Conference calling is a great way to include other members of the company in the interview process as well. Your team will want to know who they’re working with, so any qualified candidates can participate in a call with several team members and make an introduction.
Familiarizing your qualified candidates with the team will help both parties feel more comfortable and make the hiring process feel a bit more personalized for your applicants. The more you get to know your candidates, the better the overall relationship you will have with them during their time with your company.
Conference calling services can help upgrade your interview process and even save you time by helping to narrow down potential candidates before an in-person interview. Not to mention, if you’re recruiting remote team members, you won’t be able to meet with some of them due to geographical restrictions. Conference calling services provide an easy platform for you to conduct interviews from the comfort of your office or home.
Here’s how to leverage conference calling in the interview process.
Conference Calling Service?
The days of everyone calling a landline to participate in a conference call are well on their way out the door. Modern technology has allowed for the rise of web-based conference calling services, which have several advantages over their landline counterparts.
For starters, being web-based, you can reach anyone anywhere in the world without those pesky long-distance charges. Imagine how much a long conference call with clients in China or Japan would cost! No need to worry about those costs, however, if you’re using a web-based conference service.
These services often include extra features as well to improve the overall call experience. Everything from video conferencing services to screen sharing software and even cloud storage and sharing tools may be included depending on the service.
With so many extra features, conference calling services are truly the best value for communicating via long or short distances!
Screening Applicants
Setting up a conference call line can help you easily screen several applicants at once. Once you’ve identified which applicants qualify for a short phone interview, you can create a questionnaire and give each one a time slot in the call.
In the span of an hour, you can easily interview 5-6 candidates, each with a ten-minute time slot. Once you’ve finished with one applicant, you’ll simply stay on the conference call and wait for the next one to join. This process is much more efficient than screening applicants by conducting in-person interviews and can help you narrow down the most qualified candidates for a follow-up.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing adds a unique dynamic to the interview process. If you’re unable to host in-person meetings, or simply want to get to know an applicant who will be working remotely, video conferencing can connect you face-to-face no matter where you are in the world.
A large part of the interview process is watching your applicant’s body language, and that’s impossible to do with an audio call. Video calls allow you to see the applicant’s face, connecting their name and personality to it as well as allowing you to watch their body language during the interview.
This effective tool helps to connect you with your applicants well after they’re hired. You’ll be able to host meetings and check-in with your team members face-to-face, even if you never meet them in person. Let’s be honest, it’s much more personal to see someone’s face than to only hear them over the phone, and you want to connect as much as possible with your team to form a strong bond.
Saving Money on Phone Bills
Phone bills can quickly become an expensive part of running a business, and conducting phone interviews via traditional means can add up over time. Using a conference calling service will not only provide you with an affordable platform from which to host calls, but also provide a better overall value for the price with additional features like video conferencing.
Many conference call services charge a monthly (or annual) premium based on the plan you choose. Plans will be limited to a certain number of callers or other restrictions based on the amount you pay per month. Overall, conference calling is a cheaper alternative to traditional landlines and can help streamline your business’s finances.
Sharing Training Materials
One of the best features of conference calling services is the ability to share files directly within the call interface. You can share important training documents or hiring documents that require signatures or review by your applicants without having to send a separate email.
Essentially, a conference calling service allows you to conduct every part of your interview, from giving out paperwork and information on company practices and policies to having a face-to-face conversation from a single interface. That makes for an efficient and straightforward interview process, saving everyone time.
Conclusion
Don’t make the mistake of thinking a conference calling service is only there to support meetings and important business calls. You can utilize your conference calling service to conduct more efficient and personalized remote interviews, giving you a better idea of who you’re interviewing and allowing you to connect a name with a face via video conferencing. Getting to know your applicants can help you make a more informed hiring decision and keep your current team updated on who will be joining them.