Broadband has made video interviewing a reality and recruiters have increased its use in recent years. More and more employers are using web based job video interviewing to screen candidates for employment or they conduct most of the interviewing process using video. Although it started in high tech companies, now has become common for international recruitment processes.
But what are the advantages of using video interviewing?
1. Applicants can answer questions in a more relaxed environment, away from the office if they prefer and the decision makers can log in wherever they are
2.It is cheaper, CERN has cut its overall hiring bill by 20% and Sellafield Ltd saves £14.000 a year. A resourcing manager at EMIS –Medical Software supplier- explains that they used to reimburse everyone on short list 200 as the interviews where in their Leeds Office. Now they have reduced the number of people they call for final interviews.
3.Kate Kershaw from Tumour Charity admits that they were not able to cover the cost of people coming from far afield and it was also easier for people who have to work or family commitments. As a result they are not missing good talent.
4.The latest is “non-live” interviews in which candidates receive an email instructing them to take a VI, lasting 10 minutes and answering a set of questions. They record themselves on a smartphone or table and upload the results for recruiters to watch, a tool to sort large numbers of candidates.
Disadvantages
1.If you use “ non-live” interviews, applicants need to be told up front, the video storage is memory-intensive and it´s subject to data protection
2.Interviewers should be aware that it can´t show you non-verbal cues and interactions that give a sense of the candidate´s interpersonal style.
3.It will be worth investing in training, many first- time video interviewers find it harder to stay in charge of technology and interview technique.
4.Helen Mizon HR from IT firm Critical Software says that some candidates find it hard to relax, while the nature of the video can cause them to be less social and more transactional in nature. McMaster University in Canada found applicants interviewed by video were rated less highly by recruiters. It was also true in reverse, interviewees rated their potential bosses as less likeable and personable viewed through a screen.
Some Tips
Recruiters need to set the rules: set out a policy for the way they will conduct and judge the video interviews
Don´t be amazed by a great screen presence, the content of the answers remains more important
Practise Hard: it is worth rehearsing your video interview, to make sure you don´t suffer camera shyness or become flustered by technology.
Proximity to the camera matters for both candidate and interviewer, you should be close enough to make eye contact but far enough away that you can see most of their body, to spot non-verbal cues.
For more detailed information you can read the article published by People Management (April 2014) “How to make video interviewing work for you” http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/
For more advice on how not to look ugly in your skype interviews or some advice to prepare your skype interview you can read the following links: http://www.avidcareerist.com/2014/02/18/how-to-not-look-ugly-in-your-skype-interviews- http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/videointerview.htm
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