By: Karen Guy-Smith
Its December 2020 and we are experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it ravages our nation. Record numbers of US citizens are succumbing to this air-born disease daily, affecting many families and communities. Due to state mandates across the nation to wear masks and social distance, companies have largely moved their employees to a “work-from-home” model, and have become creative about meeting their recruitment goals to lean forward in their business growth and development.
In March 2020, Indeed, the prominent online job site posted “Best Practices for Virtual Interviews.” The post goes on to encourage human resources professionals in creating a virtual interview company strategy. In the post, Topics include the “Benefits of holding virtual interviews over in-person interviews,” and, “How to prepare for a virtual interview.” All the tips listed are paramount in conducting and modeling an effective virtual interview process. Simple things such as testing your internet connection, dressing professionally, and giving the interviewee time to answer (due to possible lag in either teleconference or video transmission), can make a big difference in conducting a successful meeting or interview. I found this was a good reinforcement of virtual meeting and interview best practices.
Insights by Ammar Suliman – Our Work-From-Anywhere Future by Raj Choudhury speaks on the benefits and challenges on companies implementing WFA programs. Pre-Covid, companies had already begun to consider WFH and WFA programs and some even began incorporating those programs into their organizations. The Covid era has given a lot of light and answers to how WFA can benefit an organization as well as the challenges.
The article details the benefits from increases in productivity to a reduction in emission gasses. It also talks about the challenges of communication and interpersonal skills. WFA can be a very great program for certain industries, it simply boils down to figuring out how to implement and execute.
Learn how you can conduct virtual interviews in a successful way to ensure your hiring efforts remain fruitful during the coronavirus pandemic.