Virtual interviews for jobs can be a time-consuming exercise for the hiring company. However, the types of questions in the interview play a key role in determining whether the company and candidate will make an effective match.
Augmented by technology, the virtual interview process provides a great deal of value for the company and the candidate both. The modern job Interview has an interesting history. Here’s how it all started:
In the year 1917, Robert S. Woodworth, an American psychologist, drafted Woodworth’s Personal Data Sheet. This test was developed to evaluate soldiers in World War I for the United States Army. Woodworth’s Data Sheet, created to screen recruits for shell shock risk, is now commonly cited as the first objective personality test. The types of questions in interview tests were tips for great hiring for other industries too. Judging candidates on cultural fit just became easy.
In the year 1921, Thomas Edison created a written test to evaluate the knowledge of candidates for employment at his company. The Edison Test was a post-application screening tool administered to would-be executives at Thomas Edison, Inc. and the precursor to the modern job interview.
It was in the mid-90s that candidate assessment tests began to move from in-person interviews to an online screening tool, all thanks to the emergence of the Internet.
Even a century after the invention of the Edison Test, interviewers still have to turn in a baffling amount of research in order to prepare questions for job candidates. From Intelligence Quotients to General Aptitude tests, many tests have made a promise to predict future employee performance.
Here are some ways an employer should remember for an effective interview strategy:
Structured interviews are one of the most powerful selection tools in use today. Structured interviews are organized around competencies required for a job. Competencies are behaviors that serve as metrics for successful performance in that particular role. Construct interview questions so as to obtain responses that add up to the performance objectives.
Behavior-based interviewing is said to predict future performance based on past performance in similar situations. The behavioral interviewing style isn’t new but it seems to be more popular than ever in virtual interview sessions. In a behavioral assessment, the interviewer attempts to elicit descriptions of specific behaviors that were taken in past situations that closely parallel the challenges that will be faced in the job.
The Blended Interview is the next stage in the evolution of the modern employment interview. The blended approach includes question types that are useful for collecting different kinds of information about a candidate, like biographical facts, credentials and achievements, technical knowledge, experience, self-evaluative information, etc. It is also crucial to work on diversity-based interview strategies.
“The bigger question is this: How can we make interviews inclusive and welcoming for every applicant, regardless of their disability or whether they have a disability at all?”– James Emmett
In order to make most of your interview time, pre-screen candidates using online automated assessments. Win now the candidate pool to get an improved quality candidate funnel for your job posts. Hiring solutions like GLIDER offer psychometric and aptitude assessments along with technical skill assessments. The pre-determine holistic fit of a candidate before you actually spend time with them face-to-face. Invest your time in crème-de-la crème candidates who truly deserve your job.
Use these tips to make virtual interview an enabling experience for both the company and the candidate. This way, the process will allow both parties to exchange information, ask questions and evaluate the potential for establishing a professional working relationship.
