There is a pressing need to improve on the efficiency of the recruitment process. In a competitive graduate jobs market, it can be challenging – using existing recruitment methods – to fish the best candidate out of a pool of highly skilled and competent applicants.

But video recruiting is showing promising results in terms of saving time and appointing the best-fit candidate.

Finding the best-fit candidate

Video recruitment software offers benefits to both the recruiter and the candidate. It allows recruiters to better understand, early on, what each candidate is like. It also helps the candidate to see whether the company is a good fit for them.

This is crucial for young people since – despite the myth being perpetuated that young people are job-hoppers – staying in a job long-term is actually a top priority for Millennials. A survey highlights that nearly 90% of Millennials surveyed said they would stay in a job for the next 10 years if they were guaranteed both annual raises and upward career mobility. A video interview may therefore allow the candidate to assess what kind of opportunities there will be for career progression.

If the interview is pre-recorded, this gives the applicant the opportunity to fine-tune their answers and present themselves as best they can. If you’re preparing for a video interview, treat it as you would any other interview. Just because it’s taking place at home, this doesn’t mean you don’t have to wear a suit!

And if Skype or some other video chat software is being used for the interview, make sure to double-check that everything is working beforehand. I once had a Skype interview scheduled, and although I had no problem logging in, because I didn’t download a software update there was an issue with establishing a connection.

Luckily, the interviewer (now a client!) wasn’t put off by the issue and I had a phone interview instead. But don’t push your luck. If the employer knows that you’re struggling to even set up a Skype call, then this might not leave them with a favourable impression of your abilities.

It’s a time saver

A pre-recorded interview saves time for both parties. The candidate doesn’t have to travel and the recruiter can assess the interview when it suits their schedule. The Undercover Recruiter, a talent acquisition blog, found that in the first 90 seconds of the video, hiring managers to know whether it’s worth following up with an in-person interview. Phone screening interviews can take up to half an hour, so this is valuable time saved.

Many companies still rely on conducting three interviews in order to choose the best person for the job. But video recruiting makes this largely unnecessary. LaunchPad’s video recruitment software, for example, allows recruiters to use a scoring system so that candidates can be automatically rejected if they don’t meet certain criteria.

This is a time-saving gift for hiring managers and candidates. If you’re applying for a job, video recruiting means that a follow-up interview will definitely be worthwhile. There’s nothing more frustrating than constantly getting to the 2^nd and 3^rd stages of an interview, only to be unsuccessful every time.

Improved screening

The evidence has been stacking up in favour of video recruiting software. Virgin Media used to struggle to hire enough good graduate candidates. In 2010, it was hiring about five graduates a year. But this all changed once LaunchPad’s software was implemented. Now they hire 30 graduates a year and have been able to reduce staff turnover.

The reduction in Virgin Media’s staff turnover is positive news for candidates since it suggests that, if they get the job, there’s less reason to worry about whether they will fit in and excel in the role. Too many people are in jobs that they hate and feel trapped in. If video recruiting can improve the screening process and prevent these kinds of situations – which can really take a toll on one’s mental health – then it should be embraced.

Video recruiting is a self-selecting process. It motivates applicants to do in-depth research about the position before applying and committing to recording an interview. This means that, as a candidate, you will be able to tell how strongly you want the job. If you’re completely disengaged and uninterested when researching about the role and the company for the video interview, then this may indicate that this isn’t the job for you.

Casting a wider net

 

The perfect person for the job may not necessarily live where the company is based. With the jobs market becoming increasingly globalised, companies need to ensure that talented individuals aren’t excluded from applying. One of the great advantages of video recruiting is that it allows an employer to hire someone on the other side of the world. And applicants can feel liberated in the knowledge that an employer in a different city or country wants to (and can) hire them.

Video recruiting can open up all kinds of exciting job opportunities for graduates. So next time you’re asked to provide a visual recording for a job application, grab that camera without complaint; it may be the best thing you could do for your job search.

 

 

Sam writes graduate careers advice for Inspiring Interns, a graduate recruitment agency specialising in matching career starters with graduate jobs. For everything from marketing internships to graduate jobs Manchester, click here.