Online vs Digital Interviews
Original article in Greek by Andreas Fragkos
Translated by Stella Vasileiadou
Synschronous and asynchronous online interviews
Entrepreneurship is mainly all about its people. Making the right choices in the human resources sector is a crucial matter for every company, since it determines the delivering outcomes and therefore, dramatically increases the chances for a successful company. However, due to the latest health conditions, more and more interviews are being conducted online, and in particular, digitally.
Synchronous & online
Regular interviews conducted at the company’s office are considered outdated and have been replaced by online interviews, taking place through apps like Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, as well as through tools such as WhatsApp, Viber and Messenger. Nowadays, what’s important is the impression you will make to the recruiter via your webcam or the camera of your mobile phone.
This basically means that each candidate has a few minutes to make a great first impression, without having small talk or being within the company. Trying to break the ice by having a general discussion used to be a common method for candidates to get their future employers to like them. It would be actually better is his background image would keep up with the way he wants to present himself. Also, it’s important that the candidate will be dressed appropriately (more like being in the new boss’s office) and feeling confident about himself or herself.
Other things that are important for a such interview, are the candidate’s expressions, the tone of their voice, good articulation, the use of professional vocabulary, gentle and informative facial expressions, the mature body language and use of humor, all can further promote him as a candidate.
Of course, qualifications are valuable, but what’s absolutely necessary are the more essential skills i.e. the soft skills. These include leadership, organizational skills, understanding the market’s rules as, well as being able to point out successfully their professional and personal achievements.
The recruiter is paying full attention to what the candidate is saying, and therefore the interviewee has to be properly prepared and his speech has to be well-structured in order to persuade the recruiter that they are a good fit for the job. Maintaining a good spirit and being highly conversational throughout the interview is extremely important. That means that it’s crucial for the candidate to speak clearly and confidently, as if he is already a team-member, willing to struggle for the best outcome possible in order to earn maximum profit.
Asynchronous & online
Globalization as well as the desire to increase competitiveness combined with the limitation of physical contact due to quarantine brought into play a new version of online interviews. These are called asynchronous online interviews that are conducted through a structured questionnaire with a specific time limit, as a kind of an aptitude test, or otherwise without a time limit as a presentation of the candidate, which will include thoughtful answers to each question. It’s worth mentioning that there are several specific apps that can be used to optimize and simplify the whole process. In this way, the common time zone problem is solved, since each candidate has the ability to complete the assessment whenever it’s convenient for them during their specific time zone.
Also, the results of the questionnaire-interview can be evaluated as a group by the staff department either as a panel, if they need to discuss, or individually, through their device. Scoring is totally objective, and the decision is based on multiple criteria, so in that way, it becomes more objective. It’s actually an upgrade to the usual company practice that tend to judge crucial, analytical and presentation skills rather than how the candidate will act live.
The new digital economy
It goes without saying that the digitization of economic processes has accelerated due to the health crisis as well as due to the ongoing globalization in the economic and cultural sector. The human factor remains very important, but also a potential problem as it involves uncertainty, ambiguity and risk. Low wages have lowered the employee morale, but the economy needs to operate and executives need to bring forth fast and accurate results.
Conclusion: Online and digital interviews
Technological facilities especially online ones, can lead to a change of habits and priorities, forming a new business environment with continuous evaluation and re-evaluation of human knowledge and skill. Opening up the labor market’s borders is more imperative than ever. Attracting investors and customers from abroad is a concern of even very small companies that make the best possible use of social networks and invest in both quality and marketing and communication. Online interviews stand for the beginning of an era, characterized by the further digitization of companies with shocking and impressive results, both in the fast improvement of the financial fundamentals, as well as in the production and business model that is now under constant review, bringing a significant and at the same time “invisible” social and economic revolution.
Αν επιθυμείς να διεκδικήσεις υποτροφίες στην Ελλάδα ή το εξωτερικό, ο Οδηγός Υποτροφιών του Citycampus που μόλις κυκλοφόρησε σου προσφέρει ό,τι χρειάζεσαι!
