Application Tracking Systems (ATS), and connects with other Learning Management Software (LMS) in your organisation, results in a seamless flow of information.

Onboarding is not just about orientation and paperwork. Connecting with the new hire before the joining date, and maintaining a relationship well after they are absorbed into the system leads to the complete immersion of the employee in the organisation.

Branding and Pre-boarding

Once the candidate has received and accepted the offer, a period of excitement can often be marred by second thoughts and what-ifs. This is the time to jump in and build your brand, create the right impression, and keep candidates engaged. This can be done during pre-boarding, and it could start even a month before the date of joining.

Make the candidate feel welcome by reaching out via messages, portals and well-crafted answers. Enquire about any challenges that the candidate may have with remote work – for example, internet connectivity, or any other infrastructure. Maybe something as simple as the lack of an ergonomic chair! Request relevant departments for any devices the employee would require to be delivered at the remote location and ensure creation of email and mandatory application authorization. Doing this in advance with sufficient lead time lets the employee hit the ground running on Day 1. Make plans and checklists for different phases and follow up later.

An onboarding portal can be used to share digital forms and pre-recorded messages from the CEO and marketing head about the company brand. Identify policies and procedures, and ensure that relevant teams create or modify content and courseware for new hires that can be shared during onboarding. Sharing information will lead to higher engagement.

Set up an initial plan

It takes longer to onboard remote employees, given that they are not present in the physical workspace. Consider planning a complete fortnight of activities, so that the new hire is engaged. This could include informal meets, fun ice-breaking sessions and a range of activities for cultural immersion – team building, virtual office tours, informal video meets and greets, breakout rooms, and virtual coffee breaks. Invite new hires to join a few relevant meetings to help them understand work processes. Make a list of mandatory and optional courses to be taken by the employee, which they can pursue and complete during the onboarding phase.

Coordinate with other departments, explain policies to the candidate and help raise any requests and get approvals for access authorizations to various applications. Onboarding systems can easily automate the workflow for a seamless employee experience, and reduce HR workload.

Assign a virtual buddy from the same team, who functions as a mentor and provides advice. Also, onboarding people in groups creates a sense of comfort, and creates a community of new hires. Encourage video chats and friendly discussions, so that new hires feel assured that there is someone they can reach out to for any clarifications.

Establish collaboration early-on

A collaborative environment helps the new hire ease into the organisation. Welcome calls from team managers, and both formal and informal interactions, establish a level of comfort.

Team interactions via video conferencing should be encouraged. Team Leads can set up a project that the employee can be involved in for the first month or two. This can help set expectations related to the role, establish familiarity with processes, and encourage collaboration with other teams.

Provide employees access to portals and knowledge bases where they can add value. Empowering employees early-on boosts confidence, trust and a sense of belonging.

Monitor progress

Keeping track of remote employees during the onboarding phase can be challenging. To monitor progress, consider using checklists and planners. Create separate checklists for pre-boarding, Day 1, and then for the next fortnight or month. This ensures that you cover all bases.

Collective “to-do” lists are helpful for shared accountability. These can be updated by the employee as well as the manager. For instance, courses that are mandatory can be put on priority, which the employee updates upon completion, and a weekly follow-up by HR and managers would ensure that things are happening as per plan.

Encourage peers to keep in touch with new hires, so that informal chats may reveal any problems faced in the completion of activities. Regular checks and video conferences with the mentor will help resolve any challenges during virtual onboarding.

Gather feedback

Successful onboarding requires that organisations are cognizant of employee experience. A consistent and scheduled feedback mechanism is necessary for virtual onboarding scenarios to understand if the processes are working. It also helps ensure that any corrections can be implemented quickly.

Soliciting feedback proactively is also indicative of an open culture and makes employees feel valued. Use short surveys and polling at periodic intervals, besides garnering informal feedback over one-to-one chats or video calls.

Set up a process to gather feedback and plough it back into the system, so that the onboarding process can be refined with every cycle.

Measure success with metrics

The success of onboarding processes needs to be measured, and remote onboarding demands that organisations need to gather and analyze Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to understand the strategies that are working, and those that are not.

New hire voluntary turnover is a measure of whether the onboarding process went right. When new employees quit too quickly it indicates that there was a mismatch – either during onboarding, or the hiring process itself. At the same time, higher retention rates indicate that things are going right, and that employees are happy with the experience.

Track satisfaction levels using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) mechanism. Ask new hires a simple question: “On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague? ” A higher score indicates higher levels of satisfaction, which means that employees are less likely to leave.

Measuring the time taken for new hires to become productive, calculating employee engagement scores, offer acceptance rates and new hire absenteeism are all indicators of onboarding effectiveness. The organisation must identify the metrics to be measured precedently, and then roll out surveys, capture data and analyze it.

Tailor the onboarding experience for employees

Rather than conducting a mass onboarding drive, personalize the employee experience for onboarding. This can largely be data-driven, by capturing employee skill sets such as work experience, education, soft skills, certifications, etc. Use data insights to match them against role requirements and identify the gaps to recommend custom programs for new employees. Eventually, these data aggregates can lead to deeper insights in terms of skill sets, gaps and effectiveness of onboarding procedures.

Using virtual onboarding software ensures a seamless flow of information. While AI-enabled systems can respond to employee queries, don’t forget to maintain a human connect with personal interactions and relevant content.

Continued support

Onboarding does not last just a week or a fortnight. Even when the employee is well-ensconced in the system, HR teams need to be connected and prescient of their needs. Conduct meetings to understand employee satisfaction, what worked and what did not, and garner a few suggestions.

Bon Voyage!

Remote and hybrid workplaces are here for the long-term, which means that virtual onboarding will be the norm more often than not. Companies need to scale up from traditional practices and adapt to remote onboarding to ensure that new hires do not feel lost or drop off due to a disconnect. Keep the processes nimble and flexible, while monitoring progress and feedback to make quick changes.

HirePro’s virtual onboarding platform offers convenient automation of existing onboarding processes, branding, AI-driven candidate engagement, paperless mechanisms for document verification, integration with backend systems, and advanced analytics and reporting features.

A positive onboarding experience for employees leads to higher retention rates, and ultimately lays the foundation for sustained success.

Technology and circumstances have changed the way we interact with the outside world. From virtual wine tasting events to virtual birthday parties to work-related events, we’ve adapted to them all!

In the not-so-long-ago-world, when an organisation had a large number of roles to be filled in a short period of time it either hosted a hiring event or booked a booth at a job fair. But now our reality has moved to the virtual world. Organising virtual hiring events or booths at virtual job fairs is the way to go now. This trend is bound to gain more popularity as organisations realise the many benefits of virtual hiring events.

What’s a virtual hiring event?

It’s an online event, where a company’s hiring team can meet and interact with candidates within a given time-frame. It is essentially a virtual environment that facilitates conversations between jobseekers and the recruiters with the use of various interactive options such as chat rooms, webcasts, and webinars.
You can decide to host your own hiring event or you could hire a booth in a virtual job fair.

