Have you faced the process of hiring talents that end up leaving your company before completing the trial period? Or maybe you have finished an interview and you have not felt satisfied with the knowledge you have as an interviewer? It is probably because you have carried out an interview process that did not reach optimal levels of execution.
Although it may not seem like it, interview processes are more complex than they might seem. Since obtaining real relevant information for the position in a short period requires an adequate level of skills interviewing.
This guide that we have prepared, will allow you to obtain valuable resources when facing interview situations, with you being in charge of obtaining all the relevant information in the shortest amount of time possible.
Before describing those important elements to explore during a job interview, it is extremely important to start from certain premises:
1. The interviews must adjust to the role that we want to occupy, not all the interviews must follow the same pattern, because we would be losing relevant information or assuming the candidate's answers.
2. The interview processes must evaluate, in almost all cases, not only the technical skills of the role, but also the soft skills of the candidate, this will allow knowing if the adjustment to the needs of the role is met, but also its adaptation to the company culture and the challenges of the position.
3. Lastly, interviews should always be prepared in advance, since improvising during the session will significantly increase the possibility of omitting relevant information, losing the opportunity to obtain all the information you require for decision making and will not allow you, later, to objectively compare several candidates, because what you explore with the one you may not have explored with another, this being an error that we must avoid at all costs. Bearing these premises in mind, then we can go on to describe our recommendations when facing an interview to hire your next virtual assistant:
Certify the information in the resume
It sounds silly, but many interviewers assume that the information that candidates present in their resumes is completely true. The recommendation is, as mentioned above, to prepare the interview by reviewing in detail the resume of the candidate that we are going to interview beforehand, this will allow us to explore any doubts that the information presented may generate, validate that the activities carried outfit what we are looking for, and even find inconsistencies in the candidate's speech. The purpose is not to play the role of detective, but to validate that the candidate knows and masters the processes described in his resume.
Explore time management and sense of urgency
One of the most important skills to guarantee in a VA is that they can respond in time to the needs and demands of everyday life. To achieve this, t that virtual assistants must-have skills that allow them to self-manage their time, so that they can respond to requests effectively and efficiently. Knowing how they organize the tasks of the day, if they use digital tools to monitor and manage the projects they are involved in, or even if they use agendas or calendars to distribute their time, are relevant elements to explore with virtual assistants.
How to deal with unforeseen events of remote work
Remote work is far from traditional office work in many ways: distractions can be more or less, depending on the space VAs work in; there may be power or internet outages more often than in an office; it may even be that the hours of sleep, meals, or work furniture are managed inefficiently. In interviews with virtual assistants, it is relevant to explore how candidates deal with these scenarios if they have previous experience working remotely, or how they would react to atypical situations such as power or internet outages. Talents who anticipate this type of scenario and are specially prepared to face a remote work scenario will always be more desirable than those who are not prepared or who do not show the ability to solve this kind of situation.
Identify why the opportunity you offer generates added value for the candidate
Candidates may have many reasons to seek remote jobs, however, finding talent that believes in your company project, seems genuinely motivated to join the organization, and shows an interest in developing the responsibilities of the position will increase organizational commitment despite the physical distance with the team, will allow them to be more open to always giving the extra mile and they will be more open to integrating with their co-workers. Although having the experience and knowledge to assume the role is highly relevant, the organizational cultural adjustment will significantly increase the fact that talent remains linked to the project for much longer than those who do not fully identify with the position of the company, since it will be easier for them to go to other companies in the short term.
Leave an open space for questions at the end of the session
At the end of the interview and once you are satisfied with the information obtained, leave the possibility open to the candidate to ask more about the company or the role. This practice is not frequent among hiring managers, but it is extremely important to know the candidate's interest in knowing more about the company, at the same time that it will make it easier for the candidate to feel even more involved with the selection process and it will be an additional opportunity to sell you the role and the company and validate the fit you would have with the position.
By following these recommendations, we are sure that your interview processes will be more complete and will allow you to make decisions more easily.
Also, if you are interested in hiring a virtual assistant, count on our advice to recruit the ideal candidate. What are you waiting for? It's time to delegate and elevate your business!
