Meeting Tips
Andrey Shcherbina
Dec 23, 2025
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Updated on
Dec 23, 2025
Recruiter conducts five interviews in row through video call. By the third interview attention scattered, by the fourth checking email in parallel, by the fifth barely remembers what talked about with previous candidates. Evening sits down to write feedback—candidate faces mixed up, answers forgotten, only general impressions remain. Choices made based on emotions, not facts.
Online interviews seem easier than in-person—no need to book meeting rooms, can conduct more interviews per day, candidates save travel time. In practice, online format requires greater discipline from the recruiter. Distractions invisible to candidates but kill assessment quality. Technical problems disrupt meetings. Lack of physical presence complicates reading nonverbal signals.
The mymeet.ai team works with HR departments of Russian companies building effective online hiring processes. Proper remote interview organization increases candidate assessment accuracy and accelerates vacancy closing.
Online Interview - Features and Differences from In-Person
Transition to online hiring changed not only interview location but interaction dynamics with candidates. Understanding these changes helps adapt assessment techniques.
What Changes with Move to Online
Loss of some nonverbal information—most significant change. In the office you see the entire candidate, their posture, gestures, how they enter the room, how they sit. Through the camera only the upper body is available, and at a limited angle.
Technical problems become part of the process. Audio delays, connection interruptions, echo, camera problems—all affect candidate perception. A person may look nervous due to poor internet, not stress.
Recruiter attention decreases during a series of online interviews. Zoom fatigue is real—after three-four hours of consecutive video calls, concentration drops. In the office, environment change between interviews helps maintain focus.
Online Interview Advantages
Geography stops being limitation. Can interview candidates from any city without travel or business trip costs. For companies hiring remote employees, this is critical.
Recruiter throughput increases. Can conduct 5-6 interviews per day instead of 3-4 because no time for moving between meeting rooms and greeting guests in the office.
Interview recording enables reviewing interviews, sharing with colleagues, and checking impressions. In office, recording is technically harder and perceived more formally.
Format Challenges and Limitations
Cultural fit assessment becomes harder. In the office, the candidate sees the team, atmosphere, and office. This helps them understand if the company fits. Conveying this information through the screen is difficult.
Technical skills harder to verify. If you need to see how a person writes code or works with tools, remote format adds friction. Screen sharing is not the same as sitting nearby and observing.
Informal communication disappears. In the office, before and after the interview there's small talk that says much about the person. Online everything strictly within allocated time—connected, talked, disconnected.
Preparing for Online Interview
Quality preparation determines half of interview success. Improvisation in an online format works worse than an in-person interview.
Choosing Video Call Platform
Zoom remains standard for many companies thanks to stability and moderation features. Meeting recording, virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms for group interviews—all out of box.
Google Meet chosen by companies on Google Workspace. Simple calendar integration, doesn't require app installation. Minus—fewer moderation and recording features compared to Zoom.
Yandex.Telemost and Russian solutions used by companies for whom Federal Law 152 compliance and data storage in Russia is critical. Functionality basic but covers standard interview needs.
Main platform requirement—connection stability and good audio quality. Video can occasionally lag, but audio must always be clear. Without normal audio, interviews are impossible to conduct.
Recruiter Technical Preparation
Check equipment 10 minutes before each interview. Microphone works, camera shows, lighting normal, background behind you not distracting. Sounds trivial, but technical problems on the recruiter side—sign of unprofessionalism.
Use headphones with a microphone instead of a laptop's built-in microphone. Audio quality for candidates will be significantly better. Wireless headphones are more convenient, but check battery charge.
Stable internet connection is critical. If working from home, wired connection is more reliable than Wi-Fi. Warn the household that you have an interview so nobody starts watching video and loads the channel.
Preparing Materials and Questions
A structured question list for each position type should be ready in advance. Don't improvise on fly—leads to unsystematic assessment when asking different candidates different questions.
The candidate's resume and vacancy profile should be open on the second screen or printed. Asking a candidate "remind me where you work now"—bad form.
Note-taking templates help record answers systematically. List of competencies with space for assessment and comments. After the interview, these notes become a feedback foundation.
Test Call Before Interview
For important candidates at final stages, it makes sense to offer a short test call the day before the interview. 5 minutes to check connection, audio, camera. This relieves candidate stress and guarantees no technical problems at the actual interview.
Send instructions to the candidate in advance—what platform you use, what needs installing, where to get a call link. Add contact phone or alternative communication method in case of technical problems.
Online Interview Structure
Clear structure helps conduct interviews effectively and not miss important candidate assessment aspects.
