How to conduct technical remote interview post-pandemic

The tremors of the pandemic led to organizations scrambling through newer ways to cope with this global crisis. Almost every leading company has enabled the entire workforce to welcome the concept of working from home while adapting to this new normal remote work environment. However, In the last 1 year, it has been apparent that we have entered the phase where offline work has been transitioning to remote work as a new norm.

Did you know? - 86% of businesses are incorporating the new virtual technology of remote hiring and preferred to continue the new approach as it had its perks and benefits

That being said, the recruitment industry observed a proactive shift in the hiring process by trying out all possible alternatives to include more remote work options and tools to keep the technical interview process smooth and effective.

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Has the pandemic changed the remote interview process ?

Setting aside the pandemic crisis, the digital revolution has already been cruising towards the culture of remote interviewing. But, this phenomenon has just accelerated the process of remote hiring.

Recruiting an eligible developer is not only based on the skill set. Although, several aspects are to be taken into account such as the hiring manager should thoroughly navigate the candidate’s ability to curate the problem-solving skills and assess the soft skills to gain the expected results. However, there are certain bottlenecks while conducting an offline interview compared to the technical remote interview that sets its own set of limitations.

So, let us discuss the top 3 benefits of conducting remote interviews differentiating from the offline process :

Save time and resources

The offline coding and technical assessment are conducted by using whiteboard techniques which are then digitally transferred that often results in hampering the extra time of the recruiters. However, the remote interview process adds value by automatically capturing the data with the transcription tools and software that makes the reviewing process easy and less time-consuming.

Geographical flexibility

The pandemic has opened ways to tech-talent pipeline across diverse locations with the flexibility to hire any developer from anywhere. However, to enhance the experience of the remote interview, there are several built-in tools and platforms which anticipate a successful onboarding of evaluating the most efficient and skilled developer.

Reduced Bias system

To avoid the major pain point of the bias challenges during the technical interview process, almost 13% of recruiters are inclined on choosing assessment tools that give results only based on the candidates' skills and qualifications. Therefore, remote hiring adds a layer of avoiding any undue influence and scales the interview experience by restricting the conscious or unconscious bias system.

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Setting up goals or KPIs for technical remote interview

Projecting the KPIs and main objectives of the interview creates more specific distinctions for the prescribed position the company is willing to hire. These goals ensure structured planning and maintain consistency throughout the recruitment process. Discussing the right kind of hiring yardsticks and incorporating a well-designed virtual onboarding plan will improve the hiring process and clarify the fundamentals of remote work culture.

The primary set-up goals include

• Pre-defining the role of the hiring manager who is involved in the decision-making process and evaluates the final results.
• To create a time management system that assures the interviewer follows an allotted time bracket on panning out the right questions based on each candidate.
• Identifies whether the shortlisted candidates are skilled enough to work efficiently on coding, programming, etc.

Furthermore, these KPIs used before conducting the remote interview helps to eliminate the errors and mistakes that could get in the way and lead through a successful hiring process by filtering out the most eligible candidate for the job.

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Checklist for interviewers to prepare before conducting a remote interview

Running a successful technical interview isn’t only about gaining the expected results but sticking to the best standard practices also becomes essential to follow. Whilst, most of the hiring managers have participated in many online meetings but that doesn't mean that all of them are well-versed in conducting a remote hiring process. Hence, it is the responsibility of the interviewers to set expectations beforehand and adapt a cohesive interview training experience.

Here are 5 essentials checklists that will help interviewers prepare before conducting a remote interview for the candidates :

Set technical goals to avoid glitches

Technical glitches possibly could derail the whole virtual interview process. The recruitment team needs to run a technical trial and ensure that the equipment is thoroughly assessed and charged. However, while interviewing remotely, choosing the right web-conferencing tools or finalizing the right communication mediums should be done well in advance.

Minimize distractions

As the interviews are conducted virtually, there can be numerous instances wherein the interviewer is interrupted by the people in the surrounding or any notification alerts that could hamper the interview session. To avoid this, the interviewer could freeze or mute all the electronic devices to “Do-Not-Disturb Mode” and choose a workspace to reduce the constant shifting which helps him/her to stay focused during the technical interview session.

Have a script ready

Even if the hiring manager has experience in conducting the technical interview process, always carrying a prerequisite set of highlighted questions will help set the stage effectively. The standard of the scripted questions depends on the type of role and position required by the company.

Ask key technical questions

For technical remote hiring, it is necessary to assess the technical abilities/skills of each potential developer. To get the best in both areas, identifying their technical background, soft skills as well as analyzing their live coding challenge becomes specific to their knowledge in the tech field and know whether they are capable of handling the problem-solving skills to be the right fit to the company.

Conclude with a strong closure

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Let's look inside 3 creative tech companies with a game-changing remote hiring process

CRED

Based out of Bangalore, is India's first fintech startup company founded in the year 2018 to reward its users for paying their credit card payments and bills. The motive behind this was to create an exclusive community and drive trustworthy and creditworthy individuals.

Introductory screening and testing

An initial 30-minute initial interview is an introductory call where the recruiter gathers the applicant's qualification, professional background, and skills to understand the eligible candidate's ability for the next process.

Technical assessment interview

The shortlisted candidates are scheduled for a total of 3 technical interview rounds with the legal team, finance team, and head of the strategy.

Coding and Programming test

The eligible applicants are analyzed based on high-level programming and coding challenges by using assessment-based online tools.

Virtual onboarding interview

In this evaluation stage, an on-site online interview is conducted by the technical domain experts to find the right candidate on board.

SLACK

The platform boasts millions of active daily users under one roof. Slack is one of the fast-growing tech giant companies is now renowned for its company work culture and flexible remote hiring process post-pandemic.

Phone Screening

An initial 30-minute phone interview is set up by the recruitment team that covers the basic skills and background of the candidate

Technical test

The shortlisted candidates are scheduled with a test to assess their technical abilities such as coding challenge, Analytical SQL, etc.

Phone interview with a hiring manager

After completing the technical test, the next step is to have an in-depth skill interview with the hiring manager consisting of an hour.

Virtual onboarding interview

In this final round, the candidate goes through a rigorous remote interview round before selecting the candidate for the onboarding process.

UBER

As one of the globally renowned, this fast-paced company is always on the lookout for new technical engineers and developers to advance their services and make their technologies safer and reliable. The San-Francisco tech-based company faced major challenges post-pandemic to shoot up its hiring process.

Phone Screening

An introductory phone interview of almost an hour-long is conducted by the recruiter to identify the past experience, technical skills, and goals of the candidate

Technical assessment

The shortlisted candidates are analysed with a thorough soft skill assessment followed by conducting scenario-based studies to evaluate their problem-solving skills.

On-site technical Interview

In this evaluation round, the eligible applicants proceed to an on-site virtual interview which is subdivided into 5 rounds: coding stages, programming, and final interview with the hiring manager.

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To sum it up

Pacing with time, the concept of remote hiring has widened the talent funnel with location flexibility and fewer availability restrictions. Although, this process comparatively magnifies a tech company's ability to find the best developer on board.

Furthermore, companies must be prepared to go through a structured remote interview process for selecting a suitable candidate. While it must be a complex process to ace this new concept of remote hiring, we at Plover help you shortlist the eligible developers and guide you through the onboarding process where we match the perfect fit to your organization. Our team of experienced interviewers keeps a tab on the applicants' skillset, requirements and helps you find the right match efficiently.