Virtual Interviews Can Improve the Accuracy of Job Interviews and Reduce Costs:

What do Doctors Without Borders, Yelp, Trivago, ExxonMobil, Porsche Consulting, and ClubMed have in common? According to WebEmployed.com, these organizations and others use Skype to conduct virtual interviews with qualified job candidates around the world. Among the benefits are speed and cost savings, since the time and expense to get candidate and interviewer to the same place are eliminated. Not only can hiring companies interview more candidates; multiple interviewers can participate, yielding more and better information for selecting a new hire. Job candidates benefit, too. They don't need to take time off for travel to be considered for a job, and they can widen the pool of organizations to which they apply.

In a variation on virtual interviewing that demonstrates another of its advantages, Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic (the parent company of WordPress), tries to eliminate hidden bias by using text-only Skype and messaging for the final stage of interviewing. "I don't know the gender or ethnicity of anyone I interview," he says. "I see only the words on the screen. It's as close to a double-blind process as you can get. I'm looking mainly for passion and cultural fit. Of the people who make it to the final interview, 95 percent get a job offer—a testament to the effectiveness of our approach."

Even before the interview, some companies are using virtual technologies in recruiting. Jet.com, the New Jersey-based shopping site owned by Walmart, has created a virtual reality simulation to let potential job candidates try out its workplace culture wherever they happen to be. They can observe a meeting with the CEO, sample the company's happy hour, and even play games. The company hopes this opportunity will allow it to attract the best candidates to compete against its main rival, Amazon.com.

1: How would you prepare for a virtual interview?

2: If you were relying on virtual interviews to select job candidates, what would you look for?