James Burdis

​Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a huge impact on all areas of our lives, including work. Many companies are shifting to remote working, utilising technology to communicate and online platforms to continue business as usual. In order to support your current employees, you're embracing change. Let's extend this positive attitude to hiring and onboarding your new employees. ​1. Candidate Engagement It's unfortunate that some companies have been forced to make redundancies. However, this means the market is now seeing a surge in highly skilled candidates that you might not have been able to access before, so it's a great time to engage them. While some industries have seen a downturn, others are seeing increased demand and are ready to hire. If you're hiring, it's likely your industry competitors are hiring too. The right engagement means you don't miss out on the best talent. A CareerBuilder survey found that 80% of candidates use the quality of the hiring process to determine how a company will treat its employees. Engaging candidates remotely doesn't need to be difficult. Think about your own positive recruitment experiences, the type of people you want to attract and how they would like to be approached. 66% of candidates believe interactions with employees are the best way to get insight about a company and engaged candidates can be 'off the market' within 10 days.​How to improve candidate engagement remotely:Think about positive interaction stylesBuild up your employee brand and online presenceCreate an engaging pre-selection processRegular communication is keyUtilise different channels (Video/Social/Text)What can you make interactive?Consider using a chatbotCan you make your job descriptions more exciting?Showcase culture with employee testimonialsOutline a robust hiring timeline Send reassuring confirmation emailsProvide feedback between touchpointsAsk for feedback on your process​A compelling job description is very effective for increasing candidate engagement. Here's how to make yours stand out:Mission & ValuesBenefitsCompany cultureRole informationRole requirementsYour awardsLinks to your website & social mediaRecent press & project infoImages & video​2. Video InterviewsVideo software is now crucial for remote workers to communicate and it makes a great addition to your remote hiring purposes. It's an excellent way to meet and interview potential employees and far more engaging than a phone interview. These are some of the most popular video platforms that you could use for interviews:ZoomGoogle HangoutsSkype for BusinessGoToMeetingBlue JeansBenefits of video interviews include being able to invite multiple colleagues to interviews or sharing recordings for feedback, you get more context and detail on candidate skills and experience and you can see their personality, communication style and read their body language. Follow the below checklists for a great video interview experience...​Internal set up:Outline questions tailored to each candidatePrepare information about company cultureAnticipate common questions from candidatesFind a quiet place to conduct the interviewInvite relevant colleaguesMake video software and logins availableLook at ways of recording the interviewDefine a clear follow up and onboarding process​For the candidate:Schedule a time and dateDetail the video platform informationInclude any logins/passwords requiredInclude a link to a demo of the video platformIf more than one interviewer, list of any other interview attendees Detail the structure of the interviewAsk permission to record the interviewOutline what happens after the interview​3. Remote OnboardingAccording to Glassdoor, great employee onboarding can improve employee retention by 82%!For companies that haven't had remote employees, the concept of shifting to a completely remote onboarding process can feel intimidating. However, there's a variety of online tools available that enable you to create a smooth process, including 'pre-onboarding' options to help put new employees at ease.​Before they start:Send a welcome email a week or two before their start dateGet your paperwork completed with electronic documents and signatures Define the process so new employees know what to expect on Day 1Provide access to FAQs to answer common queries & assign a point of contact, mentor or 'buddy' for when they start​Review your onboarding process and make improvements including:Platforms & Tech: Map a generic onboarding process flow to highlight areas for improvements and identify needsSet up online systems and associated logins so anyone can work anywherePersonalisation:Create a personalised onboarding process for each new employee, based on their role and individual needsCommunicate the benefits and cultureSet out a plan for development, e-learning and where possible assign a mentoInteractions:Set up regular one to one contact with their line manager and video introductions to team membersSet dates and times for regular check-ins and ask for feedback on the processExpectations & Management Outline expectations in regard to the role and behavioursHelp them structure their day and activitiesSupport them in managing mental health and well-being​Useful ResourcesTeam Collaboration Platforms:SlackMicrosoft TeamsChantyRocket ChatFlockTrello​Video Software:Blue JeansZoomSkype for BusinessGo To MeetingGoogle Hangouts​Onboarding Platforms:EnboarderBobEloomiTalmundoLessonlyZenefits​We're here to help!Hanover offer solutions to support engagement, remote interviewing and remote onboarding. In these uncertain times, you're busy helping existing employees and doing your day job, so at Hanover we manage the entire recruitment process including:Candidate Engagement - Job Advertising, Interactive Job Descriptions, Content MarketingVideo Interviews - Online Video Interviews. Share, shortlist and feedback in a few clicksRemote Onboarding - Data Insights to tailor remote onboarding to individual needsFind out more about our recruitment solutions here!Or are looking for a project team?

