by Stacy Pursell, CPC, CERS
The VET Recruiter®
The Coronavirus or Covid-19 is affecting the lives of nearly everyone living in the country right now in addition to those living around the world. Its effect has stretched to the employment marketplace and organizations’ ability to hire the talent they want to hire to fill their open positions.
The good news is that we live in the Technology Age, where we can put various technological tools to use in order to overcome some of the obstacles associated with the Coronavirus or Covid-19. One of those tools is the video interview. With fewer and fewer people willing to fly due to the virus, video interviews are the perfect solution for those employers that are eager to hire and to help keep the interview process moving forward.
Animal Health and Veterinary video interview best practices
How prepared are you for Animal Health or Veterinary video interviews? When was the last time you conducted one? It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done a video interview or if you’re a little rusty. Video interviews can provide a tremendous amount of value, especially during times like these.
Below are five steps for conducting top-notch Animal Health and Veterinary video interviews:
#1—Choose a platform for conducting the interviews (and run tests).
Fortunately, there are many platforms from which to choose. There’s more good news, too. Due to the circumstances surrounding the Coronavirus, some of them are offering great deals. One of those is Microsoft, which is now offering a six-month trial of the premium version of Microsoft Teams. There are other options as well, such as Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom, and Webex. More than likely, you already have an account with one or more of these platforms. My personal favorite is Zoom because it is easy to use. Many of our clients use this platform too and I would say it is the most popular among our clients.
It’s important to test your system and your process several times before conducting your first video interview. There are many things that can affect the quality of an interview, not the least of which is the strength of your wireless Internet signal. You must also check the quality of both the sound and the video picture. Top job candidates will not be impressed if you look blurry and if the sound is distorted during the interview, no matter how much you smile.
#2—Build a plan and share it with everybody involved in the process.
This advice goes for in-person interviews, as well, but it’s even more critical for video interviews. One reason is that the members of your hiring team may not be as accustomed to the process involved with such interviews. Another reason is that Covid-19 has already created plenty of confusion and uncertainty. You don’t want to add to it by sabotaging your video interviewing efforts before they’ve even begun.
This is important because you want job candidates to sense and to see that your organization “has its act together.” The last thing you want to do is brand yourself as disorganized. You want to show top candidates that you can adapt quickly to changing times and that you can create a professional video interview with excellence.
#3—Choose an appropriate space and setting for the interviews.
This is the same advice that I would give to job candidates participating in a video interview. Your setting is extremely important, since this is where candidates will see you and the members of your team and it will contribute to their opinion of you and your organization. The site you choose should be clean and uncluttered, well lit, and professional looking. There should be nothing nearby that might contribute noise or some other interruption to an interview.
#4—Reassure candidates by communicating and setting expectations.
Just like you must communicate well with the members of your hiring team, you must also communicate well with the candidates you’re interviewing. They need to know which platform you’ll be using (and which they’ll also be using), what is expected of them during the interview, what they can expect from you, a timeline for when things will happen, and a phone number to call in case things don’t go as smoothly as planned.
#5—Focus on engagement, engagement, engagement.
Engagement was a priority for employers looking to hire before Covid-19 hit. Now, it’s even more important during an Animal Health or Veterinary video interview. Remember that it’s still your job to “sell” at all levels. You have to “sell” the opportunity itself, as well as the organization, the company culture, and everything else that comes with the opportunity.
Not only that, but you also have to present yourself as warm and engaging, which may be more difficult to accomplish during a video interview than it is during an in-person interview. However, what’s the same about both types of interviews is that job candidates are evaluating your position and your organization just as much as you are evaluating them. This is not a one-way street, and you should not treat it as such, especially during a video interview.
I was talking with one of our clients yesterday who just moved our candidates from a face to face interview to a video interview. She is getting someone in their company to record a video of the inside of the business to show our candidates where they will be working during the upcoming video interviews. This is an excellent strategy because they can still see the place where they will be working without having to travel there during this time of uncertainty. They are hoping the video will create more interest in the opportunity.
You can STILL hire exceptional talent
You can conduct top-notch Animal Health and Veterinary video interviews during this uncertain period, and you can hire top-notch talent, as well. The VET Recruiter has helped employers conduct video interviews as a recruitment firm, and we can help you, as well. Don’t let Covid-19 interrupt your hiring plans and your ability to add exceptional talent to your organization.
You can click here to find out more about our services for employers. Click here to learn more about our recruiting process.
We help support Animal Health and Veterinary careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.
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