Human resources (HR) managers are not only tasked with recruitment, training and benefits administration, but also with meeting strategic objectives such as employee retention, leadership development and diversity management. What’s more, HR policies, procedures and methods have a direct impact on the corporate culture and policies that focus on improving work/life balance and furthering career development to reduce turnover of staff – essential in today’s skills starved environment.

The starting point to any successful organisation, however, is hiring the right staff and certainly, recruitment practices that look beyond traditional boundaries ensure that the highest qualified candidates are considered.

Several factors impact the organisation’s ability to find the most qualified candidates including geographical boundaries, time constraints and travel-costs.

Furthermore, according to a recent labour poll, the typical hiring process - from job requisition to offer acceptance - takes an average of 3 months. And costs associated with this process can easily skyrocket, especially when the shortage of skills forces quick hiring, plagues projects and hampers growth.

Consequently, HR lines of business seeking to streamline this process and reduce the hiring time are turning to technology to assist with resume searches, referrals, initial interviews and follow ups. Those that have, have reported a 30% increase in productivity in less than 12 months of purchase!

There is no doubt that technology, be it video or voice conferencing or even the immersive telepresence solutions, is providing benefits to businesses looking to recruit.

But from a candidate side, how does this influence the recruiting process and what do candidates looking to enter or move around the workplace need to know when faced with such a non-traditional process?

Two things are apparent - do you have the right technology, and knowing the do’s and don’ts for the conference interaction.

The technology needed will depend on the type of conference call for the interview. For instance, will it be a voice conference interview where participants can dial in from a conference enabled phone or cellphone, or will it be a videoconference call, where participants need a laptop, Internet connection and a web camera?

Another alternative, which is gaining market popularity, is Telepresence. Telepresence solutions allow for a real-life, face-to-face, however virtual, experience, where users or participants are completely submerged in the experience – it is as good as being there in person.

Whatever the type of call, it is essential that the relevant technology is easily accessible and in working order. Interviews are nerve-racking as it is and as such, it is important in such a situation that focus is not on the technology, but rather on the interview and the situation at hand.

Candidates are often so focused on being tech-savvy and spend so much concentration fidgeting that they often forget how their behaviour may affect the call, and no amount of technology could make-up for improper conduct during an interview.

In light of this, the following are some of the major do’s and don’ts on conference call etiquette to assist potential candidates with the interview process, to ensure the job is yours for the taking:

* Time - it is important to ensure that all necessary parties are made aware of the exact time of the call, taking into account possible international time differences.

* Interference - it is essential that you have a stable line that you can rely on. If on a cellphone, it’s important to be aware of areas where you may loose signal, as this will cause mass disruption to the call.

However, loss of signal is not the only factor that may disturb a conference call, when on the go, be aware of external factors that may be distractive. Finding a quite corner can often do the trick though.

* Etiquette – a conference call interview should be handled as if it were a face-to-face one, and all formalities and processes that are associated with a face-to-face interview should be followed, ensuring that a high level of professionalism is maintained throughout the call.

Knowing how to survive a conference call interview that certainly challenges the traditional process is the first step in expanding your job opportunities as time and distance constraints are a thing of the past.

All you have to do is wow them with your skills and personality, the technology will just facilitate the process, and your dream job is open for the taking!

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