Some of you may have read in the news or watched reports on television that remote interviews are on the increase. To some job applicants, the idea of being in front of a camera can be likened to being a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. So is it a worthy tool to add to your businesses recruitment toolset?
Why perform video Interviews?
Many companies value time management to keep their operations as lean as possible. You may have been selected from online applications into a large pool of possible candidates but from there the company has to efficiently and fairly manage the process of whittling applicants down to a manageable selection of candidates to bring in for face-to-face chats. Potentially businesses could receive hundreds of applications all with good paper references so any aid to the reduction and filtering of candidates is a plus for any business.
What types of remote video interviews are there?
There are two key types of video interview a company can request of the candidate. The first is a remote recorded interview where the candidate is given the ability to record responses to questions online with no live interaction with an interviewer. The second type is a remote live interview with a panel of interviewers similar to a traditional face-to-face interview. In terms of risk, the live face-to-face online interview is riskier and more prone to technical issues for all concerned parties. The potential issues revolve around connectivity via broadband, software and availability. Both formats do, however, give the company the comfort of replaying an interview. The ability to replay an interview means that elements of an interview are never lost and can be re-visited when final selections are being deliberated over and candidate differentiation is tight.
Are video interviews suitable for my business?
Depending on the size of your business and the volume of applicants you may or may not find this useful. Large businesses will see the benefit of Video interviews going forward due to time optimisation for their recruitment process. Medium-sized organizations will, however, have a balancing act to weigh up the time cost-benefits. With this move to use video technology, there is the internal process development and training to consider which means ongoing and continuous development of the internal business structure and recruitment team. Smaller businesses may find video interviews useful especially if they are tech-savvy and their business sector lends itself to such interview methods. This especially true of client-facing customer service sectors where calm and clarity is a benefit under pressure.
What About GDPR and video interviews?
We should also consider the grey area of GPDR and the retention of video information. Video storage third-party suppliers are responsible for the security and protection of any video content including related meta-data (cataloguing) that can be used to identify the person in the interview. You should be able to update the video content to keep it relevant and ensure the interviewee can request removal of all content under the GDPR guidelines. From the outset, consent should be given by the candidate for their details to be stored with specific reference to how their data will be stored, used and how long it will be kept for.
Safeguarding your business and being inclusive
In addition to the benefits to the optimisation of time and resource in your business video interviews can also give you recorded proof of inclusivity. As a business, you need to prove you have interviewed all applicants in the same manner and provided the same interview opportunities to all. In some ways, video proof can aid you in backing up your fairness. However, this is only appropriate if you have a clear scoring criterion for interviews and use this to match every candidate to.
Video interviews should also enable the candidate to express themselves without disabling them. You should always take into consideration candidates with impairments whether they be visual, hearing or psychological ones. As a business, you need to enable each person to have the same opportunities to apply for the same job. In the case of individuals with impairments, you should ensure your application process does not solely rely on one medium such as video even if it is regarded as the next big thing by your team.
So, will video interviews become the norm?
Going forward a few years from now they will be more commonplace but for now, video interviews are more than likely going to apply to technology wave riding employers who are flexible to keep a trained resource internally to use this medium. However, jumping on the bandwagon and using video interviews should be based on a more global approach to recruitment where it can be a part of the wider picture. Never exclude candidates by using one method as the diversity of candidates who can add value to your business should not be determined by the next big thing.
Where do we stand on video interviews?
At recuit4talent we focus on all our candidates and how they can add value to your business. Like many recruitment companies, we are always looking at new innovative opportunities for our clients to attract the right people and this medium is something we will keep a close eye on. However, there are many hurdles to overcome for this medium to become a reliable and inclusive method of interviewing whilst delivering a secure business tool in the application process.