COVID-19 has changed virtually all aspects of our lives—the process by which we vet and hire employees included. With ongoing restrictions regarding face-to-face interactions, more companies transitioning to remote work, and a proliferation of international teams working across time zones, the search for your industry’s top talent may be taking place entirely online.

Although an in-person meeting may be required for certain high-profile positions, there’s a good chance that the early stages of the process will be carried out through technology. After almost two years of Skypes and Zoom meetings, this type of interaction probably feels pretty normal to most people. That said, although online interviews are similar to traditional in-person meetings, they present some significant differences for which both candidates and those conducting the discussions need to prepare.

While most managers have previously participated in online meetings of some type, not all of them know how to conduct a video interview. So, here’s some advice to help you make the most of a remote interview.

Set yourself up for success

Agreeing to simply sit down in front of your computer and speak at a specific time may seem like it would require less logistical planning than meeting in person. You get to skip any navigation or parking instructions, there are no issues with building access, and you don’t have to worry about candidates awkwardly running into each other pre- or post-interview. Easy, right? Well, not so fast.

Remember that you still have a responsibility to your candidates as the interviewer. You need to establish expectations and provide a clear overview of all interview data before the meeting. This includes determining who will place the call, what online meeting platform you’ll use, and preparing the interviewee with a complete list of the names and titles of any other people who may be joining the interview. Failing to provide these details will not only put your candidate on edge, but it will also make your organization look unprofessional and will set a bad tone for the conversation. Prepare in advance and share the details with your interviewees as soon as you have them available.

Don’t let technology get the best of you

The odd glitch or two is hard to avoid, even for the most technically savvy among us. That said, you can do a few things to avoid ending up in an embarrassing situation that could have been easily avoided. First things first, always conduct a technical trial run of your video conferencing platform before the interview. Related to the point above, it is likewise essential to give your interviewee enough time to familiarize yourself with how a platform works, so don’t surprise them on the day of the interview by switching things up.

Check your computer camera, microphone, and internet connection, and make sure you know your login information, especially if you haven’t used the videoconferencing application or tool in a while. You’ll save everyone time and feel less anxious about the process if you already know where different icons are located and how to adjust the volume or share your screen as needed.

Ensure you have a secondary form of contact

Even if you’ve done everything to prepare, last-minute problems can occur. Be sure that you have the candidate’s email and phone number handy before the call, so you can easily connect elsewhere if needed. You might end up having a phone conversation instead of a video interview, and that is usually just fine.

Give the interviewee your full attention

If you’ve got a long to-do list staring at you, it can be tempting to multi-task or sneak a quick peek at your messages while interviewing. Don’t do it. You should switch off alerts and chats during the interview and let colleagues know you are not available. If you’re at home, make it clear to any household members how long you expect to be on the call and that you’d appreciate not being bothered.

If the person you’re speaking to can sense that you’re preoccupied, it will be harder for them to concentrate too. This will ultimately diminish the overall quality of the interview and leave you in a worse off position when it comes to selecting the right person for the job.

Don’t skimp on preparedness or your appearance

Do your candidate the courtesy of having their resume and a list of questions on hand. Familiarize yourself with who you will be speaking to prior to beginning. You don’t want to waste half the time you have together trying to figure out who they are. Also, it is important that even if you’re interviewing from your home or a cafe, you dress as you would at work. This will help set the tone of the interview and get you in the right mindset. Further, make sure the background the candidate will see during the remote interview is neutral and free of distractions (many videoconferencing applications allow you to set a blank background).

Give time to respond and pay attention to facial and tonal cues

It can be easy to ramble on and rush through things when you’re speaking through a screen. Try to leave room at the end of sentences or after you ask a question so that you are not talking over each other. Also, remember to look at the camera when you’re speaking and show the other person that you’re engaged in the conversation.