Three cheers to virtual hiring events

A virtual hiring event allows you to meet more candidates within a short time with a much lower expense and hassle than an offline event. The benefits of this mode of recruitment far outweigh the disadvantages. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Efficiency wins hands down

This form of recruitment enables you to meet multiple qualified candidates within a short period of time. If managed well, it helps you screen candidates and move them through levels, quickly and efficiently. This mode of hiring is also more cost effective as compared to in-person events that often require travel, rental space and a host of other logistical considerations.

The more the merrier

Virtual hiring events attract more candidates than offline events as candidates do not have to invest time and effort to get to the location. Recruiters also have the added advantage of attracting talent from a bigger talent pool across geographies.

Your brand stands tall

A virtual hiring event is a demonstration of the fact that your organisation is forward thinking, conscious about public health and innovative.

Candidate experience is the cherry on the cake

A well-planned hiring event can enhance candidate experience and ensure that you hire the best candidates. You also will be able to connect with the upcoming generation of digital natives who prefer communication and interacting virtually rather than in person.

A virtual meeting however falls short of certain aspects when compared to an in-person experience. The eye contact, the handshake and other ways are small signs that enable an experienced recruiter to pick the ideal candidate. This relative disadvantage can be overcome by considering this as the first step and following this up with an in-person interview.

In the trenches

So, how do you go about hosting a virtual event? It’s not as complicated as it sounds. All you need is to plan ahead and choose the right partners.

Plan to a Tee

The first step is to hold a session with your recruiters and define what your overarching goals are. Define the type of hire you’re looking for. Discuss and agree on how you’ll interview, get to know, and interact with each candidate.

This will help you decide if you want to conduct a virtual hiring event or book a booth in a virtual job fair.

Platform matters!

One of the most important aspects of planning a virtual hiring event is choosing the right hiring partner as well as a platform. Go for a platform that will suit your overall requirements and the type of candidates you wish to meet. A hiring partner who knows what you want will ensure a well-run event with optimal results.

Make sure that the hiring-event platform allows you to build booths for in-person engagements. You can arrange for a virtual tour of your company and also ensure that you have experienced staffers who could act as your ambassadors in waiting rooms and networking rooms.

Craft a marketing plan

What’s the point of hosting an event if no one walks in! It’s essential that you craft a savvy marketing plan that will spread word and engender awareness of your event. Ideally, you’ll need a month to market your event. You could launch your marketing campaign through social media, career sites, emails, chat bots, etc.

Follow up with the candidates

Make it a point to close the circle by keeping in touch with your candidates, even the ones you don’t plan to hire.
Virtual hiring events are very much a part of the current recruitment landscape. The benefits that this form of recruitment brings to the table means that companies will favour this form of recruitment even in the days to come.

Video interviews are not a new idea, but the heightening preference for them is probably more recent. It has become the most frequently used mode of interviewing technical candidates in today’s remote recruitment era.

Video interviews may be of two types:

• In one-way video interviews, or asynchronous video interviews, candidates receive questions in a text or video format, and they record their answers in a video format. Such on-demand video interviews help recruiters screen candidates very early in the hiring process.
• Two-way video interviews are interactive and allow interviewers and candidates to talk to each other in real time. Almost every organisation now is conducting two-way video interviews to recruit their technical personnel.

Advantages of video interviews

• Video interviews have made candidate evaluation location-agnostic. As a result, the talent pool has become limitless. The situation is benefitting both the organisations and the candidates. Neither the interviewers nor the candidates are having to travel to take the interviews. Further, given the evolving work culture, video interviews are the best thing that could happen. ‘Face-to-face’ interviews have taken on a new look.
• The logistics of having on-site interviews can be simplified. Unlike on-site interviews, video interviews eliminate the need for extensive coordination to get the logistics in place. Thereby saving both time and costs.
• Video interviews can make high-volume hiring simpler. Asynchronous video interviews can be especially useful when an organisation is planning to hire a large number of people. Video interviews can replace resume screening, phone screening, and group discussions all at one go. Asynchronous video interviews can eliminate scheduling woes, and the recruiters can review them at their own time.
• Video interviews can improve performance tracking of the top candidates. Interviewers can revisit videos for better decision-making.Video interviews are typically carried out using online video interview platforms that have necessary functionalities built in such as, interview scheduling, a whiteboard, recording abilities, evaluation forms, and ability to integrate with an organisation’s own Applicant Tracking System (ATS).HirePro video interviews platform takes care of all the interview needs. Organisations of many sizes have successfully completed large-scale hiring initiatives by using this online video interview solution.

How can video interviews help with spotting the best tech talent?

When it comes to spotting technical talent, video interviews can help in several ways.

• Coding interview questions can be tailored for better candidate screening.
• Technical and communication skills can be evaluated real time during virtual face-to-face interviews.
• A real work environment can be simulated to test a candidate’s readiness.

The best way to understand these advantages is by exploring an example.

1. Create a skills test to check the candidate’s technical knowledge:

Whether you’re looking to hire a coder, a programmer, or a software developer, you could begin the selection process by creating a short skills test to gauge the candidate’s knowledge and communication skills. You would need to select an appropriate video interview platform for the test. This would be a timed test and it could be an on-camera test.

You could make the test a mix of:

• A few multiple choice technical questions that would be an indicator of the candidate’s technical readiness
• A few short answer questions that would showcase the candidate’s writing skills since communication is a vital skill in today’s remote working style
• A few ‘challenger’ questions that could include short coding questions. Such a section would give employers a pretty good understanding of the candidate’s coding skills and style.

You would need to tailor the style and difficulty level of the test for the position to be filled. Such a test would also give the candidate an idea about the programming language that would be necessary for the job. The evaluated test can be discussed during the face-to-face video interview.

2. Set up the video interview:

During this face-to-face meeting, the relevant team members could talk with the candidate, either one-on-one or all together, depending on time and requirements.

• The candidate’s skills test could be discussed in detail now. It would help the interviewer get an insight into how the candidate thinks.
• Any wrong answers in the skills test could be discussed in detail too. This step helps the interviewing group understand whether the candidate would fit the desired role, as well as the team and the organisation.
• This is when the candidate’s resume can be discussed, with emphasis on the areas relevant to the position and organisation.

3. Live test the candidate’s coding skills:

As a coding test, the candidate could now be given a program to debug. The program should have a reasonable number of lines of code, including a few bugs. The candidate would have to work on the program during the interview. The bugs could be of different levels of difficulty in terms of detecting and correcting.

• Such a test not only shows the candidate’s technical skills, but also his/her ability to work under pressure.
• It would also help the interviewers see if the candidate asks for help in case of difficulties and how he/she does it. This would give the interviewers a brief insight into the candidate’s ability to work in a team.

Cons of video interviews, and how to handle them

Every good thing is sure to have a few cons! And video interviewing does too.