Greeting and Creating Comfortable Atmosphere
The first 2-3 minutes set the tone for the entire interview. Connect a minute early to greet candidates immediately when they enter. Smile, introduce yourself, thank you for your time.
Small talk helps relieve tension. Ask how virtually arrived—how day going, how weather, were their connection problems. 30 seconds of informal conversation helps candidates relax.
Checking Technical Moments
Make sure audio and video work normally on both sides. "Can you hear me well? I hear you clearly. Video showing okay?" Simple check prevents misunderstanding.
Warn about recording if planning to record. "For convenience I'll record our conversation to share with colleagues later. You don't mind?" Get explicit consent—this is a legal requirement.
Main Interview Part
Structure time explicitly. "We have an hour. I'll tell you a bit about the company and position, then ask questions about your experience, and at the end there will be time for your questions. Convenient?"
Ask questions sequentially, moving from general to specific. First about current role and experience, then deepen into specific skills, at end—motivation and expectations.
Take notes openly. "I'll write a bit as we go so I don't forget anything." This is normal and shows a serious attitude to conversation.
Answering Candidate's Questions
Allocate sufficient time for candidate questions—minimum 10 minutes. Good candidates always ask, and question quality speaks to their interest.
Answer honestly, especially about role challenges and difficulties. Embellishment at the interview stage leads to disappointment and quick resignation after starting work.
Closing and Next Steps
Clearly explain what's next—when to expect an answer, what other stages will be, who will contact. Uncertainty after the interview irritates candidates most.
Thanks for your time and interest in the vacancy. Even if an understanding candidate doesn't fit, end the meeting positively. Impression from the hiring process affects company reputation.
How to Assess Candidate in Online Format
Assessment through screen requires attention to different signals than in-person interview. Some information is lost, others become more noticeable.
What to Look at Besides Answers
Candidate's interview preparation visible immediately. Choose a normal place for calls without distractions, set the camera at eye level, care about the background and lighting—speaks to the seriousness of attitude.
Punctuality online is more important than in the office. 5-minute delay to office can be blamed on traffic, delay to video call speaks of disrespect or poor organization.
Ability to explain complex things remotely—valuable skill for distributed teams. If a candidate can clearly talk about past projects through a screen, they'll handle remote communication at work.
Nonverbal Signals Through Camera
Eye contact online means looking at the camera, not the screen. Candidates often look at your image on screen, creating the impression they're looking down. This is not a sign of dishonesty, just a format feature.
Energy and engagement read through facial expressions and voice tone. Person answering on autopilot or thinking about questions? Lights up when talking about projects or sounds formal?
Assessing Communication Skills Online
Speech clarity in video calls is more important than live. The candidate speaks clearly, makes pauses, structures thoughts? Or mumbles, swallows words, jumps from topic to topic?
Active listening manifests in clarifying questions, nods, and feedback. "Do I understand correctly that you're asking about...?" shows dialogue engagement.
Types of Online Interviews
Different hiring stages require different interview formats. Understanding each type's specifics helps conduct them effectively.
Screening Interview
Short 15-30 minute call for initial candidate check. Goal—filter out clearly unsuitable and invite potentially interesting people for a full interview.
At screening, check basics—experience matches requirements, salary expectations adequate, readiness for work conditions, motivation to change jobs.
Cameras at screenings can be off if both sides agree. Audio calls are less stressful for candidates and faster for recruiters. But for positions where presentability is important, video is mandatory.
Technical Interview
Checking hard skills online requires special tools. For developers—CodeInterview, HackerRank, live coding with screen sharing. For designers—portfolio review with solution explanations.
Practical tasks better sent in advance for home completion, at interview discuss process and solutions. Live task solving under interview stress doesn't always reflect real skills.
Case Interview and Practical Tasks
Work situation analysis shows the candidate's approach to problems. "Tell me about a difficult project where everything didn't go as planned. How did you act? What would you do differently?"
Screen sharing helps in cases where you need to show tool work. "Show how you'd configure such a system" or "how you'd analyze this data."
Final Interview with Manager
The last stage usually focuses on cultural fit, motivation, and long-term plans. The manager assesses whether it will work out with the candidate, if they share team values.
At the final interview it is important to give the candidate a full picture about the role, team, and challenges. This is a moment to sell positions to strong candidates, not just assess.
