It is becoming more and more common that employers are conducting interviews remotely. Sometimes this is as an initial interview before an in-person one which we always advise employers to do where possible, but in many cases remote only interviews are the only option.
I have personally employed people via remote interviews only so know that this method can work for both employer and employee. Wild Dreams is slightly different in the sense that we all work remotely too so there is no office environment that we all share, we try to all get together as much as possible but as our team grows and we hire team members from different regions this will become harder to do, but I believe with regular communication and working as a team you can all work together very successfully in this way, and we are proof of this!
However both parties may be concerned that by not meeting in person you may not feel as confident in either hiring the candidate from the employers point of view or from the employee concerns may be around if this is really the right position for you.
When interviewing remotely you won’t have the opportunity to meet the people you’ll be working with face-to-face, visit the organisation’s offices and generally get a feel for the place.
Regardless of whether you’re interviewing remotely or face-to-face, there’s always a lot to think about when judging whether an opportunity really is the right one for you, such as:
- Is the role aligned to your skillset and future career goals and aspirations?
- Do the salary and benefits on offer make this a financially viable choice for you?
- Where will the role be based, and will there be opportunities for you to work flexibly should you need to?
- Are there learning and development opportunities available which will allow you to further develop your career?
- Are you genuinely interested in the organisation’s products and services?
- Is the organisation’s culture appealing to you? Will you feel included, valued and engaged?
- Do you think you’ll have a good, supportive relationship with your new team and boss?
Its important to listen to your gut too! Your intuition will help you decide whether the opportunity is the right one for you.
Here’s 5 tips on how to know if a job is right for you when you only interview remotely…
- Do your research
- Analyse the language used in the organisation’s job adverts. What can it tell you about what it might be like to work there? Is the language they use inclusive, accessible and relaxed? Do they use diverse imagery and language? Are the role responsibilities clear?
- It’s also essential that you review the organisation’s website, finding out more about their vision and purpose to see how well they align with your values – just as you would do before a face-to-face interview. Visit their social media pages too; many organisations will create videos that will give prospective employees an idea of what it might be like to work there.
- Other techniques you can use to help you build a picture of the organisation as an employer is to read their Glassdoor reviews, although Glassdoor mostly has reviews for the larger corporate companies.
- Research current employees on LinkedIn, their activity may give you clues into their company culture.
2. Assess the organisation’s culture during your remote interview
- The employer might offer you a virtual office tour, for instance, or provide you with short videos that employees have recorded about their role, expertise or experience of working at the organisation. You may even have the opportunity during your interview to have virtual introductory meetings with team members. If these aren’t immediately available or apparent to you during the interview process, ask your recruiter if they are. All of this will help you to get a glimpse into the organisation’s culture, and to better understand what it would be like to work in that office, with that team, on those projects – and assess whether all of that would suit you.
- Also keep a lookout during your remote job interview for any other clues as to the company culture. As communication and behaviour expert Mark Bowden explains: “How we live and the objects we keep around us are a big unconscious indicator to others of what you value and therefore the values you hold.” Is there anything about the interviewer’s background or environment on the video call that indicates what it would be like to work there? Or anything that gives you a feel for what it would be like to have that person as your manager? If they’re in the office, what is the design and branding like? Or perhaps they’re at home where you can see and hear their children – demonstrating their flexible and relaxed approach.
3. Ask the interviewer the right questions
- Remember that all interviews, regardless of whether they are conducted face-to-face, or remotely, are a two-way process. They don’t just give the interviewer the chance to find out more about your suitability for the role, but they also give you the chance to assess the role’s suitability for you. Therefore, the questions you ask the interviewer and the answers they give, especially during a remote interview, can be extremely valuable in helping you to decide whether this is the right opportunity for you or not.
- There are certain questions about the role, team, interviewer, company and learning and development opportunities that will give you a better idea of what it would be like to work there.
- “What does a typical day in this role look like?”
- “What constitutes success?”
4. If you are being interviewed by the hiring manager, use the remote interview to understand whether they would be the right boss for you
- You need to have confidence in your new boss – your relationship with them will be as important a factor as the job itself, if not more so. It’s fortunate, then, that even a remote job interview still presents plenty of opportunity to suss them out.
- During the interview, analyse your potential manager’s communication skills. As your interview progresses, assess their clarity of thought, how they communicate their expectations for the role and for the successful candidate, and whether they seem to be listening to you. This will give you an idea of what it would be like to work with them. Do you think this communication style would suit you and help you to form a strong relationship? Be mindful, too, of the language used when your questions are answered, and throughout the interview. If they use ‘I’ rather than ‘we’ when speaking, that could suggest a non-collaborative approach.
- Also assess whether the interview feels more like a conversation than an interrogation If it feels natural and almost effortless, and the two of you seem to share many of the same motivations and values when it comes to your career and the workplace, then these are signs that you would get on well.
5. Reflect on the experience you’ve had throughout the interview process
- Assess how your interview process, from start to finish, has been handled. Does the company appear to be well-organised? Are you, as a candidate, at the centre of the process? Has communication and feedback been prompt and detailed? All of these things, paired with your knowledge and experience of the company to date, are signals as to the company culture, and whether it’s the right opportunity for you.
Using these tips and combining them with your gut feeling should give you a good indication of if this is the right job for you, if it is… great! and if not, move on and see what else is out there.
