True Faith HR: #HalfBakedHR - Mobile Video Interviewing Prep #HRevolution

#HalfBakedHR - Mobile Video Interviewing Prep #HRevolution

by Matthew Stollak on Friday, November 14, 2014

The 7th iteration of HRevolution took place last weekend. Want to know about how it went? Check out the recap HR Happy Hour podcast as well as posts from:

*Ben Eubanks - The Evolution of HRevolution
*Steve Boese - Owning Disruption at HRevolution

*Kellee Webb - HR:Friend or Foe
*Dwane Lay - The Unbearable Lightness of Being Together
*Tim Gardner - I Can't Summarize HRevolution
*Melissa Fairman - Not Your Typical HR Conference
*Broc Edwards - It's Time to Get Bold
*Jennifer Scott - How About A Trust Culture Instead?
*Bonni Titgemeyer - Doodling at HRevolution

As noted before on the blog, William Tincup and I had the honor of presenting a session on Half-Baked HR, a set of 40 HR ideas that are meant to challenge our expectations of what HR can be. These ideas aren't necessarily fully thought out and there may be a company out there that is already trying to carry the idea out, but it hasn't gotten much acclaim. Or, it was a miserable failure and deserves to be in the dustbin of history. Over the next couple weeks, I will share 10 of these half-baked ideas in a more fully developed form on the blog. Without further adieu....

Half-Baked HR Idea - Mobile Video Interviewing Prep

Video interviewing has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years. More and more companies are utilizing Skype, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, or other proprietary software in effort to learn more about a candidate. It makes intuitive sense that this is the next generation approach to recruiting - it contains significantly more information richness than a phone interview, companies are able to save thousands of dollars by not having to bring a candidate, who may be less than stellar, on site, and the technology to conduct video interviewing has gotten cheaper and cheaper.

However, for the candidate, this can often become problematic. The candidate may be dressed inappropriately, hair or makeup may be slightly askew, the Skype connection may be poor or spotty, or the background during the interview may not scream professional.

For example, one candidate I interviewed in the spring had chosen her kitchen as the site of the interview. She was sitting at her kitchen table, the refrigerator was covered with her kids' drawings, and the wallpaper was distracting.

Now, some may argue that where a candidate choose to have the interview may shed insight on the kind of professional he or she is. But, shouldn't we minimize the likelihood of non-job-related factors to creep into the decision-making process?

The Solution

The future of video interviewing

Why hasn't a business taken advantage of this scenario by creating a mobile video interviewing unit (think the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle from "Stripes."). Each unit has the latest technology to ensure the video connection is strong. Inside the unit, there is a spot for hair, makeup, wardrobe. Professionals in the unit will be available to assist with any of the candidate's needs prior to the interview. The actual interviewing spot will have a green screen in the background, so that the candidate can choose the image he or she wants to project. And, best of all, the unit can come directly to the candidate...no travel involved. With the mobile video interviewing unit, candidates can take comfort knowing that they are able to put their best foot forward?

Call me Mark Cuban...I'm ready for my pitch on Shark Tank.