The majority of Russian companies (81%) now conduct interviews online, according to a joint survey by recruiting platform hh.ru and the video conferencing platform Kontur.Talk. Russian employers most frequently hire sales specialists remotely. Among all candidates interviewed in remote format, over one-third (35%) are sales managers. IT specialists rank second, with every fourth remote candidate being a development employee. Administrative personnel also frequently prefer online interviews (23%). Hiring experts consider online recruitment a sustainable trend — it saves time and, in some cases, money.
The survey was conducted from June 19 to July 3, 2023, with 368 Russian companies from various industries and regions participating.
The trend toward remote interviews applies to all office roles, noted Yulia Kim, Head of Professional Recruitment at LavoroSolutions. “The market currently has many sales positions, which may be reflected in the statistics,” she explained. In professional recruitment, sourcing always happens remotely, but typically candidates are invited for final in-person meetings, the specialist clarified: “This is necessary to assess how well the candidate connects and to evaluate their communication skills. These qualities are more difficult to verify in online interviews.”
In the selection process, cases arise where a candidate impresses the employer during the first remote interview but fails to meet expectations at the in-person meeting, Kim reported. Meanwhile, conducting initial interviews in person has become “quite rare,” the recruiter emphasized. “At LavoroSolutions, all first-round interviews in professional recruitment are conducted online. Approximately 70% of second-round interviews with HR department employees also happen online, and only for the third interview do we invite candidates to meet with the manager in person,” she explained.
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