If you’re hiring for insurance jobs during an era when a lot of business is conducted online, how can you conduct your job interviews online as well? That’s a question that many agency owners find themselves asking as they work to navigate new work from home and hiring practices.
Learn how you can ensure that you’re hiring someone who’s the right fit even when you need to hire online.
Why Interview Online?
In addition to being safer in a time of COVID-19, online interviews are a way to find and hire qualified candidates from across the country. If you’re hiring someone who will then be working remotely, you can greatly expand your hiring pool.
According to Inc , “many companies are doing everything possible to cut costs, saves time, maintain efficiency, and produce growth, which is why more business owners are starting to rely on video technology.”
Preparation Is Key
Just as you would prepare for an in-person interview, you also need to prepare well for an online interview. This is an interview, not a conversation with a friend. If you’re not used to interviewing online, remember to prepare as you would for an in-person interview. Bring:
- An outline of the job description and position so that you’re ready for questions
- The candidate’s resume and cover letter
- Questions you have about their qualifications
- General questions that you ask in an interview to get a sense of skills and cultural fit with the agency
Find the Right Location
If you’re interviewing in person, you would choose a location that is quiet, well-lit, and private. Do the same for your online interviews.
Even if you’re working from home, make it clear that this is an important interview that can’t be interrupted, and make an effort to find a quiet location. Use a virtual background if you need to work from a cluttered location.
Online job interviews may have a different feel than in-person interviews, but they can still be effective.
Get Ready for the Tech
If online interviews are not comfortable for you, consider asking someone with more technical expertise to assist or sit in on the meeting. Get to the meeting early so that if something goes wrong with the technology, you have time to adjust and fix it.
While some technological problems are hard to avoid, if you don’t understand the technology, this does not reflect well on your company. Do a dry run with a colleague so that you understand the technology you are using.
Ensure That the Time is Right
As you schedule the interview, according to Career Addict , you should make sure that you “provide the candidate with all the relevant information, including the names of the interviewers, contact details and the estimated duration of the call.”
It’s easy to get confused when multiple time zones are in play. Confirm with your candidate, and send out the invitation in their time zone so that you both show up at the right time.
Talk to References
Sometimes people’s personalities don’t come across as clearly during an online interview as they do when you’re in a room together. If you’re curious as to whether an individual might be a good fit for your agency’s culture and you don’t have a strong sense of them online, additional reference checks can be helpful. While you always need to check references, this is a time when you can ask more questions about how an individual interacts with others in the work environment, manages conflict, and presents themselves to clients.
At the American Agents Alliance, we’re here to help your independent insurance agency thrive. Contact us today to learn more about the ways in which we can assist you in finding the best people for your insurance jobs.
