There’s no doubt that technology profoundly impacts how we live and work. One of the most notable changes has been the rise of virtual interviews. Traditionally, job seekers would have to travel to meet with potential employers in person. However, thanks to advances in technology, this is no longer necessary. In this blog post, we will discuss the 10 incredible benefits of virtual interviews!
Before 2020, around 5% of companies were conducting their interviews virtually. Now, that number has increased drastically. There are no statistics on the exact percentage of corporations still conducting virtual interviews in 2022, but we can safely say it is significantly higher than 5%.
The most recent statistic recorded was in April 2020, when a Gartner survey found that 86.6% of organizations conducted virtual job interviews. However, it is estimated that the percentage has decreased to about 40% today.
Even though below half of companies are conducting in-person interviews in 2022, it is still true that most companies offer candidates the option to interview in-person or virtually. Simply offering candidates the choice to interview in-person or virtually can significantly increase your chances of finding the best talent for your job openings.
Here are 10 benefits of virtual interviews.
- Reduce No-Shows
- Offer Flexibility for Candidates
- Increase Safety
- Fewer Resources Needed
- Increased Talent Pool
- See a Different Side to Candidates
- Assess the Candidate’s Technical Skills
- They are Less Intimidating for Candidates
- Save Time on Scheduling Logistics
- Ability to Record the Interview for Later Review
Reduce No-Shows
Imagine you are in the middle of an important business meeting when you get a call from a candidate scheduled to interview with your company in an hour. The candidate proceeds to tell you that they are stuck in traffic and will not be able to make it to the office in time for the interview. With a virtual interview, this would not be a problem. The candidate could simply log into the video conference from their car and interview there.
Not only would this save the candidate from having to reschedule or cancel their interview, but it would also save your company time and money. There is no need to worry about last-minute cancellations or rescheduling with a virtual interview. You can avoid these situations entirely by conducting your interviews online.
Traffic. Car accident. Running late. Too far. I am sure we have all heard a handful of excuses from candidates trying to either reschedule or cancel an interview. Unfortunately, in-person interviews aren’t as flexible as virtual interviews. In-person interviews can be canceled or rescheduled at the last minute for a handful of reasons, but you can completely avoid these situations with a virtual interview.
Offer Flexibility for Candidates
In-person interviews are a time-consuming and laborious process that can take up a significant portion of a candidate’s day. Not only do candidates have to spend hours preparing for and traveling to an interview, but they also have to leave work early or even miss work altogether to attend. On top of all this, candidates are often forced to navigate heavy traffic and parking hassles, which adds further stress and disruption to the already demanding process.
However, given the rise of modern technology, conducting virtual interviews is a more convenient alternative. With virtual interviews, candidates can complete the interview from the comfort of their own home, office, or car instead of taking time off their jobs or traveling across town to meet with a prospective employer.
This not only saves both candidates and employers time and energy but also ensures that everyone involved can maintain their full focus on the interview itself. Thus, while in-person interviews may still technically be considered the gold standard for interviewing today, virtual interviews are quickly closing in on them as an increasingly popular choice for both job seekers and recruiters alike.
Increased Safety
Although COVID-19’s risk is decreasing by the day, it is still important to note that virtual interviews will protect candidates and your workers from getting sick. Whether from COVID-19 or the common cold, simply conducting virtual interviews will reduce your employees’ chance of getting sick from candidates they interview.
Every company wants to make sure its employees and customers are safe. Why risk someone interviewing in the office when you can do the same thing online?
Fewer Resources Needed
Yes, virtual interviewing is a great way to save time and money while also granting easy access to talented job candidates, but it is also a great way to save your company time and resources.
Unlike traditional in-person interviews, where you would need to print out candidate resumes, have the candidate check-in with the company’s receptionist, and have a meeting room ready, in a virtual interview, all you will need is a computer with a camera and have Zoom or Microsoft teams installed on it. Don’t waste your time cleaning the meeting room in your office, printing the candidate’s resume, etc.
Increased Talent Pool
When it comes to conducting job interviews, one of the most important considerations is finding a way to reach as many qualified candidates as possible. This can be incredibly challenging in today’s digital world, where people are busier than ever and often have limited availability.
However, online interviewing platforms make it easier to connect with a wider range of candidates and offer numerous benefits for businesses and job seekers. For instance, virtual interviews widen your talent pool by allowing you to reach candidates from all over the country or even the world if your position is fully remote!
Is your team fully remote? If so, check out our 9 five-minute virtual team building activities that will help improve your teams wellbeing!
