Josh TolanVideo interviews aren’t new to the hiring or recruitment scene. Of course, how they’re used throughout the hiring process has changed as technology has evolved. The one constant, however, is that video is continually increasing in popularity.
Today, video interviews have grown in popularity to the point that candidates expect to see them throughout the job search process. In fact, 36% of Americans believe they’ll have video interviews with recruiters/potential employers in their future interview processes, according to Monster’s 2019 State of the Candidate Survey.
Just like technology has been updated, so have the reasons recruiters continue adding the video interview tools to their processes. We reached out to experts currently finding success with video interviews to find out why they’re dedicated:
1. To establish trust, respect, and understanding
You really need to simulate the in-person experience of a “traditional” interview as best you can in order to establish that sense of trust, respect, and understanding of one another.
The best way we can do this is to mimic an in-person interview as much as possible. One must also go those extra few miles in terms of establishing a comfortable ambiance in the conversation early on.
Then, as we go through the interview, I look for uncomfortable shifts, signs of boredom, obvious signs of lies or awkwardness, or general unhappiness.
Andrew Taylor, Director at Net Lawman
Trust, respect, and understanding are even more critical when unexpected interruptions halt your recruitment process. To keep candidates engaged, move forward with the video interview process and be ready to jump back in to hiring.
2. To build rapport from the start
With recruiters and candidates spending more time interviewing remotely, it’s important to approach these interactions in a structured yet human way. People are looking for more ways to connect right now, and using a video platform, as opposed to an audio-only call, is one way for the candidate and recruiter to build rapport early in the hiring process.
Taking the first few moments of your call to share a little bit about yourself, your role, and the company helps the candidate understand the culture they’d be joining. Whether remote or in-person, every touchpoint can be an opportunity to promote your company’s values and learn more about the candidate.
Jacqui Maguire, Director of Talent Acquisition, Greenhouse Software
Personal connections are a crucial part of recruiting. Let candidates know you’re serious about their interest in a role by giving them a deeper look into employee connections. This helps candidates decide if the company aligns with their expectations.
3. To put an end to scheduling hassles
I would say video interviews are beneficial for both employers and potential hires simply due to the convenience factor. Employers can meet and really get to know a specific candidate in a video interview with that face-to-face interaction, and gain that connection without the hassle of scheduling an in-person meetup.
On the employer’s side, they don’t have to use valuable time and resources scheduling an in-person meeting with a candidate that might not end up getting hired at all. From the interviewee’s perspective, video interviews can be an easy, convenient way to meet with a potential employer without having to show up to an office or workplace.
Chane Steiner, CEO of Crediful
Scheduling hassles have the power to derail your entire process, leaving space for candidates to move on before you even interview them. Stop the back and forth by sending candidates a direct link to your calendar and allowing them to take charge.
4. To increase reach while speeding up time to hire
Video interviews allow our firm to expand the geographic reach of our candidate search, conducting more comprehensive interviews of candidates outside our immediate vicinity in a way that’s economical and efficient.
This interview format also generally speeds up time to hire. It allows HR departments and recruiters to use their time more efficiently, and as a candidate, that often means you’ll get a response more quickly. It’s also much easier for candidates to fit into their schedule, and eliminates the hassle and expense of traveling for them just like it does for the recruiter.
Matt Erhard, Managing Partner at Summit Search Group
Decreasing time to hire is pointless if you’re not reaching the right candidates. To understand what the ‘right’ candidates look like and what they need, it’s crucial you first dig into your recruitment metrics.
5. To improve the preselection process
Video interviews are the perfect addition to our recruitment process because they allow automation for a more economical pre-selection process. Our pre-selection process requires minimal intervention from our recruits because of automation.
This process helps recruiters evaluate candidates better by having a personal assessment compared to using resumes alone. The recorded video interviews also aid recruiters in making an initial evaluation of the candidate’s compatibility with the company work culture.
As a result, recruiters can make more accurate decisions in the pre-screening process by choosing which candidates advance to more in-depth interviews. In turn, it makes the recruitment process more efficient by reducing the frequency of interviews of unqualified candidates.
Jonathon Wright, Management Consultant at QA Lead
The success of your entire recruitment process starts with the sourcing process. Once you have an initial batch of candidates, you must use the tools that are right for your team to enhance screening and hiring.
6. To run post-interview analysis
With candidate consent, you can record video interviews and run an analysis on them later. If it’s for a critical role, multiple people on the team can watch the video and assess the candidate. Everyone on the recruitment or hiring team can then dig deeper to understand a candidate’s body language and personality based on the same interview.
Shradha Kumari, at HR Manager at Surveysensum.
Save interviews in a video library to make the most out of every interview. Those who weren’t hired this round may be the right fit for an upcoming opportunity. By saving their video interviews, you’ll have all the information you need to get a head start on the interview process.
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