When social distancing became necessary due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, most companies switched from in-person interviews to virtual ones. Now, as vaccinations continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19, many employers are continuing to favor virtual interviews. The benefits they receive from virtual interviews tend to outweigh the advantages of in-person interviews. This is why virtual interviews likely are here to stay.

Discover some reasons why virtual interviews are expected to remain even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

Time and Financial Savings

Increasing flexibility through virtual interviews lets employers and job seekers efficiently schedule, reschedule, and conduct interviews. For instance, the elimination of the need to take off work or travel makes it easier for job seekers to keep their interview times. This saves the company travel expenses and allows it to scale up. Also, more stakeholders can participate in the interviews. They can review the recordings as needed on their own schedule and use them to train new hiring managers. Additionally, when candidates are on time and interviews remain uninterrupted, the participants have an easier time focusing on and finishing their discussion. Plus, holding more interviews in less time means decisions can be made faster.

Wider Reach

Conducting virtual interviews for remote roles opens up candidate pools to a broader geographic area. The ability to recruit job seekers from diverse locations provides greater access to highly qualified professionals. This also allows for virtual onboarding once a job offer is accepted.

Increased Data

Transcription tools and video recordings make reviewing virtual interviews easier than in-person ones. Because virtual interviews automatically capture much more data, the analysis is more efficient and effective. This promotes collaboration among members of an interview panel. They can review the transcript or video as needed, then discuss their thoughts regarding a candidate. Also, automatic feedback generators that ask for performance input after specific interview questions can be organized into a report that requires editing rather than writing. This allows interviewers more time to focus on each candidate’s skills.

Greater Diversity

Virtual interviews provide an additional layer of separation that encourages interviewers to focus more on elements like body language without emphasizing them more than necessary. This helps reduce the amount of unconscious bias that may take place during a discussion. Using assessment tools and masking personally identifiable information during virtual interviews can eliminate even more bias. This lessens the tendency to prefer candidates that mirror an interviewer’s background over candidates who may be more qualified. It also places less emphasis on soft skills and more on hard skills for the role.

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