Video Recruitment, are you using it as part of your hiring strategy? If not then you may well be missing out on one of the biggest time and money savers of 21st century recruitment.
Today we’re going to take a look at some of the potential benefits of video recruitment and how you can effectively introduce it to your existing hiring process.
By the end of the article you should have a better understanding of how video recruitment works, and how you can use it to save time, money and improve your quality of hires.
What Is Video Recruitment?
Similar to phone interviews, video recruitment requires the candidate to answer interview questions remotely, in this case usually via webcam.
The video is generally recorded by the recruiter, and may or may not require the interviewer to be present. Therefore, are two types of video interview which are as follows:
One-Way Video Interview
The candidate answers questions that have been prepared by the recruiter. The answers are recorded and watched at a later date by the hiring party.
There may or may not be a time limit to the answers and some companies allow candidates to retake their answers, as opposed to one-shot replies within a certain time frame.
Two-Way Video Interview
Two way video recruitment requires both the candidate and interviewer to be present and online. The interview follows the usual face to face routine of questions and answers and it’s normal for these interviews to also be recorded for further review.
In both cases the video interview takes place following a candidate’s initial application, and generally precedes a final face to face interview.
However, video recruitment is often used when recruiting from abroad or when other extensive travel is required. Therefore it can occur that the video interview replaces a face to face meeting altogether.
What Are the Benefits of Video Recruitment?
As mentioned, video recruitment can save the time, hassle and expense of travel. However, candidates don’t need to live in remote corners of the world for this to become a benefit to the recruiter.
Multiple Interviews
In one-way video recruitment, the hiring party can potentially interview any number of candidates within a given time scale. For example, imagine the recruiter invites 10 candidates to record their answers within a week.
The same amount of face to face interviews would generally take around 30 minutes a head, not including preparation and travel. However, one-way video recruitment cuts out the time it takes to interview, and allows the recruiter more room to analyse the results.
Additionally, the fact that neither party need to maintain a certain time or place means that no appointments are missed. Unless of course the candidate chooses not to complete the video interview, in which case the choice is made just that bit easier…
Non Verbal Language
The main benefit to video recruitment (in comparison to phone interviews) is the fact that recruiters are able to gain a sense of their candidates not only from what they say, but how they express themselves.
It’s said that non-verbal or body language makes up for around 80% of our communication, and naturally it’s vital to take this into account when deciding on the right fit for a team.
Usually the candidate isn’t evaluated on their appearance* or body language until they arrive for face to face interview. By this point both the recruiter and the interviewee have invested a significant amount of time and energy into the process.
Video interviews are an excellent way to save time for both parties, since the recruiter can come to a quicker decision based on an overall impression of their candidates. Neither the applicant nor recruiter need spend more time than necessary on the application process.
*appearance = smart attire, well presented, groomed etc.
Thorough Decision Making
With both one or two-way interviews, video recruitment allows the hiring party to record their candidate’s answers. This allows for more a thorough examination of the interview, as well as the opportunity to further discuss and compare candidates with others on the hiring team.
An upshot of this is the opportunity to further recommend candidates for other positions. For example, you may feel that although one applicant is highly talented, they’re just not right for your vacancy. Recommending that candidate for another position is made far easier with the addition of video evidence of their skills.
Do Candidates Benefit Video Recruitment Too?
Statistics show that candidates actively prefer video recruitment during the initial stages of the application process, in fact the benefits are very similar to those of the recruiter.
Video interviews afford the candidate more time to perform their interview, or at least a time that is suitable for them when it comes to two-way video interview.
Secondly, attending interview from home means that the candidate also saves time and money on travel expenses. In many cases it allows people to apply for positions abroad, or to states or counties that they wouldn’t have previously considered.
Everyone’s A Winner!
Overall, video recruitment makes the initial application process just that bit more convenient for both parties, plus you save time and money. A win win situation.
What do you think, do you already use video recruitment as part of your hiring stratagy? Or perhaps that’s how you landed your job? Let us know your thoughts to continue the discussion.
Image Reference – Flickr LOOK Agency
