You’ve undoubtedly read headlines or delved into articles on how every facet of working life is changing. The 5 to 10 year timeline for the evolution of the workplace has been compressed. We’ve written about it ourselves, from changing HR responsibilities, to whole new roles being created to the disruption of the FAANG led “People Agenda”.

Hyperbole is part and parcel of our current zeitgeist, but the rapid shift to Working From Home (WFH) will have revolutionary effects on society as a whole. Think about how a household, office, neighborhood, city now functions when the commute does not exist for 50% of people who want to work from home 3 – 5 days per week, even after restrictions have lifted. There are mixed opinions about heading back for a long commute, and employees now expect more flexibility from their employers.

However, this change doesn’t just affect office life. The knock-on to moving more and more functionality to be decentralized, nomadic and most of all virtual is huge.

Those starting careers now face a changed process in finding work. The face-to-face is considerably less frequent. Zoom, Teams, or whatever the choice of application is – now is the time of the virtual meeting, and therefore, the virtual interview.

For those with more experience, it can feel like taking a headfirst plunge, blindfolded into a new position. A quiet office if you even get an office tour, limited orientation, less opportunities to meet the team in a single setting. That being said, even during COVID restrictions, people were making sure to do socially distant coffee or walk in the park, so these ways to connect are certainly improved more recently.

All of it can knock you out of your comfort zone. The same goes for those on the other side, interviewing, preparing to meet candidates. There has been a lot of effort put into making the virtual interview as comfortable as possible for candidates. Everyone realises the challenge in adapting to this new reality and are very accommodating. But still, it always helps to have a leg up, an extra edge, right?

A recruiter has that relationship with the manager or HR person in question, they’ve done that networking. They know the job inside out. Effective interview prep always helped, but it helps even more where it can remove some of the anxiety around presenting yourself in such an unfamiliar manner.

The recruiter can help you figure out if that team is right for you. What the office is actually like, where the company is going, how they approach online interviews. All this with the perspective of not just one singular job, but the lay of the land in an entire sector.

Not having to dive into a virtual interview after a brief phonecall or formal email, instead having had a real conversation with a recruiter who passes on all the essential information to you, is bound to equip you better for that interview experience. The peace of mind thanks to the interview prep, the extra push from the recruiter’s existing relationship with the decision maker. It all helps overcome the challenges presented by the new reality of building a career.

Give me a call today on 0868582299 or email dcleary@azon.dev.perpetualdigital.ie if you are making a move and unsure on how to get a feel for the virtual interview process!