The interview is arguably the most important part of the hiring process. Interviews that are well thought out and set up can give you a better look into a candidate’s qualifications and help assess fit, while also giving the candidate a good impression of your company. Hiring tips for employers recommend video interviews as a good method of replicating an in-person interview digitally.
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What Is Video Interviewing in Recruitment?
Video interviewing is the process of conducting an interview using video conferencing software instead of meeting in person or over the phone. Video interviews have all of the same advantages of phone interviews, but with more of the benefits of in-person interviews. More and more companies are turning to video interviews because they remove distance barriers and can even save both the company and the candidate time and money.
Types of Video Interviews
There are two types of video interview: one-way and two-way. A one-way interview is pre-recorded and then submitted to the interviewer. A two-way interview is conducted live with both the candidate and the interviewer present.
One-Way Interview
Also called an asynchronous interview, a one-way interview is a video that the candidate records on their own time and then sends to the interviewer. Typically, the company’s software provides the candidate with a list of questions. The candidate will answer the questions in their recording and then submit the recording. An advantage of the one-way interview is that the candidate can record and submit their interview whenever they want to. There is no scheduling required.
Two-Way Interview
A two-way interview is an online version of a more standard interview. Both the interviewer and the candidate are present for the interview. It’s conducted live using video conferencing software such as Zoom or a video feature in your ATS or HRIS. Although this type of interview must be scheduled in advance at a time and on a date that is convenient to both parties, it’s more akin to an in-person interview.
How to Conduct a Video Interview
Although a video interview is the closest digital version of an in-person interview, there are differences. It’s important to follow best practices for a live video interview in order to make the most out of it. These tips for conducting an interview can help you improve your video interview techniques.
Pay Attention to Body Language
It’s easy to forget about body language when you’re not in person. A video interview may feel more like a phone interview, but the candidate will be able to see everything you do. It’s best to pretend that the video interview is actually an in-person interview and behave accordingly. Eye contact and smiling can be important to helping the candidate feel at ease. Having good posture can demonstrate professionalism.
Wear Professional Clothing
Whether you’re conducting the interview from work or from home, it’s important to dress appropriately for it. Even though there is a screen in-between you and the candidate, they’ll notice if you’re not dressed professionally. Your clothing is part of the candidate’s first impression of your company, so it should reflect what the company is about.
Reduce Distractions
It’s important to show your candidates respect during the interview. This means minimizing distractions, such as background noises, as much as possible. If an interruption does occur, apologize and thank the candidate for their flexibility and patience. If an interruption occurs on the candidate’s end, be understanding.
Emphasis Your Company’s Culture
The candidate can read all about your company online. They’ve learned about the open position from the application process. What they can’t learn on their own is about the company culture. This is your opportunity to show the candidate what your company’s core values and mission are. You should also express to the candidate exactly what it’s like to work at your company.
How to Prepare for a Video Interview
Transitioning to a digital platform can have its challenges. However, being well-prepared ahead of time can help make the process easier. These video conference interview tips can help you be prepared for any video interview you conduct.
Create an Outline
The first step is to develop an outline of exactly how you want each interview to go. Will there be a PowerPoint presentation from the company? Will the interviewee need to prepare anything ahead of time? Your interview plan should be created jointly with everyone involved in the hiring process so that everyone is on the same page.
Test the Software
Before you actually have your first video interview with a candidate, it’s important to test the software. Even if you’re confident that it works, testing the software will show you exactly what you should expect during a live interview. Each person who may be using the video interview tool should run a test interview so they’re familiar with all of the video and audio features the software offers.
Communicate with Candidates
Communicating often and early with candidates will help both you and the candidate prepare for the interview. Provide as much detail as possible to the candidate about what will be expected of them. If there’s anything they need to prepare ahead of time, you should let them know as soon as possible. Be clear in your communication that the interview is a video interview and provide clear instructions for how to access the video platform.
Create an Interview Space
A video interview can technically be conducted anywhere. However, it’s important to make a good first impression on your candidates. This means setting aside a space dedicated to interviews that works well on video. That way you can guarantee that your video interview will be professional.
Ask for Feeback
There’s always room to improve and your video interviewing setup is no exception. You can ask each candidate for feedback after the interview is over by asking them to take and submit a survey. Then, take that feedback and use it to make improvements to your video interviewing process and techniques.
Benefits of Video Interviews
Video interviewing options available through Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software can make interviews easier to schedule and conduct. When looking into selecting new ATS Software, you may wish to consider prioritizing video interviewing capabilities to give your hiring a boost.
Preview Candidate Personalities
By their very nature, interviews allow you to get a preview of a candidate’s personality. This is impossible to truly see through a traditional paper or digital application. Whether you ask for a pre-recorded video application or conduct a one-on-one interview using a platform like Skype, having the ability to view this snapshot of the candidate’s personality right at the front of the hiring process can save time and money.
Save Time on Interviews
Conducting interviews early on in the hiring process can help to prevent HR professionals from taking unnecessary steps to filter out candidates. Having the option to conduct interviews remotely using video functionality may open up time slots in which interviews can be conducted, for both interviewers and interviewees. Since interviewers don’t have to wait for interviewees to arrive and interviewees don’t have to go anywhere, time can be saved on both sides.
Improve Candidate Experience
One of the most common complaints about companies’ hiring processes is that there’s not enough communication. Since video interviews are quicker and easier to conduct, you may be able to significantly decrease the amount of time that lapses between an employee submitting an application and being scheduled for an interview. This could help to improve the frequency of communication throughout the recruitment process.
Review and Share Interviews
When one person conducts an interview with a candidate on a single occasion, biases can creep in. When interviews are recorded, it opens up the potential for interviewers to re-watch and perform more critical assessments. Interviews can also be shared with multiple employees in the hiring chain, helping to avoid biases and gain a more rounded perspective on candidate fit without having to conduct subsequent interviews.
Prevent Filtering of High-Quality Candidates
In some cases, old-fashioned applications and filtering options can weed out candidates that may have been better qualified for a position because the candidate’s qualifications don’t line up exactly with the settings. For example, short gaps between jobs or a lack of certain keywords in an application can move brilliant candidates’ applications to the bottom of the pile.
Video interviewing options can help your hiring team to get a more complete picture of a candidate’s expertise, knowledge, and personality. When interviews are conducted right away, it can help you to avoid leaving behind a candidate that would have added real value to your team.
Video interviewing options may help your company to substantially improve its hiring processes. If you feel that video interviewing capabilities could help you, consider reviewing only ATS software that offers this functionality. This may help you to narrow down your selections faster and choose a solution that works better for your company.
If your company is looking for an ATS that can support video interviewing, we can help you find the right software. Visit our Software Match page today.
