If you’re a Life Science recruiter or hiring manager, then there are some extra things to consider when conducting an interview online; particularly in terms of preparation, making your candidates feel at ease and assessing how they conduct themselves without being in a room with them.
Preparing for the Interview
Regardless of whether you are new to the process of interviewing online or not, it’s a good idea to follow these steps prior to conducting your interview:
Building Rapport with the Candidate
One of the key differences between online and face-to-face interviews is that in a face-to-face setting there is more opportunity to build rapport through small talk; for example, when walking the candidate to the interview room from a waiting area or shaking their hand and helping them to sign in.
Before diving straight into the interview, consider doing the below to make the candidate feel more at ease:
During the Interview
Forming a first impression of the candidate over Zoom can be harder than in a face-to-face setting as it’s harder to gauge how well the candidate carries themselves in a professional environment. However, below are some key things you can take note of:
Although the candidate might be joining you from the comfort of their own home, they should still be showing the level of professionalism that would be expected from them in a face-to-face interview, so these are really great ways of assessing this.
After the Interview
As finding a job is particularly stressful at the moment, it’s a good idea to let the candidate know exactly what to expect from you after the interview has finished, with information about the next steps and time frames.
And lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. If your company is still experimenting with finding the best ways to interview and onboard candidates remotely then why not ask the candidate how their experience was? It’s a great way to find out what does and doesn’t work and to think about how things could be improved.
-
Visit PharmiWeb's Recruiter Blog for more tips and advice on recruiting within the Life Sciences, and to stay up to date with the latest industry news.