It is becoming more and more common that employers are conducting interviews remotely. Sometimes this is as an initial interview before an in-person one which we always advise employers to do where possible, but in many cases remote only interviews are the only option.
I have personally employed people via remote interviews only so know that this method can work for both employer and employee. Wild Dreams is slightly different in the sense that we all work remotely too so there is no office environment that we all share, we try to all get together as much as possible but as our team grows and we hire team members from different regions this will become harder to do, but I believe with regular communication and working as a team you can all work together very successfully in this way, and we are proof of this!
However both parties may be concerned that by not meeting in person you may not feel as confident in either hiring the candidate from the employers point of view or from the employee concerns may be around if this is really the right position for you.
When interviewing remotely you won’t have the opportunity to meet the people you’ll be working with face-to-face, visit the organisation’s offices and generally get a feel for the place.
Regardless of whether you’re interviewing remotely or face-to-face, there’s always a lot to think about when judging whether an opportunity really is the right one for you, such as:
- Is the role aligned to your skillset and future career goals and aspirations?
- Do the salary and benefits on offer make this a financially viable choice for you?
- Where will the role be based, and will there be opportunities for you to work flexibly should you need to?
- Are there learning and development opportunities available which will allow you to further develop your career?
- Are you genuinely interested in the organisation’s products and services?
- Is the organisation’s culture appealing to you? Will you feel included, valued and engaged?
- Do you think you’ll have a good, supportive relationship with your new team and boss?
Its important to listen to your gut too! Your intuition will help you decide whether the opportunity is the right one for you.
Here’s 5 tips on how to know if a job is right for you when you only interview remotely…
- Do your research
- Analyse the language used in the organisation’s job adverts. What can it tell you about what it might be like to work there? Is the language they use inclusive, accessible and relaxed? Do they use diverse imagery and language? Are the role responsibilities clear?
- It’s also essential that you review the organisation’s website, finding out more about their vision and purpose to see how well they align with your values – just as you would do before a face-to-face interview. Visit their social media pages too; many organisations will create videos that will give prospective employees an idea of what it might be like to work there.
- Other techniques you can use to help you build a picture of the organisation as an employer is to read their Glassdoor reviews, although Glassdoor mostly has reviews for the larger corporate companies.
- Research current employees on LinkedIn, their activity may give you clues into their company culture.
2. Assess the organisation’s culture during your remote interview
- The employer might offer you a virtual office tour, for instance, or provide you with short videos that employees have recorded about their role, expertise or experience of working at the organisation. You may even have the opportunity during your interview to have virtual introductory meetings with team members. If these aren’t immediately available or apparent to you during the interview process, ask your recruiter if they are. All of this will help you to get a glimpse into the organisation’s culture, and to better understand what it would be like to work in that office, with that team, on those projects – and assess whether all of that would suit you.
- Also keep a lookout during your remote job interview for any other clues as to the company culture. As communication and behaviour expert Mark Bowden explains: “How we live and the objects we keep around us are a big unconscious indicator to others of what you value and therefore the values you hold.” Is there anything about the interviewer’s background or environment on the video call that indicates what it would be like to work there? Or anything that gives you a feel for what it would be like to have that person as your manager? If they’re in the office, what is the design and branding like? Or perhaps they’re at home where you can see and hear their children – demonstrating their flexible and relaxed approach.
3. Ask the interviewer the right questions
- Remember that all interviews, regardless of whether they are conducted face-to-face, or remotely, are a two-way process. They don’t just give the interviewer the chance to find out more about your suitability for the role, but they also give you the chance to assess the role’s suitability for you. Therefore, the questions you ask the interviewer and the answers they give, especially during a remote interview, can be extremely valuable in helping you to decide whether this is the right opportunity for you or not.
- There are certain questions about the role, team, interviewer, company and learning and development opportunities that will give you a better idea of what it would be like to work there.
- “What does a typical day in this role look like?”
- “What constitutes success?”
4. If you are being interviewed by the hiring manager, use the remote interview to understand whether they would be the right boss for you
- You need to have confidence in your new boss – your relationship with them will be as important a factor as the job itself, if not more so. It’s fortunate, then, that even a remote job interview still presents plenty of opportunity to suss them out.
- During the interview, analyse your potential manager’s communication skills. As your interview progresses, assess their clarity of thought, how they communicate their expectations for the role and for the successful candidate, and whether they seem to be listening to you. This will give you an idea of what it would be like to work with them. Do you think this communication style would suit you and help you to form a strong relationship? Be mindful, too, of the language used when your questions are answered, and throughout the interview. If they use ‘I’ rather than ‘we’ when speaking, that could suggest a non-collaborative approach.
- Also assess whether the interview feels more like a conversation than an interrogation If it feels natural and almost effortless, and the two of you seem to share many of the same motivations and values when it comes to your career and the workplace, then these are signs that you would get on well.
5. Reflect on the experience you’ve had throughout the interview process
- Assess how your interview process, from start to finish, has been handled. Does the company appear to be well-organised? Are you, as a candidate, at the centre of the process? Has communication and feedback been prompt and detailed? All of these things, paired with your knowledge and experience of the company to date, are signals as to the company culture, and whether it’s the right opportunity for you.
Using these tips and combining them with your gut feeling should give you a good indication of if this is the right job for you, if it is… great! and if not, move on and see what else is out there.