3 Tips for Tech Savvy Job Interviews

Many of us are now working remotely, which means we’re still working and all that that entails – including hiring.

Here are a few tips for conducting job interviews while socially distant.

• Change up your background: Your candidates do not need to know you are in your garage – some videoconferencing platforms let you change the background. With the magic of technology, you can conduct the interview from the beach, or outer space, or a well-designed boardroom…
• Try a new format: Can you interview with fewer or different people from your office? Ask for a work sample from the candidate? Provide your interview questions ahead of time? Maybe the current state of affairs is the reason to update your interview practices.
• Remember the basics: All the usual rules that apply to interviews still apply. Take time for things like preparing in advance and dressing well (except for your favorite slippers). Also take time to develop good interview questions, ones that elicit what you need to know about a candidate. This includes a candidate’s technical skills, the job-specific skills such as knowledge of a particular process, software system, or field. And it includes a candidate’s soft skills, such as oral and written communication, time management, and organization. Soft skills are relevant to nearly all jobs and, in my opinion, speak to how well a candidate can perform technical skills – knowing how to use a piece of equipment is much easier to teach than knowing how to deal with people who are different from you.

For me, working remotely has required a number of adaptations. How can you adapt your hiring practices to accommodate working remotely?

Elizabeth Slack is a GovLoop Featured Contributor. She grew up in Maryland, earned BA and MS degrees in the Midwest, and saw more of the world in Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. After working for state government, she landed at Florida State University. Now a Grants Manager in Sponsored Research Administration, Elizabeth is responsible for helping faculty and staff with external funding. Among her proudest achievements is co-creating an award-winning form. During her time off, Elizabeth enjoys spending time outside in sunny Florida with her family.