1. Perhaps one of the biggest risks is poor connectivity. While it is a problem that could plague any video interview, technical or not, it cannot be ignored. You could turn to HirePro’s video interview platform which runs on pretty low bandwidths and on office, home, and mobile networks.
2. The possibility of fraud during video interviews is an undeniable factor. A candidate may be keeping a cheat sheet open in another window, or is being fed answers through an earpiece, or is being cued by someone in the room. The proctor must be pretty observant to catch the telltale signs of cheating.
3. In certain cases, the candidate taking the interview may be an impersonator. As a precaution, you could use AI-powered ID verification software offered by interview products such as HirePro’s video interview platform to ensure that the interviewee is the candidate who registered for the selection process. Ensure that your online video interview platform is impersonation-proof.

And finally, here are a few points to keep in mind before scheduling a video interview:

1. It would be prudent to have a backup plan ready in case there are any last-minute technical issues.
2. Ensure that the candidate is familiar with the expected sequence of events during the video interview as well as the interview platform to be used for the interview. It will keep things running smoothly.

References:

-workable.com
-Harvard Business Review
-Techgig
-SelectSoftware Reviews
-gitconnected
-builtin.com

Management gurus have been touting organisational resilience as one of the infinity stones for success and growth in the past few years. So, how does one acquire this infinity stone of resilience? Well, if you don’t have an Avenger on your payroll, then you’ll need to strategise and work towards building a resilient workforce. The art of hiring and retaining the right people is the cornerstone of this strategy. That is why hiring employees with the right skill sets, with minimal operational impact, is an essential function of every growing organisation in these times. Now that remote hiring has become the norm, geographical barriers are no longer a concern. Organisations have realised that the world is their oyster in terms of resource accessibility when they are willing to hire remotely.

Remote working in essence means employing resources who will not be physically present in your office. You will need to adjust key elements in your recruitment process and invest in technology to fully reap the benefits of remote hiring. You will also need to modify your HR policies to reflect the change in your hiring and working environments. Your recruitment infrastructure also needs to be modified to successfully hire remotely. There are virtual hiring platforms that can help you streamline your entire recruitment and onboarding process. While these platforms are fully equipped to deal with the nitty-gritty of hiring, you and your recruitment team should have a clear strategy on how to improve the remote hiring experience. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts to help you draft your remote hiring roadmap.

Your Secret Weapons – the Dos

Select an ATS that complements your needs

With remote hiring you get access to a larger pool of candidates, so it is important to have the resources to review a large number of candidates and shortlist suitable ones. That is where an Application Tracking Software (ATS) comes in handy. This will help you collect information and organise candidates according to their experience and skill sets. It also helps you maintain a centralised repository of your candidates’ information. A suitable ATS is crucial to the success and efficiency of your remote hiring endeavours. Make sure that the platform you choose allows for easy online communication and quick and clear feedback to candidates. It would be worthwhile to invest in a system that allows you to upload candidate profiles digitally and host online registrations. Automated eligibility check, admit card generation and verification, and assessment shortlisting are also good features to look for. An ATS tuned to remote hiring needs leaves a positive impression on candidates and increases your employer brand value.

Use screening tests

Screening tests help you sift through thousands of resumes quickly to get to a usable shortlist of suitable candidates. It also helps you identify candidates who are appropriate for remote work. The skill sets required to be an efficient remote worker are slightly different. In addition to primary skill sets, communication skills, time management skills, and organisational skills are just some of the skills required. Remote workers also need to excel at remote collaboration and should be able to complete tasks without being micromanaged. You can set up screening tests that measure these characteristics of the candidate. Finding candidates who are a good cultural fit is essential to the ongoing productivity and success of your organisation. Make sure that your hiring partner is able to conduct tests to ensure that the candidate is a good cultural fit for your organisation.

Take steps to measure the candidates’ initiatives

The days of the factory mode of working, where an employee’s time and productivity was micromanaged, are long gone. This is the age of the conceptual worker, where independent thought and creativity are paramount. A key portion of your interview should focus on how the candidate has taken initiative and dealt with roadblocks that they might have encountered at work or in life. Ask them to describe a real-life scenario where they have done it. An interesting way to test such skills is to invite them to participate in a role play where they are on your team, and someone disagrees with a proposed plan of action.

Conduct skill-based proctored tests

It’s not just enough to evaluate the skill sets and certifications that candidates list through their resume. It’s crucial that you put their knowledge to the test. Virtual hiring platforms are now equipped to conduct proctored tests to evaluate your candidate’s technical and domain skills. You can choose to monitor tests live with human proctors or rely on AI-powered auto proctoring. Live proctors can verify the ID of candidates, monitor video and audio feeds, chat with candidates, pause tests, and disqualify candidates in case of violations. You can get a final score of high/medium/low/no suspicion for each candidate with AI-powered proctoring.

Live whiteboard and coding tests are special features that only dedicated AI assessment tools provide. You could also give your top candidates a small paid project that they could complete within 15 hrs. This way you can get a real feel of the candidate’s expertise.

Communicate expectations clearly

Defining and publishing a clear job description is essential to avoid any nasty surprises post-hire. Imagine if you hired a candidate with the expectation that they would need to be available for collaborative meetings from 10 AM – 2 PM in a particular time zone, while the candidate expected that they needed to work during normal office hours in their time zone. That’s food for conflict and confusion right at the beginning. It’s best if your job description details working hours, compensation and any other minute detail you might think is insignificant.
Here are some of the questions you could think of answering in the job description.

• Are you a remote-first or a remote-friendly company?
• Which time zones would be ideal for you?
• What are your workplace requirements? For example, does the candidate need to have a home office with high-speed internet?

Invest in time and resources

A shift from the traditional mode of hiring to remote hiring is not without its own set of challenges, both logistically and financially. Your hiring team will need to relook at their processes and procedures and pivot to accommodate the needs of remote hiring. You might even have to look at your current team and augment them with new members to meet the demands of this mode of hiring. It is also likely that you need to invest in new tools, software and other equipment to better integrate with a remote workforce. Your IT and HR departments may need to work in tandem to efficiently move to remote hiring. There are remote hiring platforms that you could plug into with minimal disruption to your existing processes.

The Landmines – The Don’ts

Don’t publish job openings without a strategy

Posting a job on online portals might seem like the obvious choice. In fact, it is a sure shot way to attract candidates. However, just posting everywhere and hoping to attract the right talent is not the way to go. It’s an employee job market out there and you need a clear strategy to maximise the outcome. It’s important to build a strategy on when and where you post your job openings. How you describe the job posting will impact how candidates interact with your posts. Ensure that the job posting aligns with and enhances your employer brand. In fact, treat the job postings as another way to increase your brand awareness.

Don’t assume that a good resume means a good culture fit

Always work with the mindset that a good resume does not necessarily translate into a good team player or candidate. Apart from the initial screening tests make sure that you have ample opportunity to interact with the candidate. It would be prudent to arrange for multiple levels of interactions with the candidate. Team members could be invited to have calls with the candidate and also interact with the candidate over emails.

