When thinking of interviews, most people envision a conversation that takes place in the work environment. However, some interviews are conducted on a remote basis, and they do not occur at the job location. Bolstering techniques for these types of interviews is pivotal to the hiring process.
Establish Protocols
Interviews are formal conversations, and these discussions should not be interrupted because the interviewer needs to go ask a boss or manager a question. However, at the office, the possibility of running ideas by a superior before the interview begins exists. Off-site interviews require strict protocols. Interviewers should know what questions they are to ask and how to get in immediate contact with a superior if needed.
Build Communication Avenues
Establishing better business communications solutions can also help with this important endeavor. For example, you may use virtual-conferencing tools that allow you to participate in the interview from a distance. While you should still have representatives from the company physically present with the candidates, you can gain a strong sense of what is happening.
Send the Strongest Staff
Conducting an off-site interview is probably not the best responsibility to assign to someone who is fairly new to the job or who has not conducted interviews before. Run an assessment of employees who conduct interviews to see who has the most experience. You should also determine who has the most successful interviews. In other words, send employees who tend to hire candidates who are a good fit for the company in the long term.
Narrow the Pool
Having an open event could lead to problems with the interviews are happening away from the main job location. In other words, an approach you can take is to narrow down the candidate pool significantly before these off-site interviews occur. You may also want to use this method only when you arrive at a second or third round of interviews. On the other hand, you can conduct off-site interviews for the first round, thereby inviting the finalists to come to the office to speak directly with you.
Evaluate the Process
When interviews occur off-site, putting them into the back of your mind is easy. However, you absolutely must assess how this approach is working for your business. For example, take the time to assess how successful the candidates who are hired at this interviews tend to be once they officially start at the job.
Remote hiring interviews can allow you to cultivate a strong team and better your business. However, you want to ensure that these processes are polished.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan
