Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

Why More Companies Should Start Using Video Interviews

The modern world is full of technology that enables us to do things more easily and more practically. A lot of businesses and employers are beginning to use technology as an addition to their conventional working lives in order to make their jobs easier. Video interviewing is one of these technologies.

What is video interviewing?

A video interview is a modern and digital way of giving someone a job interview with the use of a computer and a webcam. It’s used as the sieve that narrows down the remaining resumes to the final few who are invited for in-person job interviews.

Typically, companies will receive hundreds or thousands of applications when they advertise for a job opening. The process of sorting through all of these applications and narrowing them down for interviews can be quite a time consuming job. It would usually consist of reading through on-paper resumes and evaluating whether or not an applicant could be a good match for the job role by analyzing their skills and experience in the given sector.

However, with the use of video interviewing, employers can take a faster route to locating the best applicants and eventually finding the right person for the job.

How does it work?

Video interviewing is the next step after sorting through resumes. Once the employer has sorted through the resumes and excluded the ones that aren’t up to standards, they can then inform the remaining applicants that they will be given the opportunity to express themselves through a video interview.

This cuts down on the time it takes to entirely sort through all of the resumes and narrow them down to the interviewees. This can be a very long process. It takes a lot of consideration and the employer is basing their decision entirely on an on-paper resume. However, with the use of a video interview, the employer simply has to dismiss all of the useless applications and give the rest a chance to show what they can bring to the company.

The video interview could be one-way, which requires the applicant to answer the given questions within the time limit and send it back to the employer in the form of a video. This allows the employer to analyse the candidate’s confidence and speaking skills, as well as anything else they suggest that they can bring to the table.

If the candidate answers all the questions sufficiently, this gives the employer an easier decision to make. Comparing video interviews practically side-by-side is not only a faster and easier way of narrowing down candidates, but allows for a better portrayal of each candidate, as opposed to how they come across on paper.

A video interview can also be two-way, between the employer and the interviewee. It would consist of the employer asking the candidate a set of questions and allowing them to answer over live video. This is similar to a one-way video interview, however it also allows the employer to analyse the communication skills of the candidate on the spot.

Some companies even accept video resumes instead of conventional paper ones. These give the candidate the opportunity to communicate himself or herself to the employer in a professional and more realistic manner.

What are the overall advantages of video interviewing?

  • Applicants are able to express themselves more freely
  • A faster way of sieving through large amounts of applications
  • Work as a decision maker if an employer is stuck on a particular resume
  • Allow employers to make a side-by-side comparison of candidates
  • A more realistic portrayal of a candidate

With this in mind, it’s not surprising that companies are choosing to use video interviewing as a way of saving time and giving themselves a better opportunity to hire the perfect employee.

About the Author: Charlotte Ellis is a freelancer and blogger, specializing in the careers and business sectors. Charlotte has experience working with jobzoo.co.uk and currently blogs with Absolute Articles.

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