Don’t hire without e-meeting the candidate

It’s never a good idea to hire without meeting the candidate in person. There’s a lot to be said about making that human connection. You can get to know the character of candidates based on their mannerisms, facial expressions and vocal intonations. Meeting the candidate in person might not be viable in a remote hiring environment. Yet, it’s essential to at least e-meet the candidate virtually through video interviews.

A hiring partner who can facilitate impersonation-proof interviews would be a real bonus. Your ability to conduct live video interviews, with screen sharing and whiteboarding will significantly enhance the chances of making the right hire.

You need employees who can think on their feet and adapt to new environments. Predictable interview patterns that the candidate can prepare for is not the best way to identify such candidates. Spend some time and effort to present job simulations that would bring out their problem-solving skills.

The advantages of virtual hiring have made it a phenomenon that is here to stay. Companies that invest in and adapt to this new employment reality will be ahead of the curve in their recruitment initiatives. A remote hiring strategy with clear vision and goals is the first step to guaranteeing success.

Contact us at sales@hirepro.in to know more about HirePro’s remote hiring solutions.

Resources

-Forbes
-TestGorilla
-Sparkhire

Video interviews and e-learning on the rise are catalysing the need for online assessments. Remote evaluations need to be conducted with the same probity as classroom tests, so that selection and certifications may preserve their integrity. Organisations need to take a serious look at online proctoring platforms to be able to administer tests remotely.

Unlike classroom-based tests which have invigilators to monitor candidates, online examinations pose challenges – qualified proctors, impersonation, cheating and limited availability of examination centres amongst other things. This is especially true for large-volume recruitment drives such as campus placements. Online proctoring platforms can solve many of these challenges.

How online proctoring works

Online proctoring involves monitoring a candidate remotely during a test. Typically, the candidate needs to have a recommended device such as a laptop/desktop computer with the required software/browser, a stable internet connection, a mic, and a webcam. Candidates would be required to switch on their webcams, and given guidance regarding seating position, visibility etc.

Online proctoring solutions use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for detecting identity fraud, analysing suspicious behaviour, and for audio, video and image monitoring, all of which increases the accuracy of proctoring. The different types of online proctoring include:

Live proctoring – The candidate is monitored by a person sitting at a remote location. A fixed number of candidates may be supervised by a proctor. AI technology can flag suspicious behavior and prompt intervention of the human proctor.

Recorded proctoring – Assessments and video interviews can be recorded so that any impersonation and fraudulent activity can be spotted while viewing the video later. AI-powered algorithms are used to monitor image, audio and video feed to generate reports of any misdemeanours.

Automated proctoring – Automated proctoring platforms provide secure sign-in and AI-powered identity verification and monitoring during online tests and interviews. Any suspicious activity can be detected, and flagged for suspicion with ratings for different candidates. This minimises the need for human resources during the examination, scaling up well for frequent and large scale examinations.

Reap the benefits

A good remote proctoring platform should offer fraud-proof assessments and interviews, and several automated features, with minimal human intervention.
Feature-rich online proctoring platforms offer several advantages. Some of these are:

• Automatic identity verification: Face recognition and AI-based identity verification ensure that only genuine candidates take the test.
• Fraud prevention: Live monitoring enables automated detection of third party presence, cross-conversations, missing candidates, switching applications or blocked video feed. Browser monitoring and preventing screen sharing and mirroring can be done to track misdemeanours. The platform can serve automated warnings to candidates, or human intervention could be done if necessary.
• Being audit-ready: Online proctoring platforms allow for recording of the complete examination, with audio and video feed, date and time stamps. This also ensures that any instances of fraud or impersonation could be easily confirmed with evidence.
• Flexibility and scalability: Besides being both device and location-agnostic, there is flexibility in both scheduling and administration of tests without any compromise on data security. Online proctoring platforms are highly scalable for large volume scenarios as a number of tests can be administered concurrently, unlike in-person and classroom examinations.
• Intelligent reports: When connected with backend systems, analytics can be used to gain insights into candidate performance, identify common challenges, understand candidate response, and many other patterns that can be used to enhance tests.

Knowing the limits

Even though online proctoring offers several advantages, there are certain considerations.

Ensure data privacy

Online proctoring platforms should take into account data protection and privacy laws of the land. Taking appropriate consent of candidates for verification of identity, not storing videos beyond the required time, and protecting the dignity and privacy of candidates should be top priority for organisations.

Prioritise candidate comfort

Candidates need to be at ease, and not feel anxious about the camera being on and being “gazed” at – either by a live proctor or a system. Sharing information about requirements – hardware, software and physical environment, offering a practice session, and helpline numbers can greatly mitigate some of these challenges.

Avoid automatic rejections

Auto-detection of suspicious eye movements and facial expressions should be avoided as it carries risk of bias – people belonging to different ethnicities, regions and gender can have naturally different body language. It also increases manual effort of recruiters who need to review flagged candidates.

Auto-detection of mobile phones or books should not be done as candidates may have a genuine need to access a phone, and systems can falsely recognize similar-shaped objects, creating confusion and increasing manual effort of recruiters. Additionally, from a standpoint of privacy, organisations will need to collect consent from candidates to be able to analyse their surroundings.

While online proctoring can greatly minimise the fraudulent cases, as with physically-proctored assessments, it cannot eliminate fraudulent cases completely.
Auto-rejection should not be allowed as global AI regulations mandate that negative decisions taken by AI require a human review. Genuine candidates should not be impacted by false positives.

Ensure accessibility

Remote proctoring solutions need to be inclusive – taking into account physical and learning disabilities.

Our take

Today’s remote and hybrid workplaces have made it imperative for most organisations to have the ability to administer video interviews and assessments, while not compromising the hiring process. Online proctoring creates a level playing field for candidates, recruiters and test administrators. Interviewers and recruiters can focus their efforts on genuine candidates. It helps businesses enhance their revenues and brand equity.

HirePro offers an AI-powered online proctoring platform for fraud-proof assessments and interviews, with live and automated proctoring, auto-detection of suspicion, and automated warnings.

Automated online proctoring is a flexible and scalable solution for all remote hiring needs while preserving the integrity of the assessment. This is possible due to an amalgamation of AI technology, human intervention and process design while taking into account legal aspects and setting the right expectations.

A vast country with far-flung areas, India sees a plethora of nationwide exams annually – from recruitment exams for government jobs such as banking services IBPS and the UPSC exams for civil services recruitment; to GATE exams for master’s degree programmes, IIT-JEE for admission into the prestigious IITs, NEET exams for undergraduate medical entrance, NDA, CLAT, CAT, IES, RRB and more, we are a country of exam takers!

Students, job aspirants, and others take these exams from multiple test centres, relying on a mixture of paper-and-pencil format tests, computer-supported tests, live interviews and group discussions and other formats of assessments.

Plagued by plenty?

