What back-to-office? Virtual hiring interviews refuse to die down

Looking ahead, IaaS firms said this strategy of virtual interviews combined with in-person interactions for critical stages is forecast to remain steady for the next six months.

For jobseekers, the virtual interview phenomenon that was triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic came as a blessing, saving them the bother of having to get to the office of the company concerned for a face-to-face interaction. And thankfully for them, this mode of dialogue is still prevalent, in spite of the increasing back-to-office calls.

Multiple IaaS or interview-as-a-service platforms have noticed a significant jump—of 78-93 percent—among companies opting for remote assessments for initial rounds, shows data put together for Moneycontrol by IaaS firms.

IaaS firms normally conduct the preliminary round or rounds of interactions with candidates for positions in companies that outsource this service to verified practitioners.

However, for hiring at the mid and senior levels, interviews are strictly on a face-to-face basis, and though there could be some relaxation in the first or second rounds, the latter stages will in almost all cases be in-person interactions.

Based on online recruiter FloCareer’s Q2 2023 survey, 97 percent of responding companies indicated that they would conduct their initial interview rounds virtually. Out of these, they plan to outsource 72 percent of these interviews to external IaaS companies.

Similarly, authentication technology company AuthBridge also saw a 30 percent upsurge (July 2022 vs July 2023) in face-to-face interviews, specifically for managerial and leadership positions, with 80 percent of companies opting for virtual interviews during the initial rounds.

Notably, the trend that emerged was that for positions below managerial level, the entire interview and onboarding process was via the virtual route.

The in-person interview no doubt creates a hassle for jobseekers, especially for those residing in non-metro cities who would have to travel to the company’s office which is typically situated in one of the larger cities.

However, the notion that face-to-face interviews guarantee a higher rate of success in assessment and hiring is also under question now, thanks to pandemic-forced interventions.

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“Forced by the Covid situation initially but now propelled by the need to have a wider geo coverage, lower cost of interviewing and fast-paced interview rounds, virtual interviews continue to grow,” said Mohit Jain, co-founder of FloCareer.

According to a 2023 study by IaaS firm InCruiter, human resources managers save up to 14 hours a week on average by going in for virtual interviews. "This increase in efficiency has also positively impacted the quality of hires for many organisations," it said.

Besides, borderless hiring has gained importance. The report said that access to a global talent pool and streamlined hiring processes have resulted in improved talent acquisition, leading to a substantial 93 percent of employers continuing to use virtual interviews.

The one industry that has seen significant adoption of the remote interview is the information technology (IT) industry. The use of virtual interactions with potential hires by IT companies increased by 45 percent in the first seven months of 2023, as per InCruiter.

This is because many technology companies have a global workforce, and virtual interviews make it easier to screen candidates from all over the world, according to Anil Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of InCruiter.

Industries like education, healthcare and customer service are also driving drastic growth in the IaaS business.

“Even traditional in-person roles like sales and marketing have seamlessly transitioned to virtual formats. This transformation highlights virtual interviews' evolution into a comprehensive tool, revolutionising candidate evaluation for enhanced scrutiny,” said Lokesh Nigam, co-founder and director of IaaS firm Kognoz.

As the virtual interviewing solution is maturing, FloCareer predicts that companies will conduct up to 90 percent of their interviews virtually in the next six months—they are currently conducting two-thirds of their interviews virtually.

While forecasting the exact percentage of growth in the next six months is problematic for Kognoz, a steady increase of around 10-15 percent appears probable, given companies' refinement of remote procedures and their embrace of evolving technologies.

Nevertheless, the in-person interview will not lose its charm but will be reserved for later and more important stages.

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“In-person interviews are typically reserved for the final stages of the selection process, especially for leadership positions within the pool of shortlisted candidates,” said Ajay Trehan, founder and CEO, AuthBridge.

Looking ahead, he said this strategy of virtual interviews combined with in-person interactions for critical stages is forecast to remain steady for the next six months.

Given the irreplaceable role of virtual interviews, Trehan highlighted that establishing a sturdy verification framework is essential to prevent impersonation and ensure credibility in the recruitment process.

Moneycontrol earlier reported that over 14 percent of candidates committed job fraud. Out of this, 80 percent were guilty of lip-syncing, where the interviewee pretended to answer questions while a third person did the actual speaking.

This was followed by external help as the next most prevalent type of fraud. Around 8 percent of candidates chose to take help from another person giving prompts while being off the screen. The remaining 12 percent went for online searches, system tools, etc.