Josh TolanThe demand for external talent sourcing never rests, which means neither do you. You continuously work to increase your numbers: the number of quality candidates in your talent pool, the number of clients you land, and, ultimately, the number of highly-qualified placements you make.
Over the years, how you reach these growing goals and rise above the competition has evolved. Now, more than ever before, talent professionals, like yourself, focus on technological innovations to consistently be at the top of their game. In fact, 84% of staffing professionals in CareerBuilder’s 2018 Staffing Advantage Report: Where to Make the Right Technology Investments in Staffing think being behind the competition in leveraging technology negatively impacts business.
Talent professionals aren’t the only ones keyed in on the importance of talent sourcing technology. The majority of candidates in the same report (76%) think a firm using the most up-to-date technology differentiates them from the competition.
We understand recognizing what technology effectively boosts placements can be a challenge. And the rapid pace of innovations has the potential to make the decision process long and overwhelming when you’re already limited on time.
To help you make a quick and fully-informed decision, we’ve compiled specific details on how video interview platforms actively boost candidate placements:
1. Increases early insight into candidates
Your clients want an in-depth picture of candidates from the start. Unfortunately, forwarding traditional candidate profiles to clients doesn’t offer deep enough insight into who a candidate is, how they’ll fit on the team, or fulfill specific needs.
While these profiles offer a clear view of hard skills and experiences, many external talent pros no longer believe those skills are the most important factor to highlight. A whopping 92% of respondents in LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2019 Report said soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills when hiring, and 80% say they’re increasingly critical to company success.
Unsurprisingly, the report also revealed most companies struggle to accurately assess soft skills. That’s why it’s critical you demonstrate candidates’ soft skills from their first introduction.
The catch is, as an external team member, it’s even more challenging to portray a candidate’s soft skills to clients. However, one-way video interviews are a unique feature of video interview platforms that allow you to do just that.
For one-way video interviews, you can choose questions based on a specific requisition to showcase candidates’ personalities, soft skills, and unique experiences. As a result, clients gain advanced insights before in-person interviews. This equips them to make the best decisions about who to advance for both themselves and your candidates.
2. Personalizes the candidate experience
The candidate experience is just as important as you work to align the perfect match. As an external talent source, you must stand out to candidates well above your competitors. And in today’s world of connectivity, making a lasting impression means creating genuinely personal connections.
Video interview platforms come equipped with customized branding features that ensure candidates remember who you are. You can upload your logo, select your brand’s unique colors, add photos, and record or embed company videos to appear before and after candidates complete their interviews.
You enhance the experience when you use videos to personally welcome candidates to the process and thank them for their time while giving next step details.
3. Expedites a transparent screening process
You face pressure from all sides during the screening process. Clients expect top candidates to fill their inboxes quickly, and candidates seem to have higher expectations than ever. In fact, 43% of candidates in a 2018 CareerBuilder survey say they have higher expectations for how employers will treat them as a candidate.
Candidates and clients don’t just want a quick screening process. They want frequent and transparent communication. As you know, expediting the communication process is never cut-and-dry. There are many factors impacting candidate details you send to clients and information you receive back.
A dedicated video interview platform allows candidates and clients to have some control over their experience while streamlining the way you stay up-to-date on the status of the screening process.
Candidates record video interviews on their own time and clients screen videos with their team from anywhere in the world. You’ll receive notifications when each step is completed, such as when a client has finished their review. Because you receive faster feedback, you know when to follow up with a client or candidate.
4. Creates opportunity for more structured interviews
A structured interview process provides a fixed format for your clients to easily and fairly assess talent regardless of who evaluates them.
Structured interviews offer all candidates equal opportunity by providing the same questions under the same conditions. This process enhances the candidate experience and the chance of making the right placement increases due to more accurate evaluations by everyone.
Without a structured process, ill-fitting candidates are likely to slip through. When this happens, it’s even more difficult for your client’s team to make a quick decision, bias can creep in, and your candidate experience is likely to decrease due to delays and inconsistencies.
5. Improves overall team collaboration
Your team’s talent pool is your greatest resource. Unfortunately, when building traditional talent libraries, it’s not always easy to collaborate efficiently over evaluations of top talent. Ultimately, using an established talent pool isn’t more effective than reaching out blindly to new candidates when collaboration is sorely lacking.
Video interview platforms allow you to give your entire team access to candidates’ videos. You can then view your team’s interview evaluations for specific roles and track feedback about each candidate.
For example, one candidate may have plenty of positive comments from your peers, but it’s noted on their review they’re slow to respond. This enables you to make a quick decision on whether to move forward with sending the candidate through to your client.
6. Expands the reach of your talent sourcing
Even with effective collaboration between your team and clients, the act of building robust talent pools isn’t getting any easier for talent pros. In fact, 73% of respondents in Bullhorn’s Global Recruitment Insights and Data report say their talent pools (shortages and gaps) are their biggest challenge.
One key stumbling block is candidate location. When candidates are scattered across the country, you either dip into your budget to pay for travel, have to resort to an impersonal phone interview or miss out on exceptional long-distance talent altogether.
Video interviews make the world your talent pool. You can interview candidates from anywhere without sacrificing evaluation accuracy or personalized connections.
7. Facilitates strong candidate relationships
Post-interview follow-ups are no longer a nicety — they’re a necessity for increasing placements. Candidates understand the power they hold in the job market, and they’re using it to their advantage. In fact, when applying for a job, more than half of employees (55%) will give up and move on if they haven’t heard from an employer within two weeks of applying, according to the previously mentioned CareerBuilder survey.
However, when your talent pool and client lists are expansive, it’s more challenging to remember when to provide feedback to whom. Unfortunately, not sending effective follow-ups to facilitate strong candidate relationships devastates your placement rates.
Dedicated video interview platforms put the power of rating, feedback, and tracking into your hands. This enables you to improve candidate relations, even with talent that isn’t moving on in the process, improving your future placements as well. Even though they’re not receiving an offer, candidates feel respected when you communicate why they are not moving on and are more likely to remain connected to you when new opportunities arise.
8. Ensures higher retention rates
For top talent, the employee experience begins with you when interacting with candidates. In fact, 68% revealed in the previously mentioned CareerBuilder survey they believe their experience as candidates reflects how the company treats its people.
Video interviews create a positive chain reaction that increases clients’ retention rates from the hiring process through employment. Candidates have a positive interview experience so they’re more likely to follow through with the onboarding process.
Also, when their expectations are met during the interview phase, they start their career on a more positive note. As a result, clients and candidates are more satisfied with their placements for the long haul.
Clients that see increased retention thanks to your placements are almost guaranteed to keep coming back for more. As their trust in your ability to provide the best quality hires increases, word will get out to their network, likely earning you new clients. Similarly, former candidates who are satisfied in their roles are more likely to refer you to other top talent creating opportunities for valuable placements in the future.
This post was updated on 9/29/22
Spark Hire
