Tips for conducting successful online-proctored interviews

The global health crisis due to COVID-19 changed the face of recruitment overnight. With social distancing rules in force at most places, in-person interviews are not as feasible as earlier. Companies have had to face this new reality and rethink ways to still find the right person for the right job! The pandemic augmented the need for virtual hiring with the help of the appropriate technology.

Proctored technical sessions, if needed, followed by video interviews are fast becoming the norm. Gone are the days when companies looked at hiring just as a transaction – with the need to fill a vacancy. These days the focus is on building a relationship with the candidate right from the get-go. This is where video interview software with online-proctoring capabilities helps. They allow companies to assess the trust factor also.

When interviews are scheduled online, online proctoring software helps in verifying the authenticity of the candidate appearing for the interview. Is the candidate attending the interview the same as the candidate who registered for the interview? If this authentication is not done in a foolproof manner it can result in the hiring of a fraud. This is, of course, a scenario all companies wish to avoid at all costs!

Here are some steps for ensuring that the online-proctored interviews conducted by you go without a hitch!

1. Ask the candidate to schedule the interview time as per convenience.

This will save hiring managers a lot of time, especially when multiple positions need to be filled.

2. Send the candidate a checklist to ensure that they are ready on the day of the interview.

Good internet speed to be able to attend the interview, a good quality web camera, and a top-notch microphone are essential. Let the candidate know that no other open windows on the computer system would be permitted during the interview process.

3. Inform the candidate about the software prerequisites of the platform that you plan to use for conducting the interview.

If the candidate is expected to install any particular software before the interview process, inform the candidate of the expectation well in advance. This will help the candidate get familiar with the software.

4. Suggest seating in a quiet room with enough light.

5. Ensure that your proctoring software can:

•   Check webcam quality, microphone quality, network strength, and light in the candidate’s room.
•   Perform an identity verification by taking the candidate’s photo to ensure the veracity of the candidate.
  This authenticity check of the candidate gives recruitment teams the confidence that a genuine candidate is being interviewed and in turn, possibly hired.

6. Record the interview.

If your video interview software allows it, record the answers spoken by the candidate. This recording would then be available for you and your team to view later at your convenience. Multiple teams can watch the candidate’s answers and contribute to the decision-making process.

7. Ensure that the candidate does not engage in any behavior that violates
standing testing/interview norms.

Proctoring software sets off an alert message to the designated interviewer if any suspicious activity is seen, or any sound or background activity is noticed. The software is quick to catch behavior that indicates an attempt to cheat. AI-enabled remote proctoring software is even able to differentiate general anxiety gestures from actual malpractice during interviews.

AI-enabled remote proctoring software enables recruitment teams to vet candidates thoroughly and discourages cheating, fraud, and malpractice. Pandemic or no pandemic, one thing is for sure – the hiring and recruitment landscape has changed forever! HirePro offers AI-powered proctoring for fraud-proof assessments and interviews. If you are interested in a demo of HirePro’s proctoring software, call us at 080 6656 6000 or write to us at sales@hirepro.in