Hiring Strategy
February 19, 2026
Virtual interviewing is no longer a stopgap. In financial services, many senior hiring processes now begin – and sometimes end – online.
For strategic roles in risk, compliance, legal and commercial leadership, that shift has changed more than logistics. It has changed how judgement, influence and credibility are assessed.
The question is no longer whether senior leaders can be evaluated online. It’s whether organisations are doing it well.
Senior candidates don’t want exploratory, vague discussions.
Before a first interview, they should understand:
When context is clear, the conversation becomes strategic rather than surface-level. Without it, interviews risk drifting into generic career walkthroughs.
At leadership level, experience is assumed. What matters more is how someone thinks.
Strong virtual interviews focus on:
Structured questioning not only improves assessment quality, but it also reduces bias and ensures alignment across panel members. Online settings can actually sharpen discipline here. With less small talk and fewer environmental distractions, conversations often become more focused.
One of the biggest pitfalls in virtual hiring is internal fragmentation.
Multiple stakeholders join separate calls. Themes overlap. Questions repeat. Candidates are left wondering what each stage is testing.
High-performing hiring teams align beforehand:
When roles are defined, interviews feel cohesive and intentional.
Senior professionals expect clarity.
That means:
In competitive markets, silence speaks loudly. Candidate experience at senior level travels quickly within the industry. Virtual processes remove geographic friction, but they also increase visibility. A disorganised process is more noticeable when everything is digital.
There can be a temptation to treat online interviews as casual screening calls.
For strategic roles, this is a mistake.
Candidates are assessing leadership quality, internal alignment and organisational maturity from the very first interaction. Tone, structure and preparation all signal standards.
Gravitas can be harder to read through a screen. But it’s important not to confuse camera confidence with leadership capability.
Some highly effective risk and compliance leaders are measured, reflective and not naturally performative.
Assessment should focus on clarity of thinking and depth of judgement, as opposed to energy levels on Zoom.
When virtual processes stretch across too many unstructured conversations, fatigue sets in.
Each stage should have a clear purpose:
If every round feels similar, the process loses impact and strong candidates may disengage.
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February 19, 2026
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