HR

Streamlining Your Hiring Process with Video Screening

By Sean Gordon

Hiring a good employee takes time. Finding the candidates, sorting them into a shortlist, and carefully deciding between the finalists are all time-consuming processes, but these are not the only causes of the time lapse between opening a position and hiring a new employee. Of all the delays involved in hiring, scheduling and waiting for scheduled meetings are the highest time cost by far for the least reward. Of course, you need to have an interview, probably several, in order to determine if a candidate is truthful, skilled, and has a personality that is well suited to the position, but what if you didn’t have to wait the two or three days per candidate to schedule a mutually available time slot? With the video screening process, you can.

What is Video Screening?

Technology has come a very long way in the last 20 years and yet most hiring practices have remained the same. No doubt, the in-person interview is important. It gives you a chance to really get a feel for someone’s temperament (and potential deception) based on their tone of voice, expressions, and body language response to each question but video communication provides most of the same opportunities to observe.

Video screening gives you, even more, control, with the ability to look at candidates’ recorded introductions before asking to see them. Then, for those that you feel would be a good fit based on both resumes and video performances, you can send them questions that they will answer in video clips that will be sent back to you. This means three very important things, and none of these perks are available during an in-person interview or even a video chat.

  • Questions and answers can be sent asynchronously, without scheduling
  • You can ask more questions as you think of them further on in the hiring process
  • You can watch the clips closely for details you missed the first time.

Video Introductions

When job seekers sign up for a service like vidREACH that offers video screening, they make an introductory video of themselves which serves as a kind of personal cover letter. It allows them to personally summarize their experience, emphasize what they care about, and give employers a chance to see their demeanor as well as their list of achievements on a resume.

Many people on the job hunt have wished for a chance to personally greet their potential employers and sometimes to offer an interesting explanation for something unusual on their resume. Video screening provides this opportunity, giving a personal touch to every job application right from the start. In many ways, video screening is like handing your application to the manager in-person, as we once did back before the internet.

Interview Questions

Having the chance to look at videos right from the start gives hiring managers an edge on making that shortlist. Among all the applicants who look good on paper, some can be quickly boosted to the top for excellent suitability or eliminated for the opposite reason. You will know who is cheerful, who is dour, and who can bring the kind of energy you’re looking for. Once you have your initial list of candidates, you don’t have to wait and schedule a phone call. Simply send them your interview questions and wait for each one be answered.

Candidates who receive interview questions will record their answers in their own time and shoot the videos back to you for review whenever you have time to open and watch them. No down time for scheduling or waiting for an appointment. Their video answers will show you important factors like depth of knowledge, enthusiasm for the topic, and all those little body language cues you’re supposed to watch for during an interview without having to meet each of them in person.

With this kind of tool at your disposal, you may well decide to finish the process with in-person interviews of your final candidates, but this could be weeks or even months sooner with the simple act of cutting out the scheduling times. For more information about video screening for your next open position, contact us today!

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