Interviews
We have to conduct employment interviews over the phone. How important are facial expressions and body language during interviews? Is there anything we should do to compensate for not being able to have the person in front of us?
Not having the person in front allows you to focus on what they are saying and how well they express themselves. In the distance environment it is important that people write well, be able to explain things well and to include alternative strategies for learners who need different learning styles.
Given today's technology, you might be able to identify sources of video technology that would allow you to get a feel for those indivisduals facial expressions. Additionally, you might try asking the person to video tape their response to a given set of questions and have that forwarded for your review.
I think that in a phone interview, it is important to ask structured questions that allows an applicant to give examples of past performance and how they handled different situations. Also the examples they give you and the way they articulate will give you an idea of their personality. It is also good to have more than one telephone with different individuals in your company.
With technology today, consider using some type of video conferencing. It would provide a visual.
Audio interviews are good however for screening; then a f2f would be helpful in making the final decision.
A job applicant's superb credentials and outstanding interviewing skills can lead to hiring a person who may not be as fabulous as you thought once they are on the job. In addition to knowledge and communication skills, there are so many personal qualities that are crucial to being a good educator, such as dependability, punctuality, patience, self-control and flexibility. Unfortunately, it is only after the person is on the job for awhile that it becomes apparent whether or not the new educator possesses these personal qualities or not.
