The Real Power of Pre-Recorded Introductions and Interviews

By Jessica Miller-Merrell 

Human resource professionals are busier than ever before recruiting and hiring for their companies, so timesaving measures are a necessity to doing their jobs. One of the hottest timesaving methods right now is pre-recorded videos that serve as introductions to the company or even as an interview method. While videos are nothing new, it’s all about the way in which they’re used that makes them the go-to method of the day. 

As your company sets out to create and utilize pre-recorded videos (called Questionnaires by my friends at TalentCircles), it’s also important to recognize the relationship between videos, candidates and HR professionals. Videos are a tool that HR professionals use, but they certainly don’t replace the role HR plays in recruiting, building relationships and connecting with new employees. However, when utilized as a one of many tools in your HR toolbox, they are invaluable improving candidate quality while also saving you time and money. And who couldn't use more of all three? 

Take a look at these three ways pre-recorded videos just make sense:

Accessibility

Pre-recorded videos make sense for a lot of reasons but one of the most significant is the fact that there is no limit to when or how often they can be utilized. When used for interviews or orientation, pre-recorded videos act as the HR professional that is always available. This is especially valuable for companies interviewing many candidates in a short amount of time, even allowing them to interview on the spot at career fairs and similar events.

Cost

Companies looking for a cost-effective solution for large-scale interviewing or a solution to a low number of HR staff should consider pre-recorded videos. Even larger companies that can afford to produce quality videos will likely find it’s a worthwhile investment. Another great thing about utilizing pre-recorded video is that there are so many ways you can create them, from doing so internally to hiring a videography company, to having one member of your HR department present or 10 different employees appear in a video. This provides quite a bit of wiggle room to customize a video to fit your budget.

Employment branding

Introductory, interview and onboarding videos each provide an opportunity to establish your employment branding before a candidate even starts working at your company. In the same way you can customize videos to fit your budget needs, you can tailor videos to fit your employer brand. That means that the tone, feel and look is all up to you. This is a real asset as there is no limit to the customization options available. Whether your company is most accurately represented by a formal, corporate tone or a fun, loose atmosphere, videos are easily tailored to fit each organization individually. This can be one more significant piece of your employment branding.

TalentCircles also offer the ability to add questions (text, multi-choice with one or several answers). Responses of types (included video-answers) can be scored. In the event you have hundreds of responses, you can sort candidates par scores. 

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media. She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs. 

5 Essential Characteristics of Your Video Interview Provider

By Jessica Miller-Merrell

Video Interviewing Best Practices 

Video interviewing is one of the most popular recruitment technology tools in our industry today, but not every provider or service is created equally.  We’ll break down five characteristics that are most important to current video interview users and what makes them so valuable to lowering cost of hire and time management. 

• EEOC Compliance. The EEOC is very clear when it comes to technology and discrimination. Regardless of the type of technology you’re using it’s important that you follow all EEOC guidelines as if the interview was face to face. To protect yourself and employer implement best practices to overcome any discrimination lawsuit that might arise especially when interviewing a different way. Best practices include having a written set of criteria, asking a standard set of questions, and making sure there is more than just one person watching video interviews.

• Ability to Provide Multiple Interview Types. Having a pre-recorded set of questions is only one type of video interviewing that happens. You want to make sure your provider has multiple formats in which you’re able to interview potential candidates. Based on the job level and experienced required it’s important to be able to talk with someone live using video interviewing software. Before signing up with a vendor of video interviewing technology you want to make sure they offer an array of services that fits your company’s needs.

• The Share Factor. Sharing is caring. If you’re watching an interviewee in a pre-recorded session and you find someone who stands out, what next? Having the ability to share the video with your manager or another recruiter is essential to make sure the right talent is placed in the right spot. If you feel like someone interviewed well and they fit another position within the company being able to forward the interview with the click of the mouse would be a prime feature in video interviewing.

• The Employee Profile. There are a lot of vendors out there who provide video interviewing technology, but do not provide a network and talent community to gather deeper insights about a candidate. Developing a community that allows the interviewee to create a profile based on interests and qualifications gives the candidate a deeper sense of belonging and will stick around for more opportunities. Jobs are applied for on a whim and many times job seekers go from job board to employer website to a 3^rd party client to fill out the application then they’re stuck in the dark hole of the applicant process.

• Interview and Candidate Notes.  While the ability to share is important, having the ability to leave notes for follow up questions or points of interest you’ve identified in the interview is important not just for sharing with other recruiters or hiring managers but also for yourself.  When you a large number of candidates, it is easy to experience interview halo where the most recent candidates appear to you to be the most qualified.  Adding notes help to evaluate job seekers fairly and organize your thoughts for future interviews. 

While video interviewing is not going away anytime soon, it’s still in its infancy stages. EEOC Compliance standards will likely remain the same as discrimination across any platform is standard. Within the last two years different video interviewing companies have sprouted up while trying to differentiate themselves from each other. Take a look at the features they provide and think about what is important for yourself and your company. Choose wisely.

Learn more about video can be used in driving employer branding awareness and recruitment campaigns by clicking here.  

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media.  She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs.