The day-to-day work environment has changed drastically over the previous year. Through the adoption of remote work, both employees and employers have had to adjust their day-to-day operations to continue to work effectively from home. Our team at Selby Jennings has found that, in the Financial Technology space, the creation of an optimal virtual interview process is just as crucial as any part of the work from home process.
Overall, feedback regarding remote interviewing has been positive. A key factor to the success of an interview process is the amount of time that it runs from start to finish. A process that spans over six weeks is deemed too long; anything under that timeframe is considered standard. Often, candidates across engineering can have multiple ongoing processes with various clients happening simultaneously; those that are able to move the quickest have the advantage over their competitors when it comes to winning the talent. In addition to swiftness, another aspect that can make a significant difference in an interview process is a focus on open and clear communication. Candidates voiced communication as instrumental throughout the interview process. Clients that were transparent about the process garnered the best feedback; those that were not communicative and went radio silent were viewed as unorganized and uninterested to the candidates.
Once a job offer has been accepted and the candidate prepares to step into their new role, what does the virtual onboarding process look like? Widely requested by candidates, a scheduled call with the Human Resources department is a great way to help the candidate transition into their new company. When the entire process is remote, a common fear is that a new team member won't acclimate as well as employees who began physically in the office. We have seen companies successfully combat this by providing additional steps to the interview or onboarding process, such as virtual tours or virtual happy hours. Additional personal time dedicated to helping a new hire feel welcomed has increased happiness with the virtual process.
