As the battle for acquiring top tech talent continues, recruiters are leveraging all resources to ensure that they get the best candidates on board. Among the most powerful tools for recruiting talent is video interviews because of their ability to save time and money, remove geographical barriers, automate candidate screening, and more. LinkedIn’s 2018 Global Trends Report had surveyed and interviewed over 9,000 recruiters and hiring managers across the globe. When asked about the trends that are expected to shape the future, they spoke about the rise of video interviewing.
What is a video interview?
Simply put, a video interview is a job interview that uses video technology as a communication medium and takes place remotely. Video interviews are used at many stages of the hiring process, enabling recruiters to screen candidates effectively and quickly. There are two types of video interviews:
- Online video interviews: Here, a recruiter connects with a candidate face-to-face via webcam. Live video interviews take place in real-time.
- Pre-recorded video interviews: Here, interviews are recorded by candidates at a time convenient to them. Typically, interview questions are displayed on the video interview platform and the candidate answers them. Recruiters and hiring managers are not present during a pre-recorded video interview.
Why do companies use video interviews?
Video interviews help recruiters and hiring managers to identify the talent from a pool of candidates for open positions. These are an excellent tool for empowering candidates to convey their unique qualifications via videos. Here are a few reasons why video interviews have gained tremendous popularity over the years:
- Improved candidate experience: When recruiters use videos for interviewing, candidates do not need to take time off and travel long distances to make it to the interview. This ultimately gives rise to positive candidate experience. Additionally, using a fully branded interview, including pre-recorded questions and video instructions, and timely and constructive feedback, enables candidates to see your business in a good light. Also, candidates have the flexibility to complete the interview at their convenience, independently. Those who may be worried about taking some time off from their current employer can complete the interview process after work hours, without time-consuming scheduling logistics.
- Reduced time to hire: By adopting video interviews in the screening process, recruiters can assess the skills of candidates within minutes of their application, in turn allowing them to identify the best candidates faster. Also, the quality of hires improves as recruiters can judge the skills of candidates in real-time and make a more rounded judgment.
- Reduced costs and easy scheduling: Interviewing candidates is expensive and time-consuming. Scheduling interviews can turn into an enormous task as recruiters have to follow up with candidates via email or phone calls for days, or even weeks, as they try to find a time that’s convenient for all participants. This is where pre-recorded video interviews come into play. They can provide recruiters with all the necessary insights. Also, they enable candidates to answer interview questions comfortably, in their own time. This way, candidates do not need to meet recruiters face-to-face on the first round, in turn reducing costs and eliminating scheduling issues.
- Prevent delays in the hiring pipeline: Video interviews reduce the impact of unexpected events by giving recruiters and hiring managers the ability to interview candidates from any location. This, in turn, leads to the continuous advancement of the hiring pipeline and engagement of candidates.
- Present qualifications virtually: Sometimes, a candidate’s personality doesn’t convert well over a telephonic round. Video interviewing is a great opportunity for candidates to present their personality and convey unique attributes by getting in front of a recruiter virtually.
How do video interviews work and when to implement them?
Video interviewing software solves the pain points of recruiters and hiring managers. By incorporating pre-recorded and live video interviews into the hiring process, the talent acquisition team can connect with candidates in real-time, provide them questions to answer during a pre-recorded video interview, and review responses as per convenience.
Live video interviews
Use live video interviews in the following scenarios:
- Candidates are spread across multiple geographies: Video interviews are the primary communication channels for recruiters while hiring remote employees. Also, they can be used to interview candidates who are traveling. Video interviews can connect candidates and all members of the talent acquisition team in a single time slot, eliminating delay in the interview process. These tools let recruiters fill current positions and create a pipeline for future positions.
- Campus recruitment: According to the 2015 COU University Works Report, the unemployment rate for freshers or college graduates is among the lowest in Ontario’s labour force. It is a known fact that the job market is highly dependent on young talent and campus recruitment is a great way to hire amazing tech talent. However, it requires significant time investment and expenses. Also, hiring students from campuses can require the talent acquisition team to be days away from the office. If organizations cannot take the time off from core business initiatives to travel to campuses, they can conduct all campus interviews virtually. Also, it saves a significant amount of time and money.
- Unexpected events: Factors such as unexpected weather or sudden illness can postpone the interview process, giving the candidate time to accept your competitor’s offer. By leveraging video interviews, recruiters can continue the interview as scheduled.
Pre-recorded video interviews
Use pre-recorded video interviews when you want to:
- Avoid meeting unfit candidates: Needless to say, interview processes are time-consuming. A minute that is spent on assessing the skills of a “not so ideal” candidate can be spent on evaluating another. This is where pre-recorded video interviews come handy as it enables recruiters to assess candidates more efficiently and eliminate the chances of meeting unfit candidates in person.
- Provide a benchmark for screening: Pre-recorded video interviews provide a benchmark for screening candidates. They allow recruiters to keep a track on all screening interactions. As a result, recruiters can collaborate and reduce the chances of rejecting a candidate off the bat.
- Involve multiple team members: Sometimes, multiple members of the talent acquisition team may need to get involved in the pre-selection process. By sharing pre-recorded interviews with all stakeholders, every team member can provide feedback and review the qualifications of candidates, without scheduling multiple candidate phone calls.
- Compare candidates: If two or more candidates have similar skills, qualifications, and backgrounds, pre-recorded video interviews can help recruiters compare prospects before the first in-person meeting.
Questions to ask in a video interview
- What’s the most interesting project you have worked on during your time at company X (This will give you an idea of what technologies candidates have used, their approach to solving problems, their time management skills, and more)
- What’s that one thing you wish you could improve about your work?
- How would you solve the following problem? (Ask them to solve technical problems/questions in real-time)
- How do you manage working on a tight deadline?
- Describe your work ethic.
- What inspired you to pursue this career?
Best video interviewing software
According to research, six in ten HRs use video interviewing software, and for good reason. Video interviews make the hiring process quicker, easier, and convenient for recruiters and candidates alike. With video interviewing software, interviews can take place anytime, anywhere. Here are a few video interviewing software to consider for your recruitment strategies:
1. FaceCode by HackerEarth
FaceCode by HackerEarth helps conduct video interviews with candidates spread across geographies. It has a real-time collaborative code editor that supports over 30 programming languages, such as Java, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and others. Your developer can write code in real-time and you can view the approach used and suggest improvements or ask follow-up questions.
2. Spark Hire
More than 5,000 customers in over 100 countries trust Spark Hire because of its easy=to-use interface and affordable pricing plans. Its mission is to help organizations across the globe improve their recruiting strategies by delivering an innovative and modern SaaS platform. Spark Hire’s video interviewing software lets you interview multiple candidates, compare them, and eliminates the hassle of scheduling early-round interviews again.
3.Interviewstream
Interviewstream caters to more than 900 clients across businesses and universities. The interview experience is simple and interactive, which can be completed anytime and anywhere, as per the convenience of candidates.Also, recruiters and hiring managers can schedule back-to-back panel interviews by syncing the calendar availability of candidates.
4. HireVue
HireVue lets candidates schedule interviews by themselves. Also, HireVue’s mobile video interviewing solution is a great way to tap into the broadest pool of candidates, given that a significant number of people use mobile devices to access the internet.
5. Jobvite
Jobvite offers a video screening tool that enhances, accelerates, and builds consistency in the candidate screening process. The video interviewing experience is seamless and easy for recruiters as well as candidates.
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