Chris Russell

3 min read

Recruiting

How Video Interview Platforms Work

It’s hard to believe that only 10 years ago an innovative and economical alternative to flying a candidate in for an in-person interview was sending a webcam to them or have them go to an office with live video capabilities to conduct a virtual interview. 

Today, after a year of companies implementing effective ways to keep teams connected globally while working remotely through team collaboration tools and web conferencing software, using video interviewing has become the norm for most interviews and there’s no indication that we’ll go back to the way things were before Covid-19.

Synchronous and Asynchronous Formats

Currently there are two technologies within the platform ecosystem: synchronous, which is used for live interviews, and asynchronous, which is used for prerecorded interviewing.  Early on, employers scheduled Skype interviews – which is a synchronous platform. Now employers are primarily using Zoom and Microsoft Teams to conduct virtual interviews.  It’s convenient and economical for the candidate and the employer, plus candidates are typically very familiar with these applications. It is the new norm.  

Asynchronous is essentially a prerecorded interviewer. The popularity of asynchronous video interviews is increasing and the benefits are numerous.  Setting up a pre-recorded interview is a simple process. First, the recruiter enters questions into the software and then invites job candidates to answer the questions.  Candidates view an introductory video that describes the employer and informs them about the position.

Then they are asked to respond to interview questions, using the software to record their responses using a webcam-equipped device or smartphone. The candidate can record their answers at a time that is convenient for them and the recruiter can also review the video when they are able.  Besides the convenience and ease of the process there are many additional features available using an asynchronous, video interview platforms including:

  • Intuitive and easy to get started video interview software
  • Candidate assessment tools
  • Video interview platforms with a full recruiting suite
  • Video interview platforms combined with your CRM
  • Candidate support and communication tools that keep the candidate informed of their status

You can learn more about these features by checking  some solutions by Select Software Reviews which recently reviewed the top 11 Video Interviewing Platforms.

Cost/benefit Analysis

The technology and innovation supporting the wide assortment of recruitment tools is constantly changing and improving. It’s challenging to know which tools make the most sense for your organization and what is the best long-term investment.  A good way to start is doing a cost/benefit analysis.  Know the full costs as well as identify the savings and gains based on the benefits when considering video interviewing including:

  • Video interviews are 6x faster than phone interviews. You can conduct five video interviews in the same amount of time as one phone interview which is typically 30 minutes long. Making it more effective than phone screens.
  • 84% of the candidates schedule a video interview within 24 hours of receiving a text invite; thereby reducing the cost and inefficiency of scheduling in person interviews. 
  • Video Interviews can be conducted at any time that is convenient for the candidate! Plus, candidates also can rerecord their video responses, leading to candidates having a better sense of being able to answer the question. 
  • The hiring team can better evaluate candidates because they can re-watch the video whenever they want, allowing them to go beyond a quick look of a resume in order to learn more about more applicants, helping to make better hiring decisions.
  • Less time spent screening applicants, especially with the use of AI and various candidate assessment tools.
  • Standardizing of the interview process with increased consistency in questioning and interview techniques.
  • Less biased hiring.
  • Decreased time-to-hire.
  • Better candidate experience and excellent opportunity to positively reinforce your employer brand.
  • Automated communication throughout the interview process.

Two critical actions and some additional cost to keep in mind to ensure a successful process is to:

  • Provide ample communication to your candidates on the video interviewing process and set expectations for their experience as well as how this content will be used.   
  • Make sure there is readily available technical support, should your candidate run into issues or need additional instructions.  Just sending a link to your candidate for the video interview will not be a successful approach.

By integrating video interviewing strategies into your talent acquisition processes, you can achieve cost savings and major long-term benefits resulting in better hiring decisions.

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Margaret Boros contributed to this article.

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