Not a casual chat: Phone and video interviews are just as important as face-to-face meetings, “Ir Nauda”
Riga, Latvia – Evita Lune, Partner at Pedersen & Partners speaks to Ir Nauda for the Business Etiquette column.
With employers thinking globally, virtual interviews are now routine. “At least one-third of our interviews are managed remotely, although no final decisions are made without meeting the candidate in-person. We use multiple strategies for meeting our final candidates,” says Evita Lune, Partner at international Executive Search firm Pedersen & Partners.
“People do not always understand that a virtual interview should be treated as seriously as a face-to-face conversation. Firstly, the candidate should find an appropriate environment that looks professional – a quiet place with a neutral background, ideally a dedicated meeting room. Secondly, the candidate should be on time or a couple of minutes early. Thirdly, the candidate should dress formally for the video interview. Choose a colour that works well with your skin tone; red, orange and bright green are not recommended, but a dark suit and white shirt work well for men, while white, blue and grey are good on women. It is best to conduct a test video interview in advance to see how you look on camera.
Does your outfit look good? Are your gestures and posture natural and confident? Do your homework for the virtual interview – find out about the person who will lead the interview, prepare a couple of ice-breaking phrases and questions. Your first impression has great power. Phone interviews should not be perceived as a casual chat, and cannot be combined with driving or shopping. If possible, a video interview is better than a phone interview, as a picture creates a stronger image than a disembodied voice. Presenting yourself well in a virtual interview is an important skill set that should be acquired, practiced and perfected. A virtual interview is a purposeful meeting – to evaluate whether you fit the offered position.”
Pedersen & Partners is one of the fastest-growing, fully integrated Executive Search firms worldwide; it is 100% owned by its partners who all work full-time to serve its clients. The firm celebrated its 15th anniversary in January 2016, and to mark this occasion, it has created a timeline web page, featuring key milestones for the firm’s development and has released an anniversary video.
Evita Lune joined Pedersen & Partners in 2005; she is Partner, the Country Manager for Latvia and Head of the Retail Practice Group. As Partner Ms. Lune also takes on regional oversight, and through completing numerous senior level assignments Ms. Lune has established strong cooperation with clients in Poland, the Baltics, Scandinavia, Russia and CIS across such sectors as: Consumer Goods, Retail, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing and the Professional Services sectors. Her previous experience includes three years with the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga as the Executive MBA Program Director and six years with Shell in international regional marketing management functions in Riga, Budapest and Brussels.
Pedersen & Partners is a leading international Executive Search firm. We operate 56 wholly owned offices in 52 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia & the Americas. Our values Trust, Relationship and Professionalism apply to our interaction with clients as well as executives. More information about Pedersen & Partners is available at www.pedersenandpartners.com
If you would like to conduct an interview with a representative of Pedersen & Partners, or have other media-related requests, please contact: Diana Danu, Marketing and Communications Manager at: diana.danu@pedersenandpartners.com