Spark HireHiring for public schools comes with a unique set of challenges. Like most public school systems, Savannah-Chatham County receives a large number of applicants for open roles every year. Unimpressed with their antiquated method, Dr. Heather Bilton, Director of Employment for Savannah-Chatham County schools, began looking for a more innovative and efficient approach to their pre-screening process.
To gain better candidate insight earlier on in their hiring timeline, Bilton and her team began using Spark Hire’s video interviews. The efficiency, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness of the platform made it the simple, obvious solution to their hiring needs.
A more in-depth approach
Every year, when the job openings for Savannah-Chatham County public schools are posted, Bilton and her team are flooded with applications. Before implementing video interviews into their screening process, the hiring team would spend hours of their day reviewing resumes one by one. Eventually, all qualified candidates would be handed off to hiring managers, who would then comb through the pile of resumes again to determine who moves on to face-to-face interviews. Overall, the process was inefficient and exhausting.
Now, the team uses Spark Hire’s one-way video interviews to screen candidates for an in-depth, streamlined approach more effective for hiring for public schools.
“Spark Hire has certainly saved us time and given an extra level of information on our candidates before meeting them face-to-face,” says Bilton, adding, “Allowing hiring managers and their teams to score the videos independently also helps us save time and get varied, uninfluenced input from team members.”
Better communication with hiring managers
Allowing hiring managers and their teams to score the videos independently has also helped save time and encouraged varied input from team members. It’s much easier to connect with hiring managers on the next steps, thereby decreasing the lag time between interviews and improving confidence in their hiring decisions. “Allowing hiring managers and their teams to score the videos independently also helps us save time and get varied, uninfluenced input from team members,” says Bilton.
After recognizing the advantages, hiring managers were eager to leverage Spark Hire in their screening methods. “[Hiring managers] were sold from the beginning… [they] routinely request Spark Hire videos as the first step in the hiring process,” says Bilton.
Convenience and ease of use
Of course, the intuitive nature of the platform was also a huge selling point when considering the challenges of hiring for public schools. Bilton and her team felt comfortable using the software almost immediately: “We had Spark Hire up and running, receiving video interviews from candidates in less than three days. We attribute the quick start to Spark Hire’s support and how easy the platform is to use,” says Bilton. The ease of use made it an obvious benefit to hiring managers as well.
The platform was also instrumental in navigating the many challenges created by COVID-19. With a virtual interview process already in place, Bilton’s hiring team was able to continue with their hiring efforts in a safe and professional manner.
A great tool to save time
Since implementing Spark Hire, the team at Savannah-Chatham Public Schools has been able to tackle all their hiring goals. “Spark Hire is a great tool to save time, easy to use, and provides a great deal of information on candidates before the face-to-face interview,” says Bilton.
Bilton doesn’t see the video interview trend fading out any time soon. Through COVID, many more companies began adopting the technology, and have realized the added benefits of such a streamlined approach. With its ease of use, efficiency, and convenience, Spark Hire’s video interviewing is now central to the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s hiring process.
Josh Tolan