However, almost all these exams suffer from some common pain points. The scale of these exams is massive – for example, IIT JEE Mains saw 22 lakhs (2.2 million) applicants in 2021. UPSC aspirants numbered over 10 lakh in 2020. The number of IBPS applicants over the years 2020 and 2021 were over 50 lakhs. The logistics of conducting such gargantuan exercises annually across a large geography with varying internet connectivity and power infrastructure are huge. Conducting error-free, fraud-proof exams and releasing accurate results in a timely fashion is far from a trivial exercise. The use of online proctoring tools for government examinations could help overcome several such challenges.

Most exams have deployed a variety of technological solutions to cope with ever-increasing numbers of applicants. But, the risks of fraud and cheating from impersonation, copying to using gadgets to cheat and more are very real. So are the errors emanating from the conduct of the exams

Present-day issues include exacerbated safety and hygiene concerns due to the pandemic – both for the test-takers as well as for examination bodies, institutions, proctors, interviewers and logistics personnel.

Online proctoring for nationwide examinations, especially the large ones at scale may be a sound remedy for these ills. As exams move online, aided by the twin winds of technological progress and pandemic forces, technological aids are a natural addition to online testing.

How online proctoring works

The term online proctoring encompasses a technology to monitor tests live with human proctors or auto proctoring powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Live proctors can verify the identity of candidates, monitor video and audio feeds, chat with candidates, pause tests, and disqualify candidates in case of violations. AI-enabled proctoring tech gives test conductors rapid access to a final score of high/medium/low/no suspicion for each candidate.

AI-powered proctoring for government jobs comes with its own set of pros and cons. At all times, exams must be conducted in an environment of trust – ensuring candidates are evaluated in a fair, non-intrusive setting. The internet is rife with stories of students and job aspirants who have been unfairly penalised and given low/zero scores for trivial issues such as reading questions aloud or looking around the room during the online exam.

The impact of online proctoring exams on student performance in such vital career-making exams can only be positive. AI facilitates objective decision making as against humans, in contrast to human proctors who may be subjective.

Machine Learning (ML) models inherit the biases of their creators and the data they trained on, leading to allegations that people with certain facial features or mannerisms are not recognised accurately by facial recognition software. When it particularly comes to government jobs, there must absolutely be no suspicion of unfairness or bias, let alone any scope for errors and malicious activity – such failures can assume political overtones in a jiffy.

However, these issues are found in early or immature versions of online proctoring software. Online proctoring has matured over the last few years, with unparalleled features such as auto-detection of fraudulent behaviour and live, automated warnings of suspicious activities. HirePro’s AI-powered proctoring platform has high reliability and compatibility with low bandwidth. It has become India’s leading online proctoring platform today.

The time for online proctoring is now

Online proctoring helps enhance the quality of nationwide exams giving them more credibility and helping examiners source better candidates. Online proctoring for government exams can be conducted on secure, transparent platforms with high reliability and availability in varying bandwidth situations. When the platform quality is assured, test takers can focus on the test worry-free and deliver their best performance – leading to the sourcing of the best possible candidates.

As a technology that assists humans in making better decisions, online proctoring can deliver a win-win for all parties in nationwide online examinations!

“Acquiring the right talent is the most important key to growth. Hiring was – and still is – the most important thing we do,” says Marc Bennioff, Founder, Chairman, and co-CEO of Salesforce.

The pivotal role of talent acquisition cannot be put in better words. Acquiring the right talent contributes to the growth and profits of the organisation. With several workforces operating remotely, hiring has had no other choice but to have a makeover in terms of technology and strategy. Organisations have had to accommodate the changes quite rapidly in order to stay competitive and attract the right talent for their job profiles. The global shift in recruiting meant that recruiters may be hiring a potential candidate without meeting face-to-face.

Ask any HR professional about virtual hiring, and they’d vouch that it was always prevalent in organisations but it may not have been given as much importance as it is given now. What the pandemic has done is to push it to the forefront and make it a priority conversation in organisation planning and budgeting. What was a “good to have” has now become a “must have” in the HR boardroom discussion.

How virtual hiring works

Virtual recruitment is a process where potential candidates are hired remotely, without a face-to-face meeting that generally is the case with traditional hiring practices. Different organisations go about virtual recruitment in different ways. While some organisations invest in an in-house virtual recruitment software, some use already available software that is customisable to the organisation’s needs.
Virtual recruitment usually involves the use of various technologies such as:

• Virtual screening and shortlisting – Applications are sifted through and filtered to choose the best ones based on the skill sets required for the open positions.
• Assessments and interviews – In the absence of face-to-face interviews, assessments and virtual interview tools come into the picture to test skill levels of candidates. Online assessment tools have evolved to have varied options such as proctored, non-proctored, multiple choice, coding, etc, for organisations to choose from.
• Onboarding – With workforces becoming remote, onboarding has also undergone drastic change. Today’s automated virtual recruiting platforms have come into the fore with customisable segments for employee onboarding.
• Chatbots and communication apps – The fastest way to communicate with potential job seekers and employees are chatbots and communication apps. Resolving queries, pointing candidates in the right direction with their questions, and even scheduling interviews are all expected features of automated virtual recruitment platforms.

Even with technological advancements in virtual recruitment, recruiters or hiring managers still find remote hiring a challenge. Let’s take a look at a few of the challenges and how to combat them to further strengthen your organisation’s virtual recruitment strategy.

Bring the challenges on and break them down!

Talent teams across organisations are brainstorming ways to adopt virtual recruitment practices into long-term strategies to attract the best talent in the market. Virtual recruitment is getting eyeballs for several other reasons as well:

• Work from home arrangements are most likely to continue, with organisations charting out policies that allow for flexible remote work and a hybrid model of work.
• Applicants applying for positions outside their geographic areas have increased, limiting possibilities of in-person interactions during the process of hiring. This has urged organisations to embrace the use of communication tools to facilitate teams to work and collaborate remotely.
• With applicants being remote, ensuring proper screening and background check becomes a great challenge.
• Conducting remote assessments have also come into the radar, with no guarantee that the interviewee or assessee is the one who applied for the position. This is where proctoring solutions come into the picture.

Do the puzzle pieces fit?

There is nothing like experiencing the culture of an organisation in person. An organisation’s culture and work ethics are best understood when employees meet and interact with others and the management. That said, the current situation has shifted things significantly, forcing teams to collaborate remotely. With teams distributed globally, communicating organisation culture and expecting employees to align to it is a huge challenge. Is the candidate a good cultural fit? Is the candidate in line with the organisation’s ethics? These are some common concerns that…

Let the drums roll!

Familiarising the candidates with the organisation culture should be consciously taken care of across communication. Scream out ethics, the way things are done at the workplace through videos, and virtual one-on-one sessions.

Distance does not make colleagues grow fonder!

With social distancing norms and remote work culture, employee bonding has gone for a toss. The camaraderie between colleagues/team mates, which otherwise contributes to the synergy of the workplace, has gone missing with people logging in remotely.

