Video interviewing is not a new thing in recruitment. It’s been around in various shapes and forms for a while. If you think about it, Skype, one of the earliest popular forms of video calling, has been part of our lives for more than a decade.
However, video interviewing has come on leaps and bounds since then. When it comes to recruiting, consultants and hiring managers have always favoured face to face interviews to the point of almost snobbery. We viewed those who wouldn’t make an effort to come to an interview as showing a lack of interest, forgetting that there could be many legitimate reasons for favouring a call or video call at first stage interviews.
Video interviewing is now the norm
With everyone forced into remote working last year, video interviews became the norm. Justifiably so. There are a huge number of benefits to video interviewing, and, as we’re seeing at the coal face of recruitment into membership organisations, it is an invaluable tool for hiring someone quickly and effectively into your team.
Here are eight of our favourite benefits to using video interviewing:
- Reduced time to hire – you can schedule first stage interviews quickly with fewer scheduling problems than if you were trying to schedule face to face. With no travel time and fewer diary clashes to consider, you get the process moving more quickly – less time with an empty seat!
- Reduced interview time – if all first stage interviews were a video call, you feel less obligation to conduct in-depth questioning. The video interview would cover headline questions allowing you to at least long-list selected candidates before moving to the next stage.
- An early insight into your candidates’ skills – with video interviews, either live or pre-recorded, you have the chance to see how your potential colleagues cope with technology, how they present themselves and how they appear under pressure. All these facets would be assessed at a face to face interview, but you can get a good feel for them via video initially.
- Potential to record and revisit interviews – although you would make notes in an interview that can be shared, it’s not the same as being there. With the potential to revisit and record video interviews, you can share them amongst the hiring or management team or revisit specific questions.
- Healthier and safer – much as we didn’t want this to be an article focussing on Covid-19, we must give a nod to it. The virus has not gone away, and there are still concerns about transmission, especially in the winter months. Less in-person exposure and minimal contact keep everyone safer. Plus, video interviews can even be conducted if a person is quarantining (and if they are well enough, of course).
- Less chance of no-shows and candidate ghosting – we would all love to live in a world where people do what they say they will or at least are upfront with you. However, ghosting and no-shows to interviews do happen. As frontline recruiters at Membership Bespoke, we’ve noticed this increasingly recently, and with candidates in a strong position at the moment, it may become an ongoing reality. Make it as easy as possible for your candidate to attend an interview.
- Passive candidates welcome! – video interviewing opens your door to more passive candidates. That’s the candidates who aren’t necessarily looking for a new job but would be a brilliant asset to your membership body. Since video interviews can be scheduled more easily, potentially out of office hours and take less time, it’s that much easier for passive candidates to attend.
- Increases inclusivity – remember that not everyone has access to transport, and the last year or so could have taken its toll financially. If you embrace video interviewing, then someone who has caring responsibilities or might struggle to pay the transport costs is suddenly available to you. This inclusivity also extends to those who have accessibility needs – if your membership organisation is not based in an area with easy access, you could be missing out on a rich pool of talent.
As a side note, and whilst we’re big fans of video interviewing, do keep in mind that although most people have a smartphone, not everyone has access to a laptop or a quiet space for a video interview, so aim to be flexible.
The pros of video interviewing are vast, and if it reduces both the time and cost per hire for you whilst still getting the right new hires and potential colleagues in the door, isn’t it time you embraced it?
For access to video interviewing tools or a no-obligation discussion about recruitment into your Membership Organisation, contact the Membership Bespoke team.