The virtual interview is a very important process because it lets the manager decide whether the employee has what it takes to be a member of a virtual team. Since the manager and the remote employee don’t meet each other during the interview, it is through the virtual interview that the manager evaluates the skills of the employees.
If you are a virtual project manager, the following are some questions you should ask during a virtual interview to see if the candidates have the required skills.
1. What Do you Do if Your Printer is Not Working
Although it looks like a pretty basic question, these type of questions let you know how much does the employee know about basic technology. If the members of the virtual team know their way around the computer, wi-fi, etc. it helps improve the productivity of the team.
2. Are you familiar with the Collaboration Tool we Use
If your team members have some knowledge of the collaboration tools and project management software your organization uses, they will be able to adapt to change quickly. This saves time and improves the overall effectiveness of the team.
3. How do you Cope with Changing Technology
This question will let you evaluate the technological aptitude of the employee. It will let you decide whether the employee has the ability and willingness to learn the new technology.
4. How Do you Decide When to Ask for IT’s Help
Ask the candidates how do they decide they are not able to solve a problem related to the technology and it is the time to call the IT for help. It is very important to know if the employee has the ability to ask for help on time because working virtually is totally dependant on computers and technology.
5. Ask for Writing Samples before Conducting the Virtual Interview
Ask for writing samples related to the job as it will help you evaluate the communication skills of the employee. Remember to inform employees about the samples before the interview so they have time to think. It is extremely important to know how good the employee is at communication because in virtual teams miscommunication is one of the major problems.
6. Engage in a Small Scenario Conversation
Engaging in a conversation with the candidate is another way to evaluate the verbal communication skills of the employee. For example, if it is a position for a call center, you can converse with the interviewee as the customer to see how he/she will interact with customers.
7. Ask about the Story of Previous Virtual Project they Have Worked on
Ask the candidates during the virtual interview about the pervious virtual project they have worked on, how they organized it and propelled it through to completion. This will help you evaluate the independent drive and ambition of the employee.
8. How Do you Keep yourself from Distracting in a Virtual Environment
In a virtual environment it is very easy for an employee to get distracted because there are not being supervised constantly. This question will help you know how much self-discipline does the employee have.
9. How Do you Maintain Self-Discipline in Real Life
This is another great question to evaluate the self-discipline of the employee. This question is particularly important for the employees who haven’t previously worked virtually.
10. What Are Your Goals and Objectives
Asking this question will allow you to understand the self-starting and self-motivation skills of the employee. These skills are very important for the success of the team.
If you are about to conduct a virtual interview, remember to ask these questions to be able to evaluate the employees.
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