When someone mentions “video interviewing,” do you immediately think of Skype, Zoom or FaceTime?
While these are wonderful tools for connecting with friends and family, they really don’t unlock the full power of video for recruitment purposes.
Of course, technology will never entirely remove people from the hiring equation. But by using video interviewing tools that have been especially designed for the HR professional, you can greatly enhance in-person interviews.
Here’s a look at how the latest video tools will help you narrow your candidate pool quickly, while selecting the best person for the job.
Refine candidate pool with video interviewing
Receiving a large number of resumes in response to a job posting can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have lots of options, but let’s be honest: Many of the applicants are likely not suited for the position.
Hiring managers spend a tremendous amount of time conducting preliminary telephone interviews, struggling to schedule a mutually beneficial time for the call and draining energy by repeatedly asking the same questions.
Phone interview fatigue is real, and the worst part is, there are usually more unqualified applicants than qualified ones. With video interviews, candidates are sent a link to record the answers to your list of interview questions whenever it’s convenient for them. Hiring managers review the recorded videos as time allows, so there’s no phone tag to arrange an interview time – and zero no-shows either.
Prerecorded video interviews also save recruiters headspace by eliminating monotonous question asking. By switching to video interviews in the preliminary hiring stage, only applicants with the most potential are invited for an in-person interview.
Find the best person – regardless of location
You want to hire the absolute best person for the job, and sometimes that’s someone who lives outside of your city – or even your country. Maybe you’re considering offering them remote work, or maybe the individual would relocate if hired.
Either way, prerecorded video interviews allow hiring managers to overcome the challenges of interviewing people in different geographical areas and time zones.
There’s no need for recruiters and applicants to be physically together in the same room for an informative interview to take place. Recruiters can watch the recorded answers on their own time, which allows them to focus on other HR priorities.
But video interviews save more than time. They can cut travel costs substantially compared to conventional recruitment techniques.
Collaboration with the hiring team
Some video interviewing platforms allow for more visibility and collaboration among all those involved in the hiring process. Instead of everyone setting time out of their schedules to meet with job-seeking individuals, the prerecorded videos can be shared with anyone in your organization.
This way, recruiters can seek other people’s opinions and achieve a more well-rounded assessment of applicants.
In live video interviewing, hiring decision makers can chat privately in real time, asking questions or making observations about candidate responses. This, of course, is impossible to do during in-person interviews, where you may want to remain circumspect.
With in-person interviews, no one can voice their opinions until after the interview concludes, and even then, there can be debate among peers. Video interviews can be re-watched, removing ambiguity.
Whether it’s a prerecorded or live video interview, technology allows everyone involved in the hiring process to make better informed assessments before the final in-person interviews. Everyone is already acquainted with the applicants before they arrive, so no one is going into the interview unprepared.
Video interviewing: Making in-person interviews count
Video interviews do a fantastic job of eliminating applicants who aren’t well suited for the position, giving you greater confidence that the final in-person interviews are worth everyone’s time. The people who arrive for an in-person interview have already been vetted and identified as the most promising candidates.
By introducing video interviewing into your hiring process, you can save time, money and your sanity—all while recruiting top talent.
