The world has changed in the last few weeks. The restrictions regarding our movements are impacting how we engage with others, and maintain business and personal relationships at a time when communicating is, for most of us, even more crucial than ever.
Those organisations that have embraced remote working have generally managed to respond to current challenges quickly but for those having to rapidly adapt, it can be tricky to implement the technology and infrastructure needed to keep the wheels moving and communications flowing internally and externally. When it comes to sustainability, now is a crucial time to be engaging with global supply chains, investors and consumers.
Here at Acre, we are spending a lot of time consulting with our clients to help them manage business-critical hires and sharing market insight. We could still be many weeks or months away from returning to normality - can our clients afford to wait? Are there advantages to using this time to engage with candidates and start forward-planning? What risks are there in the long-run for your sustainability strategy by leaving gaps in the team?
Many businesses we work with are still actively recruiting and this brings its own challenges as, for many, recruiting remotely will, as a candidate or an employer, be unchartered territory. The big questions for both business and candidates are always:
How do you successfully interview and onboard when you can’t meet in person?
How do you build trust and understanding when you are physically separated?
In Sustainability, success is often accredited not only to the technical competencies within a team, but to the ‘soft skills’ that we use to engage across a business, and in a recruitment situation this will be key in weighing up the fit for both parties.
With some sensible planning and consideration the process can be insightful and productive for both sides, reducing the impact of technology and allowing personal connections to be built.
For both parties, these qualities can be the trickiest to convey over video, so here are Acre’s rules of engagement:
Technical:
Ensure you are on a stable connection. Wi-Fi is likely more stable than tethering from your phone. Turn off other high-bandwidth services and quit apps that are CPU-intensive on your device.
Check you have the meeting link and software. This will often be shared by the meeting organiser, so check in advance that you have the meeting link and preferred video-meeting software (if you’re working with us, we’d always recommend a quick test run!)
Camera positioning: Try to have your eyes level with the camera to ensure as natural and human a vantage as possible. If you are using your phone, place it on something stable so your hands are free and the view is natural and consistent. You should also check what the camera can see – make sure whats behind you is tidy and organised, that’s how you need to be perceived.
Lighting: Face the light whenever possible. If your station is fixed and you have a window behind you, shut the blinds and use a desk lamp in front of your face.
Sound: Ensure you are somewhere quiet and that your device has a microphone that picks up your voice well and background noise is minimal.
Personal:
Timekeeping: Join the meeting on-time, know who you will be speaking with and expect a little small-talk as everyone joins the meeting. Let anyone else in the house know you will be on a call to ensure no intrusions into your meeting
Treat it as an “in person” meeting: Dress appropriately, stay focused on those on the screen, ensure your phone is muted and other devices are not in frame.
Note-taking: Note-taking is fine, we recommend pen and paper but if you use a device be conscious that you are giving the right impression.
To download a PDF Infographic Guide to 'Productive & Efficient ‘home to home’ Video Interviewing' to share with your network, please fill in the form below.
