3 Ways to Go All-in With a Video Interview Platform

The decision to use a new hiring tool creates significant changes for your team. It takes time to adjust, and many HR and hiring professionals are often reluctant to fully commit to new tools due to how often trends shift.

Our latest research with HR.com revealed 52 percent of companies now use video interviews and they see numerous advantages to the hiring tool. Yet, most users haven’t wholly committed to the platform.

While the majority of users say talent acquisition staff and candidates are happy with video interviews — likely because they’ve shortened their time-to-hire (62 percent) and reduced hiring costs (60 percent) — they still aren’t using all the features to screen every type of candidate.

With video interview platforms, there’s no reason to just dip in your toes. Jump in! The water’s fine.

Here are three ways to use video interviews in more aspects of your hiring process:

1. Take full advantage of employer branding features

Companies should take every opportunity to improve their employer branding. It helps attract top talent and gives candidates a better idea of what your company is like. Yet our research found only 14 percent of video interview users view the platform as a chance to further their employer branding efforts.

It’s really a very simple and effective way to make the most of the platform’s features. The first step is changing the settings of your account to include your company logo and colors. The customized appearance of your video interviews catches candidates’ attention immediately.

Also, the platform allows you to send candidates recorded video messages answering common questions about your organization. It’s easy to create and distribute videos that cover topics such as:

• • Company culture
  • Employee benefits
  • Company values and mission
  • Leadership
  • Career advancement opportunities

As you communicate with candidates throughout the hiring process, attach or embed a video with each email. It will create a fuller image of your organization and employer brand while proactively giving candidates the information they want and need.

2. Replace traditional screening tools with one-way video interviews

Great video interview platforms offer more than live video conferencing. Features like one-way video interviews provide different insights about candidates, like signs of cultural fit. Still, our research shows 51 percent of video interview users do not use one-way video interviews.

Fit one-way video interviews into your hiring process by using them as an early candidate screening tool. Compared to phone interviews, one-way video interviews are quicker and easier to fit into yours and candidates’ schedules while providing more information about candidates.

Once your candidates have recorded their one-way videos, share their responses with the entire team. Give everyone a few days to view the candidates’ interview whenever is most convenient.

Within the platform, hiring managers, HR professionals, and other important members of the hiring team are able to leave feedback about candidates on each video. Then, you can discuss together which candidates are best to move on to the next stage of the hiring process.

3. Create a consistent candidate experience

Our research revealed 75 percent of companies use video interview platforms to interview for full-time positions. Surprisingly, only 24 percent of companies use video interviews when screening for part-time jobs, and just 9 percent use them for contracted or freelance employees.

Even though these employees aren’t full-time members of the team, treating them differently during the hiring process creates inherent inequality. These candidates will have different experiences during the hiring process giving way to very different opinions about your company. This makes it difficult to track and compare hiring data. Without an accurate picture of the effectiveness of your hiring process due to inconsistencies, it’s difficult to spot and fix problems.

Make sure all candidates go through the same screens. It might seem unnecessary, especially with freelance employees. But as companies continue to use more contracted employees, it’s important to create a consistent candidate experience.

Using a video interview platform is an excellent experience for hiring professionals when used to its fullest capacity. By committing to exploring and incorporating all of the features your dedicated video interview platform has to offer, you’ll create a more effective hiring process that you and your candidates love.