Online Interview Types Comparison:
Interview Type | Duration | Format | Who Conducts | What Assessed | Camera |
Screening | 15-30 min | Audio or video | HR/recruiter | Basic fit | Optional |
Technical | 60-90 min | Video + screen share | Technical specialist | Hard skills | Required |
Case interview | 45-60 min | Video + presentation | Future manager | Task approach | Required |
With team | 30-45 min | Group video | Future colleagues | Team fit | Required |
Final | 45-60 min | Video | Top manager | Values, motivation | Required |
How to Automate Hiring Process with mymeet.ai
Main online interview problem—assessment subjectivity and detail loss after interview series. By the end of day, the recruiter remembers only general impressions, while candidate specific answers and arguments are erased from memory.
mymeet.ai Features for HR and Recruiters:
✅ Automatic interview recording and transcription - entire conversation captured with speaker separation without manual note-taking
✅ Specialized AI interview report - system highlights key moments, candidate strengths, red flags and clarification areas
✅ Structured competency assessment - AI analyzes candidate answers by specified criteria and competencies
✅ Fact-based candidate comparison - can quickly compare different candidate answers to same questions
✅ Interactive interview search - can ask "what did candidate say about team management experience" and get exact quote
✅ Federal Law 152 compliance - candidate data stored in Russia complying with personal data legislation requirements
✅ Templates for different position types - reports customized for developer, manager, designer assessment specifics
✅ Feedback time savings - instead of hour writing assessment after interview, get ready structure in minutes
Case Study: How HR Department Uses AI for Interview Analysis
Technology company HR department conducts 40-50 interviews weekly for various positions. Previously recruiters took notes manually and spent 30-40 minutes after each interview writing feedback for hiring managers.
Implementing mymeet.ai automated interview documentation. After each interview, the system creates a structured report—candidate brief summary, key question answers, competency assessment, next stage recommendations.
Result: recruiters save 4-5 hours weekly on feedback writing. Hiring managers get detailed candidate information for decision-making. In disputed cases, can return a transcript and check the candidate's exact wording.
Automate online hiring process. Contact consultant through form to configure AI interview analysis for your assessment criteria.
Best Practices for Conducting Online Interviews
Proven practices help improve candidate assessment quality and create positive candidate experience.
Video Call Etiquette Rules
Turn on the camera always unless technically impossible. Interviews without video on the recruiter 's side creates a feeling of inequality and formality.
Look at the camera at important moments—when explaining something substantial or listening to answer key questions. This creates a sense of eye contact.
Don't eat, don't drink coffee, don't chew gum during interviews. Sounds obvious, but happens. Glass of water okay, full meal—no.
How to Ask Questions Effectively
Open questions give more information than closed questions. Instead of "Did you work with this technology?" ask "Tell me about your experience working with this technology."
Behavioral questions show real experience. "Tell me about a situation when you had to work with a difficult client. What did you do? How did it end?"
Dig deeper into interesting answers. Candidate mentioned project—ask for details. "What was your specific role? What were the challenges? What would you do differently?"
Managing Interview Time
Timeboxes for each block help not stretch the interview. 5 minutes for intro, 40 minutes for questions, 10 minutes for candidate questions, 5 minutes for closing.
Interrupt verbose candidates gently but firmly. "Thanks for the details, let me ask the next question so we have time to discuss everything." Candidates who can't structure answers—red flags for communication skills.
Common Online Interview Mistakes
Understanding common mistakes helps avoid them and improve hiring quality.
Avoidable Technical Problems
Didn't check equipment in advance—classic. The microphone doesn't work, the camera shows the ceiling, and the background is chaotic. The candidate sees unprofessionalism and starts doubting the company.
Poor internet connection on the recruiter side kills the impression. If working from home with unstable Wi-Fi, use wired connection or conduct interviews from the office.
Multitasking During Interview
Checking email, Slack, phone during interview—gross mistake. The candidate feels when you're not listening. Distractions online are physically invisible but noticeable by reaction.
Close all notifications before the interview. Pop-up messages on screen, notification sounds—all distracts you and embarrasses candidates if they see screen sharing.
Unstructured Interview Without Plan
Question improvisation leads to unsystematic assessment. Ask different candidates different questions, then can't compare objectively.
Lack of notes and relying on memory doesn't work with interview series. By the end of day candidates mix up, details forgotten, only emotions remain.
Bias in Online Assessment
Halo effect amplified in online format. Candidate well configured camera and lighting—seems more professional. Or conversely, technical problems create a negative impression.
Subconscious bias about appearance, accent, background behind candidate affects assessment. Be aware of these moments and focus on specific answers and competencies.
Documenting and Analyzing Online Interviews
Systematic interview documentation improves hiring decision quality and legally protects the company.
Taking Notes During Interview
Structured note templates help record important things. List of competencies, place for assessment on each, space for quotes and examples.
Record concrete examples from candidate answers, not just ratings. "Managed team of 5 people, implemented agile, reduced feature delivery time from 2 weeks to 5 days"—specifics that will help when comparing candidates.