Leverage team huddles

The onus then is on the organisation and the respective team managers to ensure that video technology is utilised effectively to bring together distributed teams and ensure seamless team bonding. This also ensures the entire team is on the same page in times of crisis.

Compliance across states and countries

Handling remote applicants means handling compliance across different states and countries. This is where recruitment compliance should be considered as a means to ensure that your organisation’s hiring policies are compliant with national and international laws. No two states or countries have the same set of legal requirements when it comes to business. The challenge for HR lies in ensuring a system that takes into consideration laws and legalities of geographies seamlessly.

Know thy law

A central system in place that accesses HR data from across geographies and manages reporting accordingly greatly eases the manual work of the organisation’s HR department.

Lack of digital infrastructure

The biggest challenge perhaps, for organisations to tackle remote hiring is the lack of proper digital infrastructure. Companies have had to rethink budgets and invest heavily in technology that will aid in remote recruitment processes.

Keep up with the (tech) Joneses

With many technology solutions available in the market, companies can face issues selecting the right fit for them. Customisable, end-to-end solutions from industry leaders could help resolve virtual hiring challenges for organisations.

Conclusion

Hybrid work models are becoming a topic of discussion in big corporations. As organisations are opening doors to fully and partially remote workforces, the need for virtual recruitment platforms is only going to rise in the coming years. Hirepro virtual hiring software is an end-to-end customisable solution that proves to be a low bandwidth virtual hiring platform and caters to every organisation’s hiring needs. Transform your recruitment process today. Email () to get the conversation going.

The pandemic brought with it a sea of changes in recruitment. Some of the trends seen over this year are:

1. Virtual Recruitment
2. AI in recruitment
3. Increased adoption of online assessments
4. Online Employer Branding
5. Focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
6. Data-driven recruiting, the increase in the use of chatbots, and HR analytics

These trends show how the global health crisis, technology, empowerment and inclusivity are impacting recruitment processes, for the better.

6 recruitment trends that shaped 2021

Organisations have been quick to adopt technology to transform their operations across functions. The pandemic-driven solutions to several work-related processes have accelerated this adoption and increased our dependency on technology. These changes are reflected in recruitment processes as well. There is also a big shift towards diversity in hiring and active efforts to improve work-life balance for employees. Here’s a look at recruitment and talent acquisition trends that are likely to prevail and influence your recruiting strategy in 2022 and beyond.

• Virtual recruitment – The new normal

Organisations learned that businesses can be run efficiently without physical interaction. The pandemic induced human resources (HR) departments to rely heavily on virtual processes to interview, hire and onboard candidates online and now virtual recruitment has become the order of the day. Businesses have had to rapidly modernise their recruitment processes. Technology-enabled remote interview software is facilitating collaborative hiring where cross-functional teams easily participate in the interviews and the selection process. This prominent trend seen in the last year and a half has several pros, such as a wider reach to get the right candidate irrespective of geographical boundaries. Organisations are able to scout and retain talent without worrying about their relocation to build a more diverse and multicultural team. For instance, HirePro virtual hiring is helping companies source, screen, assess, interview, select and onboard the best talent, virtually.

• Focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Throughout the year 2021, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been a priority for HR departments globally. Recruiters are expected to make diversity in hiring a key priority and ensure that teams are composed of people from different age groups, educational backgrounds, genders, regional and religious backgrounds. It is well known that diverse teams are better at problem-solving and rank higher on creativity. Businesses with a diverse workforce are known to have better overall productivity and profitability. Many organisations are looking to boost the diversity of their workforces and create a more inclusive workplace.

• Increased use of Artificial Intelligence in recruitment

Recruiters and HR professionals are using artificial intelligence (AI) for a more efficient talent acquisition process. AI-powered recruitment is improving ways to source, identify and engage talent. It is also helping to remove biases in the process of candidate identification, selection and hiring to select talent based on their skills and potential. Through AI, highly repetitive manual tasks can be automated to cut days worth of tasks in minutes. Further, Machine Learning is also bringing continuous improvements to AI to increase efficacy and accuracy over time.

• Increased adoption of online assessments

Employers are increasingly relying on various remote hiring tools including online technical assessments to screen candidates. Covid-19 accelerated the shift and recruiters are investing a major part of their efforts and budgets in fraud-proof online interview tools and online remote proctoring platforms. According to a report, 47% of Indian tech recruiters who used manual hiring processes earlier have switched to online assessment tools.

• Increased use of recruitment chatbots and HR analytics

The HR function has been adopting analytics at a rapid pace to define its talent acquisition strategies and recruitment. Data-driven recruitment relies on the use of data to optimise the entire hiring process done through talent platforms, chatbots and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities. This approach improves hiring quality, decreases hiring costs, and creates an efficient recruitment process that is derived from the right data. With predictive analytics, recruiters can foresee future trends, estimate candidate performance and predict the tenure of a candidate.

• Focus on online employer branding

An important aspect of a company’s overall brand value is its image as an employer.
Companies look to create stronger bonds with their communities and employees become their spokespersons. Organisations are also increasingly using new-age recruitment tools such as Hackathons and Coding Competitions to source the best talent. They help recruiters to assess candidates’ skills like problem-solving, time management etc and the gamified experience makes the hiring process interactive and rewarding.

These trends show how the global health crisis, technology, empowerment and inclusivity are impacting recruitment processes for the better. To ensure continued success in the future, HR teams need to build a strong foundation and consider adopting the above trends while developing their recruitment strategy.

We help companies hire great people. You can request a demo or start using our recruiting software to help you find and hire the best candidates.

References:

-BusinessLine

When lockdown began in 2020, it was perhaps the biggest disruption to working styles in a long time. Most organisations were left with no option but to quickly transition to working from home. The whole situation was like a mass experiment in work-from-home across the world. Most businesses and employees agree that it has been a partial success. A McKinsey survey of 100 executives across the world and across industries also confirms that both productivity and customer satisfaction increased during this period.

As per a study for International Facility Management Association (IFMA), 81 per cent of SMEs expect over a quarter of employees to continue working from remote locations most of the time, especially in the tech world. The McKinsey survey also reiterates the same finding — going forward, nine out of ten organisations will combine on-site and remote working.

The opinion is not one-sided. As per a Gartner report, most employees consider the large-scale shift to remote working as a positive move by organisations. In fact, over 75 per cent of hybrid/remote employees report that the move has made them perceive the workplace more positively.

Establishing the hybrid work model

The ‘work anywhere’ model is not a new idea but organisations are now realising the need to consider it as a permanent model. Growing evidence shows that a large section of employees value the option of working outside of a regular office, provided they have the right tools. The IFMA survey found that 56 per cent of SMEs are pondering on reworking company budgets so that employees can have an enhanced digital experience even when away from the physical office. Technology is the answer to most of these requirements.

