When the global COVID19 pandemic originally hit, many businesses were forced to lay off employees and enter mass furlough programs. Countless recruitment plans had to be halted or completely scrapped. Now, the end of the COVID19 pandemic in sight, and companies need to reshape their recruitment strategies.
The “new normal” will not involve 100% of all workforces returning back to work. At one point last year, 90% of employees in the USA were engaged in some form of remote work. A lot of these workers will continue to work remotely. Many new entrants into the workforce will prefer working remotely.
How can recruitment teams handle remote applicants and employees? Video interviews to the rescue!
The Importance of Video Interviewing in the Post-Pandemic World
In the past, video interviews were just one of the many tools that recruiters used during applicant assessment processes. Now, it’s a necessary recruitment tool for all employers. Until all strains of the COVID19 virus are completely eradicated, fear will continue to exist amongst the masses.
If your target job candidates are not comfortable traveling for in-person interviews, you’ll need to find other ways of engaging with them. Planned, structured, and professional-grade video interviews for candidates offer the best solution because –
Cost-Effective
Communication technology has advanced a lot. For most employers, conducting video interviews is not costly or inconvenient. These processes don’t require costly equipment. Both employers and applicants can use their phones, tablets, or laptop computers to participate in these processes.
Employer Options
Employers can carry out video interviews in various ways –
- Short, one-way interviews where the candidate is answering quickfire questions can be used to get a basic understanding of the candidates, their speaking skills, EQ, etc.
- Pre-recorded video interviews can be used to make candidates present themselves, ask basic subject-related questions, etc. Recruiters can assess this footage in their own comfort. Technically, they can assess hundreds of pre-recorded video interviews and pick the ones that make the most impact.
- Real-time live video interviews can be used by HR professionals to individually screen candidates who have passed the preliminary interviews.
Top companies typically combine all three of these video interviewing techniques as they’re very time and cost-effective. These combinations allow recruiters to access as much information as they need to make calculated recruitment decisions.
More Freedom for Job Applicants
Job applicants were never happy about traditional interview processes. Standing out in large pools of candidates is difficult when the recruiter is only assessing their resumes. Video interviews give applicants the chance to explain and differentiate themselves from recruiters.
They can showcase their personality, mention important skill sets, and share way more information than resumes could ever manage. For instance, applicants can re-record video interviews until they’re completely satisfied with their performances.
Cost-Efficiency
Many companies have had to provide COVID-related benefits to their employees. These benefits include – mandatory company holiday on Juneteenth, 4-day work weeks, mental health days, mandatory emergency leaves, etc. These new employee-friendly policies are hurting the bottom lines of many companies. These companies want to cut down recruitment costs.
HR managers across the world are being asked to emphasize cost reductions. Using cost-effective video interviews is a good way for such budget-conscious companies to cut costs. Processes like inviting applicants, creating interview spaces, setting up furniture arrangements inside the office, etc., are very expensive. Video interviews instantly eliminate these expenses.
The number of recruitment professionals a company needs to conduct video interviews is also significantly lower than the number of recruiters required for conducting traditional face-to-face interviews. That’s why in an era where cost-cutting is a key business objective, switching from face-to-face interviews to video interviews makes a lot of financial sense.
Brand Building
Employers that invest in the latest video interviewing tools establish their brands as tech-savvy and employee-friendly. Video interviews don’t discriminate based on location. Candidates from all over the world can partake in video interviews. As a result, brands get to generate more attention for their brands.
Recruiting is another form of marketing. The more potential applicants learn about your brand, the better. Plus, candidates are likelier to apply for video interviews, not face-to-face interviews. That’s because most people present themselves and their ideas better on pre-recorded videos.
Overall, the fact that a company is willing to offer job applicants simple, convenient, and personalized interview processes, improves its brand value in the market.
No Room for Biases
In face-to-face interviews, recruiters may have subconscious biases clouding their analytical judgments. That’s because human interactions are extremely subtle and intricate. There’s no room for such subtleties or intricacies in video interviews. Experienced proctoring professionals oversee these interviews, so there’s no room for cheating or biases.
Video interviews are also better for passive candidates who aren’t likely to open up much in face-to-face interviews. The COVID19 virus is here to stay. Companies that are reshaping their recruitment strategies must use video interviews as a key weapon in their arsenal and attract the best possible candidates from all across the world!