If you are seeking local candidates, these platforms allow busy professionals to easily schedule and attend interviews at times that work for them without canceling plans or calling out of work for an interview that may arise out of nowhere.
Even if you offer flexible in-office hours, candidates who work 9-5 will still have difficulty planning their work-life and everyday life around in-person interview times. Rather than waiting a week to interview a candidate in person, you can efficiently conduct a virtual interview with them the next day!
Virtual interviewing is an excellent solution if you’re looking for a flexible and convenient way to connect with more talented individuals who might be a perfect fit for your team. And whether you’re on the lookout for new hires or simply looking to optimize your current hiring process, there’s no doubt that online interviewing has countless benefits that will help take your business to the next level.
See a Different Side to Candidates You Can’t See In-Person
In an in-person interview, it’s easy for candidates to put on a persona that they think you want to see. But with a virtual interview, you can get a more accurate sense of who they are. With a virtual interview, candidates are less likely to be able to hide their true colors. You can see how they interact with technology, manage their time, and communicate with others.
As a result, you can get a more accurate sense of the type of person they are and whether or not they would be a good fit for your company. So if you’re looking for a more accurate assessment of a candidate’s character, a virtual interview is the way to go.
Assess the Candidate's Technical Skills
In today’s digital age, it is essential to be tech-savvy to succeed. Whether you are applying for a new job, engaging with customers online, or simply communicating with friends and family, the ability to navigate technology effectively can make all the difference. That is why being tech-savvy is one of the most essential qualities that any candidate should have when conducting a virtual interview.
It has never been more crucial for employers to assess a candidate’s tech skills at an early stage of the recruitment process. This helps them get a sense of whether that individual has the aptitude and ability needed for the position in question. And as a staffing agency that conducts frequent virtual interviews, we can attest that assessing technical competence often turns out to be one of the most revealing aspects of the interview.
Whether we are evaluating how candidates respond to us via email or whether they successfully manage various software programs during a video call, there is plenty we can learn about their technical skills just by observing their behavior in these digital settings.
So if you are looking to fill an open position, consider incorporating virtual interviews into your recruitment process to assess candidates’ tech abilities.
They Are Less Intimidating for Candidates
While in-person interviews are the gold standard when it comes to learning about a candidate, they can be intimidating for the interviewee. In-person interviews require a lot of planning and coordination, and there is always the potential for something to go wrong.
Virtual interviews, on the other hand, are much less complicated. Candidates can do them from the comfort of their own homes, and there is no need to worry about traffic or parking. As a result, virtual interviews tend to be less stressful for candidates. And since candidates are more relaxed during virtual interviews, they are more likely to give honest and thoughtful answers to questions. In the end, both the interviewer and the interviewee benefit from a virtual interview.
Save Time on Scheduling Logistics
If you’ve ever gone through the process of scheduling an in-person interview, you know that it can be a real headache. You have to work around the schedules of both the interviewer and the interviewee, find a convenient day to meet and deal with any last-minute changes or cancellations.
Virtual interviews can help to save you time on all of these logistics. Instead of coordinating schedules and dealing with travel arrangements, you can simply log into a video chat program at the agreed-upon time. This can be a huge time-saver, especially if you’re interviewing candidates from different parts of the country or even different parts of the world. And if there’s a last-minute change or cancellation, it’s much easier to deal with than if you were trying to reschedule an in-person meeting. So next time you’re scheduling an interview, consider doing it virtually and save yourself some time and headaches.
Ability to Record the Interview for Later Review
With the rise of virtual interviews, companies now have the ability to record and review their candidates in order to make more informed hiring decisions.
This is great news for busy managers who may not always have the time to go over each resume and conduct long, in-person interviews themselves. By simply reviewing the recorded interview footage, a manager can quickly assess whether or not a candidate is a good fit for the position. And if our manager wants to take a closer look at how they sounded during the interview, all they need to do is playback the recording – there’s no need for them to sit through another round of questions!
Whether it’s getting an edge on the competition or squeezing in more work in less time, virtual interviews are truly revolutionizing how we hire. And that makes them an invaluable tool for busy managers everywhere.
Conclusion to the Benefits of Virtual Interviews
Are you convinced yet that virtual interviews are the way of the future? Virtual interviews offer many advantages including reducing no-shows, offering flexibility, increasing safety, decreasing resources, increasing talent pool, assessing candidates’ technical skills, and much more. With all these benefits, it’s no wonder that virtual interviews are becoming increasingly popular among both job seekers and employers. Ready to give them a try?
As a local staffing agency in Providence, RI, we can help you find the best talent for your job openings. If you need help filling your company’s job openings, please contact us!