Interview Recording - Rules and Ethics
Recording requires candidate consent—Federal Law 152 requirement. Ask explicitly at interview start and record consent. Better to get written consent before a call.
Store recordings securely with limited access. Only hiring process participants should have access to recordings. Delete recordings after vacancy closure according to data retention policy.
Recordings help with disputed decisions—can review interviews if disagreements between interviewers. Also protect companies from discrimination accusations.
Candidate Assessment Templates
Unified assessment system for all candidates for position mandatory. Scale from 1 to 5 for each competency, clear criteria for each score.
Final assessment formed from average scores across key competencies with weights. Technical skills may weigh 40%, soft skills 30%, cultural fit 20%, motivation 10%.
Legal Aspects of Online Interviews in Russia
Compliance with legislation in online hiring protects companies from risks and shows respect to candidates.
Recording Consent
Explicit candidate consent for recording is mandatory. Verbal consent at the start of a recorded interview is sufficient, but better to get written in advance.
Wording can be simple—"For convenience of colleagues participating in hiring, we record interviews. Recording will be accessible only to the hiring team and deleted after vacancy closure. Do you agree?"
Personal Data Processing (Federal Law 152)
Companies must have a policy for processing candidate personal data. Candidates must give consent for data processing when submitting a resume.
Store candidate data securely with limited access. Delete data of candidates not hired within a reasonable timeframe—usually 3-6 months after vacancy closure.
What Can and Can't Be Asked
Forbidden to ask about child plans, marital status, religion, political views if not directly related to job performance.
Can ask about professional experience, skills, education, salary expectations, job change reasons, motivation, readiness for business trips or overtime if provided by position.
Conclusion
Online interviews have become a hiring standard but require a different approach than in-person interviews. Successful online hiring builds on technical preparation, structured assessment and systematic documentation.
Start with basics—check equipment before each interview, use structured questions, take detailed notes. Record interviews with candidate consent and use AI for automatic processing into structured reports.
Ready to improve the online hiring process? Try mymeet.ai free—180 minutes meeting processing without card attachment. Automate interview feedback creation and make hiring decisions based on facts, not vague impressions.
FAQ
What platform to choose for online interviews?
Zoom—standard for most companies thanks to stability and recording features. Google Meet suits companies on Google Workspace. Yandex.Telemost chosen by organizations for whom Federal Law 152 compliance is critical. Main requirement—stable connection and quality audio.
How long should an online interview last?
Screening—15-30 minutes, standard interview—45-60 minutes, technical interview—60-90 minutes. Don't make it shorter than 30 minutes for a full interview—won't have time to assess the candidate. Longer than 90 minutes is not worth—concentration drops for both sides.
Can you record an interview with a candidate?
Yes, but must get explicit candidate consent. Ask at interview start and record consent. Explain recording purpose (for colleagues participating in hiring) and how data will be stored. This is Federal Law 152 requirement for personal data processing.
How to check candidate technical skills online?
Use specialized platforms—CodeInterview or HackerRank for developers, screen sharing to check tool work. Send practical tasks for home completion, at interview discuss process and solutions. Live solving under stress doesn't always reflect real skills.
What to do if a connection is lost during an interview?
Stay calm and give candidates 2-3 minutes to reconnect. If connection is not restored—call by phone or write in messenger to arrange continuation. Offer to reschedule if problems are serious. Technical failures happen, main thing—professionally handle them.
How to assess candidate soft skills in an online format?
Use behavioral questions about real situations from past experience. Pay attention to answer structure, ability to listen and ask clarifying questions, stress reaction. The online format itself is a test of communication skills—how a candidate handles remote communication.
Is a camera needed for a screening call?
For screening, camera optional, can limit to audio. This is less stressful for candidates and faster for recruiters. But for positions where presentability or client work are important, video is mandatory even at screening. Recruiter should always turn on the camera for professionalism.
How to conduct group interviews online?
Use a platform with good group call support. Introduce all participants clearly, explain format. Manage question order so people don't speak simultaneously. Ask participants to keep microphones muted when not speaking. Group interviews online are harder than in-person, make it shorter—maximum 45 minutes.
What questions can't be asked at an interview?
Forbidden to ask about child plans, marital status, religion, political views, nationality, health status if not related to work. This violates the Labor Code and can lead to discrimination accusations. Focus on professional competencies and experience.
How to improve online hiring quality?
Structure interviews with the same questions for all candidates. Record interviews and use AI for automatic processing into reports. Train interviewers on bias work and objective assessment. Collect candidate feedback about the hiring process. Analyze metrics—vacancy closing time, quality of hired employees.
Andrey Shcherbina
Dec 23, 2025