Hybrid work model will rule

A hybrid model implies that the physical office is no longer the main area of work even though employees would be there at least once a week. The office would serve as a hub for a dispersed workforce — a place for face-to-face meetings, team bonding and collaboration. Everyday tasks could be carried out at other locations.
The hybrid model is a mix of working from a remote location as well as working at the office while remote working could mean working from anywhere — from a client’s premises, one’s home, a coffee shop or a co-working space nearby.

Ingredients for success

The finer details of how a hybrid model will work as a permanent model are still not defined. Organisations are still thinking it through and most have at best, a high-level plan. However, it’s widely accepted that some of the ingredients that would make the model a success include the right technical equipment, good connectivity, easy access to digital tools, ability to collaborate freely and provision of sufficient training. It is important to have clear policies about what tasks must be done at the office, and what can be done remotely.
Organisations that saw maximum productivity during the pandemic are found to have encouraged moments of engagement among their employees. ‘Microtransactions’ such as idea sharing, project discussions, coworking, networking, coaching and mentorship among employees might contribute to the success of the hybrid work model.

Leadership training

Organisations are gearing up to implement a successful hybrid model by training managers for a new style of leadership, and rethinking processes to help employees succeed. Managers are being educated about how to make a positive impact on the team that reports to them, and how to provide and receive feedback. It cannot be denied that gains in authority are often accompanied by a loss of empathy. Organisations must try to address this using novel ways to promote harmony and reduce conflict.

Redesign hiring and talent allocation

Hiring is a crucial process since an organisation’s performance hinges on its manpower. During the pandemic, a majority of organisations were left with no choice but to move to remote hiring. The most productive ones have redesigned their hiring process completely to fit into a hybrid model in future too.
By prioritising functions and connecting each function to the best individual or team, organisations could boost productivity. Many organisations have started the process of assessing the number of people needed for each role and function. Some have begun implementing changes too. Delegating projects and letting people reach milestones in their own way is an inspiring and powerful way to allow a hybrid team to succeed. Fewer directions, more direction is key.

Listening and seeking feedback

To make sure the hybrid model is working smoothly, it is important to listen to employees and note any issues and ideas. It is essential to take regular feedback. Focus groups, human resources surveys and one-on-one conversations are a few ways to know employee pulse.

Advantages of hybrid model

A top-down look at a hybrid model shows many advantages, some easily perceived, some not quite so.

• Cost benefits: The cost of maintaining office space can be minimised with a hybrid model. Not every employee would be in the office on the same day, so workspaces could be easily shared. Fewer people would also mean lower power bills.
• Talent retention: Flexible working, be it in terms of time or location, is an attractive offer for most people. Employees will be attracted by such working conditions, and once they join the organisation, they won’t leave easily. Research shows that as long as the right tools are provided, employees value the option of working away from the office.
• Happy employees: Research shows most remote workers enjoy working from home or any place away from the office because of a zero or shortened commute time, the absence of a dress code and the flexibility in time. All of these lead to higher productivity.

Challenges of hybrid model and how to manage them

There are certain challenges, however, that must be overcome for a hybrid model to work seamlessly.

• Challenge: Technology and security concerns are at the top rung of possible challenges. Office networks are secured by many products; whereas, home networks are less secure and can fall prey to cyber threats quite easily, be it hackers or viruses. Further, computers at home are often shared, leaving sensitive business information open to theft or loss, even if unintended.
• Solution: Organisations must be ready to invest in suitable security software to protect business information in the office and outside. Managers must ensure that teams are working in secure environments, wherever they’re located.
• Challenge: Prolonged remote working leads to a feeling of isolation. Not being able to communicate as and when required can have an emotional and psychological impact on people. To top it all, poor connectivity and poor call quality, made worse by background noises, can be very exhausting and frustrating. Studies show that people lose about 29 minutes of productive time each week because of poor sound quality in voice calls. Regular struggle to hear clearly can affect performance and cause mental exhaustion or ‘brain fatigue’.
• Solution: (i)Businesses need to implement the most effective video conferencing and Voice over IP (VoIP) software for smooth communication and seamless collaboration. Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud applications can help teams connect virtually at any time — a technical boon really, especially in these pandemic times.
  (ii)Unfortunately, background noise cannot be eliminated entirely. Wearing noise-cancelling audio headsets is the only viable option. Businesses must be ready to invest in the right services and products so that employees can be at their most productive even outside of the office.

• Challenge: Working in a physical office promotes transparency and structure, which increases trust among everyone involved. However, prolonged periods of remote working can sometimes make it difficult to maintain the same feelings. Casual conversations that are common in office environments often lead to knowledge sharing. This is difficult to replicate in a virtual environment as the spontaneity is somewhat lost.
• Solution: Although the casual atmosphere is difficult to reproduce in a pre-scheduled meeting, it is not impossible. Done often enough, coworkers will share the feeling of camaraderie. Exchanges can once again lead to idea sharing outside of the formal rules of a meeting. Businesses must empower employees to collaborate.
• Challenge: Frequent remote meetings, or meetings with very little purpose, can lead to exhaustion and burnout. Not every employee needs/wants to attend all meetings.
• Solution: Without making anyone feel left out, management must schedule meetings such that only necessary employees attend a meeting. Another possible idea is scheduling ‘meeting-free’ days. This can improve productivity significantly and allow employees to work uninterrupted for longer stretches. Employees could also be encouraged to chart their own work schedules, collaborate with peers and work out the best timings for the meetings.

Work in progress

Clearly, the challenges of implementing a hybrid model are not insurmountable. Most progressive organisations that are trying to codify the hybrid model have already identified processes that would require rethinking. Some have begun making the modifications too. Perhaps the motto that needs to be followed is ‘test and learn’ since there are bound to be reasons to tweak changed processes along the way.
To enable a smooth transition, both managers and team members must be clear and transparent in their communication and understanding. And for that, teams must have adequate access to reliable communication channels, especially while working from remote locations.
This is also an opportunity for business leaders to identify cultural gaps and implement measures to build a better and stronger organisational culture. People thrive in a culture that makes them feel connected and included.
Finally, collaboration is key. Teams must be navigated such that there is sufficient collaboration across work modes. Intentional collaboration among team members will undoubtedly lead to innovative gains for organisations trying to imbibe the hybrid model.

Sources:

• techcrunch.com
• mckinsey.com
• hbr.org
• gartner.com
• theconversation.com

According to a survey conducted by Gartner, during the pandemic, 86 per cent of HR leaders employed virtual technology, including video interviews, to recruit candidates. However, a recent HirePro survey found that 41 per cent of students do not own business laptops to use in case they are selected via campus recruitment and their employer requires them to work remotely.

Often, both interviewers and candidates may be unable to access desktop computers or laptops. Mobile phones are small, convenient, affordable and ubiquitous devices that can be used to conduct video interviews — both synchronous or live and asynchronous or pre-recorded. Though smartphones and mobile tablets offer substantial functionality, they are different from in-person face-to-face interviews and video interviews conducted on desktop computers or laptops.

