This article is part of the “Interview tips” series.
With the rise of remote positions in recent years, not to mention current social distancing concerns, remote interviews are becoming increasingly common. If you are running a business in 2020, chances are you will need to conduct remote interviews sooner or later. Online interviews have their challenges, but they also have certain advantages. Let’s take a look at some of benefits as well as the drawbacks of remote interviews compared to in-person interviews. Advantages of Remote Interviews Aside from the obvious advantages of remote interviews for promoting better health and safety during a pandemic, they have other benefits too:
- Reduces Anxiety
Remote interviews are less stressful for the interviewee compared to in-person interviews as they allow the candidate to talk from the comfort of their own home. Giving an interview from a place which is familiar and comfortable will make the candidate feel more confident during the interview. Similarly, phone interviews can also reduce anxiety and stress since you don’t see the interviewer and the candidate can answer the questions with confidence. In-person interviews can get stressful since the candidate sits right in front of the interviewee which can make them anxious, especially if the interviewer is intimidating. Candidates can prepare as well as they can for the interview and make sure they have all the necessary qualifications through training providers like Skill TG, but anxiety can mean they don’t put their best self forward.
- Saves Money
For high-level positions, companies may have to pay for interviewees’ travel expenses if they need to come from interstate or even overseas to attend the interview. When interviewing several candidates to find a perfect fit, these expenses can quickly add up. They will have to pay for the travel expenses of all the candidates in order to select the right person for the job. In such cases, remote interviews are a much more affordable alternative. If candidates are located some distance away, interviewing them over video or a phone call will save a lot of money for the company.
- Saves Time
Attending an interview can be stressful and time consuming since you need to plan what to wear, how to get to the interview location and work out how long it will take you to get there, allowing extra time in case of delays to make sure you’re not late. Remote interviews relieve the candidate from this stress, as they eliminate many of these time-consuming tasks. They can therefore focus on to impressing the interviewer with their ability to convince them that they are the right person for the job.
- Easy to Schedule
In-person interviews are easy to schedule if the candidate is free and not currently employed. However, if they are already working full-time elsewhere, then finding time to schedule an in-person interview can be challenging. Remote interviews make this situation must easier. It is much easier for interviewees to take an hour during their work day for an online interview, although it is important to consider time differences when scheduling an interview with a candidate in another time zone. Disadvantages of Remote Interviews On the other hand, remote interviews can also have their draw-backs:
- Connection Problems
Remote interviews rely heavily on the internet connection and connection problems can be detrimental to remote interviews. Unclear audio can lead to miscommunication and time-consuming repetition of questions and answers. This can get in the way of conducting a proper interview and can make it difficult to select the right candidate. This is why it’s crucial to get your internet supplied by a trustworthy company like Xfinity internet providers before organising interviews!
On the other hand, during in-person interviews, the interviewer and the candidate are face-to-face and can communicate effectively without any interruptions. In-person interviews don’t have to deal with audio and connection issues, so are guaranteed to run smoothly.
- More Difficult to Build Rapport
In-person interviews make it easier to build rapport with the interviewer compared to remote interviews. Since the candidate meets with the interviewer in person, it is more likely that the interviewer with form a better connection with the candidate. Interviewers are also more likely to like the candidate since they meet them face-to-face and build rapport. This can increase their chances of being offered the job. It is much harder to build rapport during a remote interview, with the barrier of distance in between the interviewer and the interviewee. Additionally, sometimes candidates are camera shy which can result in a poor interview. If you are interviewing some candidates in-person and others remotely, the latter may be at a disadvantage.
- Understand Office Culture
An in-person interview allows the candidate to personally meet with their future colleagues and understand their working culture. Visiting the office and engaging in a face-to-face interview is always an advantage in that it allows the interviewee to get an idea of the dress code, style of communication and the general vibe of the company and the employees. This will help the candidate to decide whether the company is a good fit for them: remember that interviews are a two-way process and the interviewee needs to decide whether they want the job! Although they can get an idea of this through a video conference, it is undoubtedly much harder.
