The Rising Trend of Video Interviewing

Video Interviewing has been around for a few years now, however it has become a more popular trend recently among recruiters and HR.

There are obvious benefits: candidates are given the chance to present themselves authentically without hiding behind a typed CV and cover letter, whilst hiring managers can get a better read on a candidate’s personality.  Also, this format allows Hiring Managers to minimise the amount of time it takes to shortlist and select candidates for interview. 

But there are pitfalls to consider.

Video Interviewing can open up issues of discrimination. What if a job seeker is skilled, experienced, qualified and a great culture fit for an organisation, but just doesn’t present well when being filmed? This actually represents a large portion of the population!  And whilst you may say that a sales person should be assessed on the way they present and pitch themselves, this is not a reasonable pre-requisite for many other non-client facing roles.

On the flip side, what if a charismatic candidate happens to perform well in front of a camera, but doesn’t actually have the skill or the will to get the job done effectively?  Charisma, while a great asset for some roles, can be deceiving.

Also, are you putting a further obstacle in the way of great talent applying for your role? We all know that passive talent are happily engaged in their work, so it takes something special for them to make a move. Many talented people might reconsider moving if there are too many hoops to jump through. 

While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found that video interviews do not break any discrimination laws, their ruling comes with a big disclaimer: video interviews don’t discriminate, but people do.  So, like any tool of candidate assessment, there needs to be formal training in place for the hiring manager or recruitment professional to ensure they are not letting personal bias get in the way of the recruitment process.