Why Video Interviews are Working
September 23, 2020 – There have been massive changes in the way we work – and land jobs – all in just the last six months. As we prepare for the long winter ahead, hiring has become the big elephant in the room: Will businesses bring new talent on board, and if so, to what degree. More to the point, how will they do it. It is a dilemma hanging over businesses from coast to coast with a wide ranging impact on everything from competitive advantage and market positioning to brand management and culture. “With the recent disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, companies have been resorting to a new era of virtual interviews,” according to a new report from Search Solution Group. This relatively small shift will have big implications for everyone in the talent and recruiting space.
“Virtual interviews were becoming more common even before COVID-19, due to the availability of recent technological advancements,” said the report. “Numerous companies started embracing technology such as Zoom, WebEx, Teams to help modernize their recruitment/interview process. This pandemic gave those who were waiting to accommodate digital tools into their hiring efforts the opportunity to make a change.”
Search Solution Group believes in virtual interviewing. “Over the past two months, we have had dozens of clients transition to virtual interviewing, and we plan to continue to encourage them to do this,” the firm said. Tech giants Google, Amazon and Facebook are among the global companies to recently announce moving to virtual interviews and onboarding.
Should virtual interviews remain after the pandemic? Yes, the Search Solution Group report said, concluding that incorporating virtual/video interviews into the recruitment process has very distinct advantages.
Advantages
Lower Costs – Companies are 2.7 times more likely to improve their cost per hire using video interviews, video recruitment platform RecRight. With the candidate never having to leave the comfort of their own home, they save money on food, travel, and lodging expenses.
Related: 3P Partners Shares Tips for Virtual Interviews
Saves Time – Virtual interviews can reduce time to hire by 50 percent. There is flexibility since you can schedule a virtual interview at almost any time. Face-to face interviews can take longer to schedule because of conflicting schedules with the interviewer and the applicants. The onboarding process is also sped up and more convenient for those who are not located in the same place.
Save and Record Interviews – The ability to save and record an interviewee is helpful during the hiring process. This allows another team member to review or you can go back and reference the interview before the next steps.
“Many people stereotype virtual interviewing as degrading the normal in-person interviewing process,” Search Solution Group said. “In reality you can still screen the candidate for non-verbal communication by observing their body language, facial expression and overall appearance.”
Best Practices for Virtual Job Interviewing
As the world increasingly turns to remote work options, virtual interviews are quickly becoming more of the norm. “While qualifying prospective candidates and effectively demonstrating your organization’s culture in a virtual world is complicated, there are many ways to ensure that you are able to get comfortable with and overcome these challenges,” says a new report by Greensboro, NC-based executive search firm Charles Aris Inc.
The search firm also said that virtual platforms are allowing companies to evolve their recruiting efforts by letting them stay connected to candidates through the entire interview process. “This shift to virtual interviews is helping companies adapt to changes in the modern world,” the Search Solution Group report said. “The companies that adopt this change and accept the future of digital transformation will be ahead of their competition. This may be the next wave of hiring.”
Related: Mastering the Online Interview has Just Taken on New Importance
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
