Video Interviewing is the Time-Saving Solution for Staffing Placements

Challenges over the last year have shifted how many of us work. Without a doubt, we will remember 2020 as the year of video. But the concept of using video to source and place candidates is not new.

Pre-pandemic, it was not as commonplace to screen candidates virtually, and some employers saw video as impersonal or too complicated for internal processes. However, this meant video interviews had the potential of being a staffing pros’ secret weapon for time savings and standing out from their peers

The global pandemic changed many employers’ opinions, as most businesses worldwide were forced to adopt video communication across their workforce and within their hiring processes. In fact, according to 2020 research from Jobbatical, 60% of recruiters and hiring executives use video technology. 

Now that video has established its place in virtual hiring during the pandemic, staffing pros who do not use video interviewing to speed up their sourcing and placement processes are more likely to lose out to the competition.

Here’s how video interviewing gives you the advantage of time savings when sourcing and placing candidates:

Source and attract talent more effectively

Top talent is scarce and competition is fierce. There is no time to waste when sourcing and attracting new hires for clients. Evolving your staffing processes to meet the current market demands means finding out what job seekers want and bettering your candidate experience to make faster placements. 

According to Glassdoor, 35% of job seekers say they would prefer to apply to jobs from their phones. Mobile devices are commonplace for busy, tech-savvy job seekers. Given the vast shift to video communications, these candidates are also familiar with video interviewing, making the transition from a mobile application to video screening a seamless process.

Creating a simplified user experience for your candidates demonstrates your commitment to time savings and convenience. The ease of video screening aligns for a smooth applicant experience.

Your candidate experience also benefits from revamping your talent brand. Attracting great candidates in the cluttered market requires a consistent brand on all digital fronts. Research from LinkedIn notes the most effective talent branding tools in your candidate experience arsenal are company websites, online professional networks, and social media. 

Beefing up your online presence by sharing valuable metrics related to the speed of your placements and ease of your staffing process ensures you continue to keep great candidates engaged in your talent pool. 

Keep in mind, word of mouth travels fast through talent networks. If your staffing agency quickly and painlessly places candidates into satisfying roles, you’re more likely to pique interest and benefit from time savings when sourcing future talent. 

Schedule quickly and easily

A prolonged scheduling process can also hurt your candidate experience and productivity. Going back and forth trying to schedule a screening interview or meeting wastes precious time. And research from G2 revealed companies lose as many as 89% of potential candidates due to a prolonged screening process. Ouch! 

Speeding up scheduling is simple with help from features and customization available through specialized scheduling tools. You can quickly connect your calendars using iCloud, Google, Office 365, and other emailing software. 

Scheduling tools help you avoid the hassle of navigating time zones and availability by allowing candidates to put themselves into your schedule. You simply set times you’re available each day and leave the scheduling up to everyone else. 

You can also customize your calendar landing page to make it more engaging and informative. Then, it’s as simple as sending potential candidates a scheduling link. The more accessible you are to your talent pool, the more quickly meaningful connections occur. 

The time-saving benefits of these features extend beyond scheduling candidates for video interviews. Clients and colleagues will have access to a variety of meeting and event types on your calendar as well. Email notifications will alert you, so you know when someone wants to meet or talk with you. This allows you to work smarter, not harder. 

Structure screening for efficiency

Time savings often comes down to structure. One-way video interviews, in particular, are a great way to structure your screening process. Creating a structured process ensures your screening interviews move quickly without sacrificing accuracy or quality.  

You can speed up your screening time by creating structured interview questions that can be easily customized for each client and role. You then only need to send one-way video invitations along with these questions to potential candidates. And candidates get the benefit of responding to your interview questions on their schedule. 

From an equity lens, combining one-way videos with structured screening questions ensures every candidate is assessed on the same questions, and everyone evaluates reviews and offers feedback on the same video responses. This speeds up the process by decreasing unnecessary back and forth comparing notes and second-guessing. And candidates receive fair and accurate assessments as there is much less room for bias and mistakes. 

This unique interview format also allows you to invite, review, and share your completed interviews on-demand with clients. Response rates from your team and clients will improve based on the convenience factor. Everyone stays on the same page regarding where candidates are at in each stage of their evaluation due to the simple nature of the structured screening process. 

Furthermore, live video interviews provide a convenient way for you to follow-up on your initial screening interviews without delays due to scheduling conflicts or distance. Live video interviews work to break down unnecessary barriers for long-distance candidates. You can automatically record and share live interviews with key decision-makers for quick feedback. Reviewing is faster and more convenient for you and your client.

When using a dedicated video interview platform, you simply connect through your web browser and the live video can take place. This cuts out time for the candidate when setting up for the interview and the client when reviewing. Even better, if a technology issue arises, a dedicated concierge support team member can promptly take care of your needs. 

Streamline evaluations

There are several factors to consider when streamlining candidate evaluations. Consistent candidate criteria are critical. Everyone involved in the interview evaluation process must have a clear set of benchmarks to quickly and fairly evaluate each candidate’s interview and experience.

But even when there are clear criteria, it can be tricky to review candidates effectively when everyone cannot be present. Traditionally, staffing team members and clients have to refer to your interview notes. But by using video interviews to screen candidates, all decision-makers can rely on their assessments based on the checklist in front of them and the actual interview to provide feedback. 

Video interviewing takes time savings in the evaluation process one step further by creating a space for team notes, client feedback, and an organization system for top candidate ratings. Staffing peers and clients can join the conversation via integrated commenting features for each video.

Suitable candidates can be shortlisted for your next round of interviews. And for those who don’t meet your qualifications, there’s a feature to streamline documentation of rejections. This system for organizing interview feedback and decisions is easily accessible for everyone on the team now and in the future, meaning you spend less time fielding questions and looking for answers.

Share video interviews

The ease of sharing video interviews with clients benefits everyone in terms of time savings. Once you’ve created your shortlist of candidates, you can pass everything on for clients to review on their schedule. 

In the same way, candidates can follow simple links into video interviews without installing complicated software, clients can open candidate videos with the click of a button. Since there are no spreadsheets or lengthy notes to review, clients can promptly begin their video interview assessments to determine who they will funnel into their hiring process. 

A faster sharing and review process means your clients can identify frontrunners and more quickly fill positions. By saving your clients time filling empty roles, you become an invaluable asset. Not to mention, you benefit from being able to move onto other placements. 

Set up a video library

Building your talent pool is made easier through video interviewing. Rather than spending time sourcing and screening fresh talent, especially on a tight deadline, you can turn to silver-medal candidates you previously screened.

Your video library can be accessed time and time again to source for future client openings, temporary roles, and even to revisit should a candidate cross your path again. This library also acts as a historical reference to gauge candidate growth. Depending on the client, role, or candidate, you may only need to call a candidate for an updated live video or in-person interview to place them in a new position.

Send out video messages

Candidates and clients want personalized interactions with you and your team. Canned, impersonal responses can leave those who matter most feeling disregarded. The effort you put into your interactions is invaluable to furthering your staffing success. But typing out lengthy, personalized emails, and scheduling calls can be time-consuming. This is where video messaging can offer you a leg up on your competition, all while saving you time. 

Using a video interview platform, you can create personalized video messages to send out in response to common questions from candidates and clients. These short, custom video messages provide an opportunity to connect. Most importantly, recording video messages can occur when you have a spare moment without worrying about syncing up with a client or candidate for a longer discussion.