Conducting mobile video interviews need not be hassle-ridden for recruiters and hiring managers. Here are some useful tips to make it a streamlined and smooth experience.

• Confirm the scheduled time

When done right, mobile video interviews can be as effective as in-person interviews. Confirm the date and time of the interview well in advance and reschedule, if required. As you would for onsite interviews, communicate your expectations beforehand so that the candidates are well-prepared and comfortable during the interview. You wouldn’t want to spend precious time before the interview in a tussle with technology or frantically giving last-minute directions to candidates.

Be aware that candidates may not be familiar with your mobile video interview software. Provide them with clear instructions on what they will need to join the interview, such as the mobile video interview software or application being used, username and password, required Internet speed and a quiet space. This information should be provided to them at least three business days ahead of the interview. Additionally, request the interviewee to show up a few minutes early to test his/her equipment and ensure that everything is in order.

• Choose the right mobile video interview software

Generic or standalone video conferencing tools, such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams make it difficult to track candidates. Choose the right mobile video interview tool to meet your recruitment needs. For example, a tool that integrates with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will allow you to save every mobile video interview so it can be easily accessed, tracked and reviewed by any of your team members.

HirePro’s all-in-one interview platform integrates with your ATS, allowing you to schedule, conduct and record mobile video interviews, and collect feedback digitally, at Internet bandwidths as low as 128kbps. With features such as AI-powered identity verification and fraud-detection technology, HirePro’s interview platform enables you to conduct mobile video interviews in both live interactive and asynchronous formats. Explore HirePro to know how you can make interviews hassle-free and frictionless to assess and onboard top-notch talent for your organisation.

• Structure the mobile video interview

Mobile phones have small screens. They may not give the interview the gravitas of an onsite one. Structuring the interview as meticulously as you would an in-person one, will elevate the interview experience. Put a formal plan together, with inputs from your hiring team. The plan could include — providing the candidates with a detailed instructional guide on the mobile video interview process, asking them to submit any additional work samples or requesting them to send a completed pre-employment test. Have a backup plan in place, considering the possibility of the Internet connection at either end becoming patchy or failing completely.

The temptation to keep a mobile video interview casual to the point of not being able to gather any useful insight on the candidate may be high. Hence, it is essential to prepare a set of questions just as you would for an in-person interview. There may be unforeseen interruptions during mobile video interviews. Interview scorecards can be used to remain unbiased in your evaluations. Make sure you assess candidates based on the merit of their responses.

• Prepare your mobile device and test your equipment

How frustrating would it be to receive back-to-back calls from your colleague when you are deeply engrossed in questioning a candidate? Worse, if your phone runs out of battery just as you are about to make an important point. Prepping your mobile phone prior to the interview and testing all the equipment in advance can save you a lot of trouble and embarrassment, and help prevent any interview hiccups. Log on early to ensure that everything is in working condition.

• General settings

  Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged on the day of the interview. Close any necessary tabs that may slow down your phone. Inform potential callers about your unavailability, put your phone on do not disturb mode or silent mode, and mute notifications so you can give undivided attention to the candidates.

• Camera settings

  Wipe your phone camera lens to remove any smudges. Adjust your camera settings such that your image isn’t too bright or too dark. Sit facing a light source for a glare-free and shadow-free clear image.

• Audio settings

  Use microphone-enabled headphones instead of in-built phone speakers. Position the microphone closer to your mouth to get better sound quality and reduce background noise and echo. Do a microphone test to assess voice clarity and ascertain the absence of any static.

• Internet connection

  Decide whether you will be using your mobile data, Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable. For an uninterrupted session, choose ethernet cables, which are generally faster than Wi-fi and mobile data. Conduct a speed test to check whether the bandwidth of your Internet connection meets the requirements of the mobile video interview software.

• Mobile Video Interview Software

  Install your mobile video interview software and create your profile well ahead of the interview date. Then, familiarise yourself to get comfortable with the software before conducting the interview. Learn how to set up video and audio functions, mute yourself, share your screen and use chat during the interview. Test the software by holding trial interviews with team members. Learn how to troubleshoot common issues that may crop up.

• Choose the best location and make arrangements for hands-free mobile video interviewing

A dimly lit location with your neighbour’s dog barking in the background doesn’t make for professional mobile video interviewing. Though the mobile phone screen is small, your environment will be visible and audible to the candidates. Choose a mobile video interview spot that is quiet, well-lit and distraction-free. Check to see that there is a strong signal or Wi-Fi connection. Use a professional virtual background in case your physical one is cluttered and distracting. Remove any background noise and close the door to your interview spot to make the session as noise-free as possible.

Imagine holding your phone for over an hour continuously while conducting multiple mobile video interviews. In reality, after a few minutes into the first one, your hand will begin to feel numb. Besides, holding the phone at a strange angle and moving or shaking it during the course of the interview can make it harder for the candidate to focus. A mobile video interview, like an in-person interview, can last anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Use a tripod, clamp, suction mount or a stack of books to adjust the distance, stabilise your phone and keep the camera steady. Set the angle of your phone to be in level with your face or tilted slightly downward, towards your face. Test the hands-free set-up using the selfie mode.

• Appear professional and personable, and listen actively

Wearing your most comfortable T-shirt and slouching on a couch is sure to take away the seriousness of the mobile video interview. Dress professionally and be friendly and respectful throughout the interview to give the candidates a sense of your organisation’s culture. Sit up straight, smile and make eye contact. Non-verbal cues are an important part of communication. Be sure to exhibit approachable body language to make the candidates feel at ease.

There is a possibility of trailing off while listening to a candidate talking in meandering loops about something off-topic. Tuning out for any reason does not augur well for the outcome of the interview. Be an active listener throughout the mobile video interview. Follow-up with questions and steer the conversation in the right direction, when necessary, to make it more fruitful

• Establish a feedback process and take notes

Even though you can save recordings of mobile video interviews and some platforms provide transcripts of the meetings, recalling important points and nuances, months later, can be difficult. Take quick notes on relevant information such as a candidate’s most impressive work experience, unique personality traits or salary expectations. Your notes will help you evaluate whether he/she is the right fit for your organisation. Besides, you can share the notes with relevant stakeholders. Inform the candidates that you will be taking notes during the interview. They will then not get distracted when you break eye contact to look at your notepad.

Imagine one of the candidates interviewed by you not hearing you throughout the mobile video interview but nodding in agreement in order to be polite. Without an effective feedback process, it will be tough to gauge the interview experience of the candidate. Get feedback from candidates after the interview, in the form of a simple survey. Ask about their overall interview experience, whether the software worked well for them and whether they have any suggestions for improving the process. Use this information to enhance the mobile video interview experience for future interviews.

Conclusion

Hiring managers and recruiters are proactively adding mobile video interviews to their recruitment kitty, with the aim of making interviews highly accessible and convenient for candidates. It won’t be long before smartphones and mobile tablets overtake laptops and desktop computers to become the devices of choice for cost-effective and efficient video interviews.