How to hire someone you’ve never seen face-to-face
Author: Ema Oberpfalzerova
Date of Publication: 01/12/2022
Hiring the right person is a challenging and important decision for every manager to make. Actually, it is impacting the whole team, its pace and cohesion. Nowadays, we are living in a time of technology, and remote hiring has started to be a big topic for HR managers. This happened especially after the Covid-19 pandemic when a home office or remote working rose in most of the companies.
Unfortunately, remote hiring has its limits. In fact, it is much harder to choose the right person without really meeting them in person. Therefore, there are some methods and tips for hiring managers to ease the process of finding the perfect candidate.
use different platforms
involve the team
trial project
video introduction
Multiple Platforms Interviewing
It is essential to evaluate and consider how the candidate's communication style matches the team's to get the best result possible. Therefore, interviewing via multiple platforms might be a solution since sometimes, the classic online video interview isn’t sufficient enough. Other optional platforms:
Online chat
Online chat is an option for better-imitating workplace communication and employee interaction.
Email is one of the most used platforms when communicating with colleagues. Therefore, it’s necessary to see how the candidate reacts and responds.
Audio call
To discover how the candidate deals with customers via phone call, you may schedule one to hear the reactions and the approach towards them.
Involving the team
Individual performance has a huge impact on the performance of the team and vice versa. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention when hiring new teammates and involve the existing team in the hiring process. The first option is to let certain teammates conduct an one-to-one interview with the candidate to get other points of view. The second option is to conduct an informational interview with a few members of the team to gain objectivity and unbiasedness. Finally, you can share the gathered information with others to get feedback before the final decision.
Trial Project
Designing a trial project for a candidate is a very effective way of evaluating the style of work and observing adaptability and creative thinking. Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be a long project, only a short task to see how the candidate handles the challenge. At the end of the day, it isn’t about getting free work from the candidate. It’s a way to reassure that this person is the ideal employee.
Video Introduction
Another possible way to enhance the hiring process might be asking candidates to record a self-introduction video. This will be easier either for the applicant and for the whole team. The candidate has probably told their life story several times, so save time for them. What’s more, you can then share the video with other team members. This will keep them from asking repetitive questions and provide a more objective point of view.
In conclusion, the remote hiring process isn’t always an easy way to choose an adequate candidate. It has an impact on the whole team, and thus on the organization itself. For this reason, providing more steps to the recruitment process may bring more information. In addition you gain an objective point of view, or a candidate's different communication styles and problem-solving skills.
Reference List:
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CIPD (2021). Selection Methods | Factsheets. [online] CIPD. Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/recruitment/selection-factsheet#gref.
Council, Y.E. (n.d.). Council Post: How To Hire Someone You’ve Never Met In Person. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/05/26/how-to-hire-someone-youve-never-met-in-person/?sh=6a1725a53055 [Accessed 23 Nov. 2022].
Harvard Business Review. (2021). How to Hire Someone You’ve Never Met in Person. [online] Available at: https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-to-hire-someone-youve-never-met-in-person.
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