Being on the road is a fact of life for many recruiters. In between campus visits, diversity fairs and off-site meetings, conducting phone screens from your office is not always feasible. Regardless of where the interview takes place, you still need to maintain a professional image and have a productive discussion with the candidate. Here are five on-the-go interview tips for recruiters.
1. Prepare in advance
Learn as much as you can about the candidate prior to the conversation to maximize your time, and to avoid repetition in the interview process. Gather as many details as possible from the candidate’s resume, LinkedIn profile and online application, and create relevant questions in advance using an organization app, such as Evernote.
2. Find a quiet space
Remember, candidates also have that same 30-minute period of time blocked off, so an interview with background noise and constant distractions can create a negative experience for the candidate. If you’re traveling, leave time to get situated and find a seat at a coffee shop. If you’re at the airport on your way between career fairs, have a fully charged phone or tablet to conduct interviews away from charging stations, so other passengers will not be in your way. If time is of the essence and you’re forced to interview the candidate on the subway, bus, or train, purchase noise canceling headphones so both you and the candidate are not distracted by background conversation, or sudden noises.
3. Eliminate all distractions
A candidate can tell if he or she has your attention, and conducting an interview on-the-go can make you even more susceptible to distractions. Eliminate all distractions during the interview; do not check email, close all social media notifications and enable custom responses to friends and family members who text you. Block the time off on your calendar, so colleagues can see you as “busy.”
4. Create an interactive interview experience
If you have last minute travel plans, seamlessly turn any scheduled in-person interview into a video interview to avoid losing momentum with candidates. Use video interview software to conduct a more effective and personal remote interview experience, in lieu of a phone screen.
5. Standardize the interview process
If you’re interviewing multiple candidates for the same position, standardize the process. Ask every candidate the same core questions, and standardize it further by having candidates complete pre-recorded interviews on their own time. Candidates can self-schedule themselves to answer pre-screened questions on-demand, and you can review the videos in one time block.
Are you looking for a more ways to streamline your recruiting operations? Read the Top 4 Reasons Every Recruiter Needs a TRM.
