Arrive early. Dress appropriately. Offer a firm handshake. Don’t wear too much cologne. Use a breath freshener. All are very good tips for making a good first impression during a job interview, but they have become irrelevant in the coronavirus era. With face-to-face encounters curtailed for health reasons, more and more organizations are using video and collaboration tools to assess potential candidates.
It’s a change that could become permanent. Many hiring managers and human resources professionals say remote interviewing processes may actually be more effective than the time-honored in-person interview.
The Rise of Video Interviews
Hiring managers say the use of video interviews, online assessments and other remote evaluation tools are as effective as — and sometimes better than — in-person interviews, according to a recent survey by the HR software firm Checkster. Almost 70 percent of survey respondents reported a significant shift away from in-person interviews, with 43 percent citing a reduction and 25 percent halting them altogether.
Although this shift is being driven by pandemic-triggered social distancing requirements, there is good reason to believe it will become the preferred interviewing method. Businesses have always used technology to speed up processes and reduce costs, and that’s what video and collaboration apps such as Mitel’s MiTeam Meetings do for hiring managers.
The Benefits of Video Interviews for Hiring
Research shows that every corporate job offer attracts roughly 250 applicants, with about five getting called for an interview. The average cost per hire is more than $4,000, which often includes travel and accommodation costs for both candidates and company representatives.
Those kinds of costs are eliminated when interviews are conducted via MiTeam Meetings, a multi-party collaboration platform that seamlessly integrates real-time voice, video and chat capabilities. With 16-person multi-pane viewing, it’s easy to put together a remote session between a candidate and several interviewers in multiple locations.
Meetings are easy to schedule and start, and active speaker windows ensure that interviewers and candidates have center stage when they are speaking. File-sharing features ensure that cover letters, resumes and other important documents are easily distributed to all participants. Persistent chat logs serve as interview notes, allowing participants to keep track of the conversation.
Remote hiring offers a variety of other improvements over the traditional in-person interview. These include:
Expanded candidate pool. Video interviews allow companies to interview more candidates from more locations than would likely be possible in person. If the job involves remote work, you can have a global recruitment effort.
Improved logistics. It can be maddening trying to coordinate the calendars of several candidates and the interview team. Scheduling remote interviews is much easier because nobody has to actually leave their home or office to be there.
Increased efficiency. Video interviews can be conducted in far less time than it takes to get everyone together for an in-person interview. Everyone just joins the interview from their desk.
Going green. By eliminating travel requirements, and the fuel consumption and emissions that entails, remote hiring fits with any environmental initiatives your company may have in place.
Expanded participation. Department managers and supervisors who don’t necessarily need to be directly involved in the interview can still have a voice in the decision. Recorded video interviews and log chats can simply be forwarded to those who have a stake in the decision.
Reconsider candidates. The ability to save and revisit videos at a later time can be advantageous when similar positions open up later on. It gives you the chance to hire a previous candidate who made a good impression but didn’t get the original job, allowing you to bypass much of the recruitment process.
Mitel’s MiTeam Meetings for Interviews
Video job interviews don’t eliminate the need to make a good first impression. Interviewers can still form impressions about a candidate’s body language, mannerisms and appearance. However, video does eliminate much of the stress and complexity of scheduling and conducting in-person interviews. Give us a call to discuss how Mitel MiTeam Meetings can help improve your recruitment processes.