Human Resources
Recruiting Software
5 Reasons Why Video Interviews Should Be Part of Your 2019 HR Recruitment Strategy
The recruitment industry in the United States has been growing steadily over the past decade. There are also projections stating that the global recruitment industry is expected to reach $334.28 billion in size by 2025. There’s no shortage of businesses who are willing to pay top dollar to get top talent.
But where does that leave the average business? Hopefully, the average business has a solid recruitment and HR strategy if it plans to handle recruitment on its own. That means, among other things, using services of professional writing companies such as Handmade Writing to create high-quality and engaging postings.
But it also includes using other tools that improve the quality and feasibility of a human resources strategy. Video interviews are among those tools, and here’s why you should be using them in the year ahead of us.
1. They Save Time and Money
There once was a time when face-to-face interviews were the only viable option for an interview. Sure, some candidates might have been able to tape their responses on VHS cassettes and send them via mail. But, for the most part, face-to-face was the way to do it. And that took a lot of time, and sometimes a lot of money.
Even in the earlier days of the internet, before web cameras became widespread and smartphones became the norm, video interviews weren’t a viable option. But they are now. And with the quality of the video and the internet connections improving overall, it’s safe to say that video will only get better and better at conveying the information you need to get from a job applicant.
It’s obvious how video interviews help save time — you can keep small talk to the minimum, you can easily share files and links to web pages or assets, and you don’t have to wait for applicants to settle in or leave. That makes scheduling interviews less of a nightmare. As for the money, you will never have to fly in talent for an interview again.
2. They Are Perfect for the Geographically Dispersed Workforce
People are increasingly choosing to work from home, at least some of the time. Businesses like the idea — they get the same work done with reduced overhead expenses. Statistics show that roughly a third of the workforce in the U.S. are at least occasional telecommuters. However, that’s only one of the challenges the HR industry is facing where video interviews are a part of the solution.
The workforce might be staying at home, but the real problem for recruitment is that those homes don’t have to share the same continent as the workplace. Remote work completely replaces the need to live or at least stay near the workplace. And when businesses are looking to hire someone who lives hundreds of miles away, they still need to interview them.
Video interviews lend themselves perfectly to the recruitment of a dispersed workforce. Businesses might still choose to fly in their talent in special cases, but for the most part, a video interview is the only reasonable way to communicate with far-away applicants.
3. They Facilitate the Expression for All Candidates
In-person interviews are an invaluable source of information during the recruitment process. And it’s not just the things applicants say that have the value — it’s how they say it, and how they behave while they’re saying it. The non-verbal is just as important as the verbal during a job interview.
For some candidates, that’s an opportunity to excel. They might struggle with the written word and turn to Writemyessaytoday and similar services to craft their cover letters. Even then, they might never get the chance to show their worth in a face-to-face situation.
However, because video interviews tend to be shorter and less expensive, a business might choose to invite more people to video interviews. And let’s not forget that people with disabilities might have an easier time attending video interviews than a face-to-face interview. Suffice to say, video interviews are more inclusive.
4. They Don’t Remove All of the Pressure of an In-Person Interview
For all their inclusivity, however, video interviews are far from being a walk in the park. Candidates still must present their best side on the interview. They still must dress up — the whole idea of interviewing in underwear and a nice shirt is a recipe for a disaster. And they also must think about the environment where they are having the interview.
The video interview doesn’t allow the candidate to be completely relaxed, and you want them to be on their toes. You want to see them put some effort into getting the job. And you can still control the pressure you’re applying to the candidates, even in a video interview situation.
5. They Lead to Better Outcomes
So far, we’ve seen how video interviews can be a doorway to a successful screening of a truly global workforce, including the segments of the workforce that are sometimes discriminated. We’ve seen how video interviews save time and money, and you still have all the things you need as an HR professional in an interview situation.
This all adds up to better outcomes of the interview process. But there’s more. If the candidates have a chance to speak with a real person during the interview process, they’ll be more engaged. Businesses benefit from engaged candidates whether they hire them or not. Plus, it’s easier to record and compare interviews when they’re already performed through tech. When it comes to video interviews, the list of improvements to the outcomes of the process goes on and on.
There are no reasons to avoid having video interviews as a part of your HR strategy in 2019. With inexpensive technological requirements and a list of clear benefits, video interviews can do only good for businesses of any size. Small and medium businesses, specifically businesses interested in hiring a remote workforce, should be especially interested in video interviews.
Photo courtesy of Pexels user Startup Stock Photos
Donna M.
Experienced Marketer and Blogger
