By Linda Parker, Executive Manager, Eden Ritchie Recruitment 

As many blogs and articles have told us, the use of technology has exploded since the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace and whilst for the most part, businesses have been able to improve efficiencies and cut costs, however, the world of interviewing seems to have found a new norm.

But what happens when technology goes bad? With the unexpected power outage experienced across Queensland last week it was a good reminder of how heavily we do rely on technology and when it glitches or simply doesn’t work, what happens next? I recently participated in an interview process with a client that allowed applicants the time and opportunity to prepare a response in advance of the scheduled interview time. My learnings to share from this are many, including don’t overprepare to the point where you read from a script … this is not an authentic approach and does not illustrate to the hiring manager that you genuinely know your stuff.

The other key learning is to test your technology with a friend or colleague at least five times before your meeting. Whilst prepared presentations usual visual aids can be effective, if you are solely relying on this without a back-up plan, then don’t risk it!! The awkward silence whilst you are troubleshooting and eating into your interview time is not a comfortable experience for any party involved.

Another tip I will share is don’t talk too fast!

I have recently seen technology/home internet speed simply not able to keep up with the pace of people’s dialogue, creating a phenomenon of stuttering and bad lip syncing!

I have definitely noticed a shift in employer/candidate interviews returning to a more personal face to face format, which is fair to say is still my preferred choice due to the added benefits of reading body language and other non-verbal cues. It also removes the above-mentioned risks.

In saying that, the use of Zoom and MS Teams has provided companies the ability to engage more personally with their regionally based staff on a more regular basis and I have seen a very positive shift in engagement and communication. It may just help to remove some of that ‘us and them’ mentality for large organisations and significantly reduce travel budgets but human contact is still the best form of communication for making people feel valued, heard and for creating camaraderie.

I hope we can all get back to this safely one day soon.

To view our current opportunities, visit us at Eden Ritchie Recruitment