The Virtual Interview: Adapting to the Digital Environment

The Rise of Video Interviewing

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of video interviewing for recruitment has expanded significantly.

A 2021 CIPD survey revealed that 54% of companies were already using this modality.

Despite some initial doubts about whether it is "as good as face-to-face", the virtual interview has established itself as an integral and standard part of the modern recruitment process, and it is a trend that will continue.

Key Advantages of the Digital Format

The massive adoption of this format is due to its clear advantages. First, it offers significant cost savings, eliminating the expense of travel or space rental.

This is especially beneficial for large companies or those recruiting long-distance talent, which is increasingly common with the rise of work-from-home.

Second, it represents a significant time savings, making it more convenient for both the interviewer and the candidate.

In fact, 66% of companies in the CIPD survey reported that technology had sped up their recruitment processes.

Challenge 1: Behavioral and Perceptual Adaptation

The virtual environment presents unique challenges. Studies show that humans adapt our communication style to the medium we are using, which can affect our behavior, naturalness and level of emotional connection.

This can introduce new biases.

For example, interviewers may perceive personality differently through a screen: an extroverted candidate may appear less energetic, while an introverted one may appear more relaxed when in their own environment.

The usual biases are still present, but the virtual medium demands even more rigorous attention to objective behavioral traits.

Challenge 2: Technical Reliability and Conversation Flow.

Technological reliability is a major hurdle.

It is more difficult to maintain a natural conversational flow when suffering interruptions from signal failures, picture freezes, or sound outages.

These technical interruptions add tension to the interview, making it difficult for the candidate to relax and show themselves as they are.

In addition, many interviewers have not received specific training on the platform they are using, which can increase technical problems.

The Biggest Risk: Loss of Depth in the Assessment

The greatest danger of technical problems and lack of fluency is their impact on the interviewer himself or herself.

Studies indicate that, because of these interruptions, interviewers tend to retreat to more structured and superficial questions.

The real risk is that the inclination to "probe" or "dig" into the candidate's answers is significantly reduced.

Without this probing, the ability to collect quality evidence about the candidate's competencies is lost, defeating the purpose of the interview methodology.

Conclusion: The Fundamentals Remain Unchanged

The virtual interview does not change the fundamentals of good selection.

Poor preparation or poor interview technique will lead to a bad hire, regardless of whether the medium is physical or digital.

Therefore, the interviewer must be aware of the challenges of video and consciously adapt his or her approach.

It is imperative to maintain discipline, plan to adapt to the medium and, above all, not sacrifice probing and probing in depth (the "question funnel") just because of the difficulties imposed by the platform.

Summary

Video interviewing has established itself as the post-pandemic standard. Its clear advantages are cost reduction and significant time savings, speeding up recruitment.

The virtual environment presents unique challenges. It can affect emotional connection and introduce new biases in personality perception. Technical reliability is also an obstacle that adds stress.

The biggest risk is that technical glitches lead the interviewer to use more superficial questions. The inclination to "probe" is lost, negating evidence gathering.