How HR Technology Can Streamline the Interview Process

When it comes to attracting top talent, it’s important that your company stands out as a desirable place to work. That’s always been difficult, but physical distancing and virtual interviews have made it more challenging than ever to make a good impression on job candidates.

Wondering how to get the competitive edge you need to recruit top talent? It’s simple: Create a great interview experience with a visitor management solution that sets your organization apart.

Interviewing virtually versus in-person

Once you go through the process of finding qualified candidates, what will the hiring process look like in the new era of work?

Now that a growing number of companies have started returning to work, you may be considering whether to keep your interviews online or go back to holding them in the office.

Offline meetings will always exist. In all likelihood, the future of interviewing will be a hybrid of virtual and in-person meetings with the help of office scheduling software.

Here’s why interviews won’t be fully virtual, and how to make sure your in-person interviews present your company in the best possible light.

Top challenges of virtual interviews

Before this year, virtual interviewing was still a relatively new concept. To flatten the curve and prevent outbreaks in the workplace, most businesses shifted from the office to a work-from-home (WFH) setting. Now virtual interviews have become a necessity.

But engaging someone in a virtual setting is particularly challenging.

Less effective communication

First, experts say as much as 80% of communication is non-verbal. Remote interviewing could make it hard to see the full range of body language, facial expressions, and other social cues that help people communicate effectively.

That’s important, since the goal of an interview is to discover whether or not there’s a good fit. Your job is to determine how well a candidate matches the role you’re hiring for, and people want to know whether the role — and your organization’s overall workplace experience — fits with their values, ideals, and goals.

Technical difficulties and difficulty paying attention

Virtual interviews also rely on a stable Internet connection, functioning home office technology, and teleconferencing equipment. If the Wi-Fi goes out or you’re running late thanks to a software update taking longer than you had anticipated, you may make a poor impression on your candidates.

Distractions are a part of every day life while working from home. Managing them isn’t an easy task for those with children, a significant other or roommate who may also be working from home, or barking dogs.

Even if you can reduce WFH  interruptions, it’s not realistic to be able to eliminate them entirely.

There’s also the buzz-worthy “Zoom fatigue” phenomenon to consider. In fact, a poll of over 6,000 professionals showed many people say virtual meetings have a negative impact on their attention and active listening.

How to optimize the interview experience

Before you can conduct an interview from the office, you need to plan ahead. It’s important to put effective protection measures in place, avoid any risks or inefficiencies, and make sure the process is as frictionless as possible.

Here are four ways a visitor management solution helps create a positive visitor  and workplace experience that attracts top talent while keeping everyone safe.

1. Keep the workplace safe

Ultimately, safety is the most critical aspect to prepare for when deciding between a remote or in-person interview. In the United States alone, the latest estimates attribute over 17.2 million cases and more than 310,000 deaths to COVID-19.

Comply with all local, state, and national regulations and stay up to date on the recommendations from public health authorities. Reconfigure your office for safe distancing, maintaining at least 6 feet between each workspace. Reduce the capacity limits in your rooms by 50%, and use digital signs, like conference room displays to communicate important information.

You need to make sure you have the protections, policies, and procedures in place to reduce the risk of exposure in the workplace. By doing so, you’ll help visitors feel more confident and comfortable.

For example, through a contactless visitor check-in system, you can allow visiting job candidates to keep their hands clean by avoiding the need to touch common surfaces such as a paper visitor log and company pen.

2. Respect everyone’s time

Make it easy on your job candidates by saving them time and keeping the interview on schedule.

Use a visitor check-in system that allows you to pre-register job candidates before they come to the office. With a great visitor management solution, you should be able to send them a confirmation email containing a QR code they can scan from their own device to check in for their interview.

Then, hosts are automatically notified by Slack, email, or text so they can greet their guests right away. That way, nobody is left waiting in an over-crowded lobby.

In recent years, HR technology has become even more focused on employees and visitors. Tools such as workplace wayfinding help your job candidates locate the people and places they’re looking for.

That could be especially useful for finding the bathroom, a hand sanitizer station, or locating the conference room they need for the next portion of their interview.

3. Communicate effectively with candidates

Make sure everyone participating in the interview feels comfortable coming into the office, or that you have the teleconferencing equipment available for a partially in-person and partially remote interview.

Communicate the measures your company has made to keep the workplace safe, how you plan to protect their health, and what steps will be taken if someone tests positive for COVID-19.

Imagine a top recruiting prospect came in for an interview and saw an empty front desk, and no instructions or signs indicating what to do or who to contact. It wouldn’t exactly be a great first impression.

Here’s a better way: Integrate your visitor management solution with workplace wayfinding software to communicate room capacity limits and the type of equipment in each room.

Help define the goals and time allotment for each part of their interview. Give them an overview of what to expect when they come into the office, including where to park, what to do when they arrive, and what safety measure your company has in place to reduce their risk.

You can also use digital wayfinding signage to direct visitors through your lobby and keep traffic flowing smoothly.

4. Reinforce your company values

If your physical environment isn’t consistent with your company values, it’s probably time for a change.

For instance, if one of your corporate values is collaboration and innovation, you shouldn’t conduct interviews one-on-one in an empty conference room

The main point is, showcase what your company stands for and communicate those values clearly and concisely. When people leave the office, they should have an accurate picture of your company culture.

How to attract top talent with Teem

Don’t overlook the importance of a great workplace environment. Making a good impression isn’t just about managing time and communication effectively. The workplace environment reveals a lot about your company.

HR technology has evolved, and the ones that go the extra mile to promote health, happiness, and productivity have a competitive edge over late adopters.

Teem’s visitor management solution helps make a great impression on your visitors and streamlines the interview process from start to finish.

Book a demo to see how Teem helps impress your guests and attract top talent.