Video interviewing is the future. Well at least that’s what many industry experts have been telling us for some time now. It is definitely becoming more commonplace, particularly in digital industries. Organisations need to show potential employees that they are ahead of the game and leaders in their field, and keeping up to date with new interviewing technology could make a good first impression.
Video interviewing comes in a number of forms. First there is a typical two-way style interview, but simply conduced via video. There are also one-way videos, uploaded by the candidate, possibly answering set questions, or as a ‘video CV’ – these can also be produced by organisations as a punchy way to help sell their business and available jobs.
So why invest in this technology? Why change a traditional interviewing process in favour of video interviewing? We’ve covered some of the key points you need to know about video interviews and how they may benefit your organisation.
Be efficient
Although there may be some initial investment in software involved for larger organisations, SMEs could easily utilise free software or applications such as Skype for straightforward interviewing. Directors, HR managers and other interviewing managers will be able to cover a lot more interviews in a shorter space of time, and savings on extras such as travel expenses could be considerable. Incorporating this video stage into your recruitment may help to reduce candidate volume, selecting the top candidates ready for the final, more expensive stage of the interview process.
Inject some personality
Reading a CV or conducting a telephone interview (even with perfect telephone manner) can often be flat or misleading. Visual interaction and the important signals we take from body language can be very important, and help personality and passion to shine. In two-way interviews, both the interviewee and the interviewing organisation will be able to gain a much better understanding of who they’re speaking to and what kind of fit they would be within the team.
Amend and improve
Recorded videos can be paused and played again, so you’ll never miss a detail. Organisations have the opportunity to review previous interview questions, the responses they received, and tweak or improve them in future interviews to get even more from their candidates. Similarly, videos offer them the ability to coach candidates through each stage of the interview process, reviewing answers and suggesting improvements in preparation for the next stage. Re-watch interviews at your own convenience and easily share with colleagues.
Keep moving
Not only do candidates have the advantage of being able to upload or log on to their video interview from their mobiles or tablets wherever they want, employers can take their recruitment with them! There’s no need to be tied to the office or a meeting at a certain location, video interviewing is perfect for busy professionals on the go.
And relax….
If the first four reasons haven’t given you enough reason to relax about the idea of video interviewing, it’s also possible that this form of interview may help your candidates to relax. Although not for everyone, video interviewing allows interviewees to be in their own environment, often at a time of their convenience, relieving traditional interview stresses. One-way interviews can also be practiced and rerecorded.
Overall, video interviewing is a very viable option of many IT organisations. Even if it doesn’t play a central role in your interviewing process, it may help to streamline the process, lend itself well to certain roles or particularly suit contractors. Removing geographical barriers, it could open the door to a new pool of talent, helping to fill more specialist roles. At Langley James, we will support you at each step of your interviewing process, and can advise you as to what may work best for your organisation. Please get in touch with one of our consultants if you are looking to fill an IT position in your team.