​It's a difficult time. The coronavirus outbreak is impacting all areas of our lives, from isolation to economic impact and the ongoing battle to keep businesses running as usual. Many companies are now working remotely and this is also having an impact on their recruitment. Businesses are now switching to telephone and video interviewing in order to adapt hiring processes and keep everyone safe. Although standard interview questions might remain the same, video interviews are undoubtedly different to interviewing face to face. Here’s our tips on how to ace a video interview…​Test Out Your Video Interview TechBefore you start it’s important to check you’ve set up the tech properly. A few hours, or even the day before your video interview, test out the platform you’ll be using and your laptop camera and microphone. Do you have a good WiFi connection? Make sure any software is up to date and if possible do a test call to ensure good sound and picture quality.​Prepare Your Location Where will you do the interview? Conduct the interview somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed and notify family/housemates. When you test your tech, take a look at your background. You need a minimal and non-distracting background with good lighting. Check your camera angles, as some laptop cameras can be set lower. Try to position the camera for a clear and proportioned head and shoulders shot.​Time To Dress The Part You’re likely in isolation or social distancing mode, so it’s easy to slip into sweatpants! However, you need to dress in the same way you would if you were going for a face to face interview. Don’t be tempted to dress up just your top-half! You’re still making a first impression. Think about the seniority of the role you’re applying for and the company you’re interviewing with.​Research and PractiseAs with a normal interview, research the company you’re interviewing with and have a copy of your CV to hand. It’s a good idea to make a few notes on your achievements with a few examples. However, don’t read from your notes, or look over to them too often as this looks awkward and unnatural. Have a practise prior to the video interview, memorising points you want to cover. Remember to smile and be enthusiastic.​Getting Friendly Support It’s easier to do a video interview if you have someone to coach you. We use a video platform called Hinterview which opens as an initial video call, where our Recruitment Consultants can brief and coach you before the video interview starts. This gives you added confidence, the chance to ask questions and be ready to make a great first impression in your video interview!​​Help and Advice Many people are now facing, and adapting, to new ways of working. At Hanover, we are dedicated to supporting both our clients and candidates with tech-focused solutions so they can overcome current challenges.If you want to know more about how Hanover can help you, head over to our homepage!​

​Job interviews should be a conversation, not just an opportunity for a potential employer to grill you! Being enthusiastic and asking appropriate questions makes you stand out and can help you make a more informed decision about whether the job is going to be right for you.Whether you ask questions throughout the interview as the opportunity naturally arises or at the end, make sure you bear in mind our top questions to ask in a job interview.Do however make sure you do your research first. You should be prepared for the interview anyway but you don’t want to ask a question that you should already know from a quick visit to the employer’s website or a Google search.​Here’s our top 10 questions that you should ask your interviewer…1. Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?2. What could I expect in terms of development and support?3. What aspirations do you have for this role at the company?4. Where will the job fit into the team/company structure?5. How is success in this job measured?6. What do you think are the biggest challenges for the person in this role and for the organisation as a whole?7. How would you describe the company culture and management style?8. What are the company’s plans for the future?9. What do you most enjoy about working here?10. What happens next in the process?​Each answer to the questions above should give you a better insight into the role and the company you could be working for. By finishing off on the ‘next steps’ question you can round off the interview by showing you are definitely interested in the position and hopefully their answer will give you a clue as to how the interview has gone.Good luck!​Looking for a new job?At Hanover we help our candidates with CV advice and interview guidance, not to mention finding you great opportunities working with exciting tech and digital employers. We work with FTSE100 companies, start-ups, creative agencies and independent innovators. See our featured jobs or send us your CV!