It is possible to recruit someone using only video interviews? This is a question I am sometimes asked. The answer is emphatically – yes! Whilst most of the employers I work with use video interviews as as part of their hiring process (most commonly in the initial or early stages), some employers use video interviews for the entire process and will employ candidates without ever having met them in the flesh. This is particularly common where the employee and employer are located far apart (or in different countries).
However video interviews fit into your recruitment process, its very useful to understand best practice so that you can hold successful video interviews. In this article I’ll give you my top tips for hiring managers on using video interviews.
Why use a video interviews?
Video interviews make the hiring process easier, quicker, and more convenient for employers and employees alike. The key benefits of video interviews are:
- Speed – allowing employers to quickly engage with candidates & narrow down their candidate pool
- Logistics – a video interivew takes far less time
- Multiple stakeholders can be included – in different locations
- Abiliy to record interview – allowing hiring team to revist the interivew and share with other stakeholders
- Low cost – neither the candidates nor the hiring team will incur any travel costs…
Preparing for a video interview
As with any interview, the hiring team need to plan and prepare for a video interview. Key elements to consider are:
- Who will be on the interview panel?
- Availability of all involved parties?
- Interview length and format?
- Type of video technology to be used?
Choose your Software
There are numerous video-conferencing software options, popular options include: .
Microsoft Teams – currently the go-to video technology for many. Microsoft Teams allows for video conferencing between parties of 10 to 10,000, therefore allowing for group interviews. Plus, the connection with Office 365 allows sharing of Word, PowerPoint and Excel files in real time.
ZOOM – Offers users a single solution for video and audio conferencing, messaging and webinars.
Google Meet – A simple transition for businesses already using G Suite. Participants need a link to join the meeting — which is easily shared through Google Calendar or Gmail invites.
Webex – Interviews can be conducted via any device. It also allows features like in-meeting private messaging, screen sharing and recording functionality with automatic transcriptions.
Larksuite – is an all-in-one enterprise collaboration and producitivity platform developed by ByteDance (the parent company of TikTok). …
Notify Candidates
Just as with in-person interviews, candidates need time to prepare. As well as informing candidates of the date, time and format of the interview you’ll need their email address and to send them a meeting invitation. Make sure you provide them with clear directions on what software you will be using – and if necessary give them directions on how to download, install & use the software.
The quickest and simplest way to do this is to include all the required information in the interview confirmation. See an example of a confirmation email below:
Candidate Interview Confirmation Email TemplateCreate your environment
Ensure you have an interview space that is quiet and well lit. If your software has a test option – try it out to be sure you can be seen and heard clearly. Turn off any notifications on your device to avoid interruptions and ensure you can give candidates your full attention.
Conducting your video interview
Here are our top tips to ensure your video interview is professional and productive.
Be on time
Being interviewed, in any format, can be stressful for some candidates. If you are the hiring manager, try and be ready and logged in a few minutes before you are due to start. This helps ease the tension and ensures that candidates aren’t left wondering if they have joined the right meeting.
Body language
55% of communication is non verbal and 38% is conveyed through your tone of voice. This means that the way you present yourself in a video interview is just as important as it is face-to-face. Make eye contact (look at the camera), don’t slouch and show your interested in what the candidate is saying.
Think about your company culture
One negative of using video interviews is that candidates don’t get to see and feel the workplace environment. But you can overcome this by trying to paint a clear picture of what it’s like to work at your company. Try to embody your core values into the interview and treat the candidate the same way you would a colleague.
Ask consistent questions
Don’t create more work for yourself. If you have a set of interview questions that you usually use for in person interviews, then use them. That way, if interruptions happen you’re better prepared to evaluate and compare candidates based on the merit of their responses.
Have a Plan-B…
Software problems, visual/audio malfunctions or connectivity/wifi issues can and do happen. Ensure you have a Plan-B, including your candidate’s telehone number.
Pre-recorded video interviews
Video interviews do not necessarily have to be a live interaction between the interviewer and interviewee. Pre-recorded or asynchronous interviews use video interview software where the interviewer pre-records a set of questions for candidates. The interviewer is not present at the interview – the candidates completes the questions within a pre-definited time limit. Their answers are recorded and the employer then reviews their answers. Providers of this type of technology include Willo, Vid Cruiter, Harver and HireVue.
This type of interivew is often used by employers at the very first ‘candidate pre-screening’ stage of an interview process. They can help the employer quickly narrow down a very large candidate pool. I would not recommend using this tool for higher level, executive positions as I don’t believe it is appropriate and may disengage candidates.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, the key to running successful video interviews is to treat them in the same manner that you would face to face interviews. Plan and preare ahead, check everything is working efficiently and have a consistent process that treats all candidates fairly. Once you embrace video interivews you are unlikely to look back.
Next steps
If you’re an employer for a business in the automotive industry and are looking for help with any part of your recruitment process, please contact me, Julia Pennington, for an initial discussion.
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Further Reading:
Create a great candidate experience
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