The world of recruitment is never static and the advancements and growth in automation, digital and virtual tech are revolutionising the process of recruitment both for job seekers and for organisations looking for their next recruit. An area which has seen huge success for many industries is the video interview, which is the perfect tool for identifying the best people to bring in for face-to-face interviews and to thin out applications to those who are best suited.There are two approaches for video interviewing; your mind probably went straight to a Zoom or Facetime call – a ‘face-to-face’ chat between interviewer and interviewee – which is an approach that’s been utilised far more often since Covid has impacted our lives. As well as live calls many organisations are benefiting from pre-recorded interviews in their recruitment processes, with great success.

Pre-recorded interviews involve creating a video which introduces key members of the leadership/recruitment team asking a series of questions or mapping out theoretical situations. Those applying can see and get a feel for the people they may be working with, forming a first impression far more successfully than on paper or a written digital ad, and decide whether to go ahead. The applicant then records their own video, answering the questions asked in your video interview, and telling you more about their application and experience.

This gives you far more insight into that applicant than a CV and written application could, allowing for a more rounded first impression and information about whether the candidate would be a good fit for your team.

Other benefits are that candidates can complete and submit these interviews at their convenience without the need for aligning schedules to find a mutually suitable meeting time, and that you can review the videos internally around your schedule. Surveys indicate that this saves 65% on time invested in in-person interviews. You’re not only able to fit more interviews around your schedule, but you can also have more applicants who may have been unable to attend in-person interviews and who may be absolutely perfect for the role.

The pandemic has forced us to change the way we work, to create a digital and virtual system which allows business-as-usual to maintain your organisation’s day to day workload even with many employees working from home. This adaption means that you’ve already established a functioning and accessible infrastructure which can be utilised in your recruitment processes, even after you’ve returned to office-based working.

Video calling platforms like Zoom have seen a massive increase in customer base; past that first round of pre-recorded interviews, you can schedule your face-to-face via video call where you can share presentations, record the interview for later review, share documents and arrange meetings far more conveniently than if you need to incorporate travel time and expenses or booking meeting spaces.

Those who are more used to traditional recruitment methods worry that it may put applicants off but, from those who have experienced these pre-recorded video interviews, over 82% of applicants rate the process highly and would happily recommend it as a recruitment method and 89% of recruiters found it beneficial. In fact, 98% of those interviewed said the employer was innovative - which is a fantastic reputation to have in today’s world.

The world we work in has changed, which means the way we recruit has to keep up. For more information or support in your recruitment processes, speak to one of our team today and let us help you to recruit for your future.