Video interviewing is the process of virtually interviewing for an open job position using a webcam, a microphone, and the internet.
It has become a major part of the talent acquisition process for many companies.
While the idea of completing a video job interview completely virtually may seem like a nerve-wracking prospect for job candidates and hiring managers alike, it can be beneficial. For example, most applicants expect the hiring process to be long, with some companies can take more than a month to fill one role.
Video interviewing allows recruiters to complete interviews faster than traditional methods, meaning it won’t take as long for the right person to get hired. Instead of waiting weeks to receive a job offer, imagine sending an offer letter just five days after receiving a resume.
Additionally, you can ease the nerves of candidates by sharing your expectations, timelines that the hiring process will follow, the names and titles of everyone they’ll be interviewing with, and what the follow-up process will look like.
The way you go about interviewing candidates on video for open roles within your company will vary depending on your needs. Let’s break it all down.
Types of video interviews
When looking to add a fresh face to your team, there are two types of video interview methods you can go with. Both are equally effective and help you to find the right talent for any open position.
Live video interviews
Live video interviews, also referred to as two-way video interviews, let two or more people, like the applicant and the recruiter or hiring team, speak to each other face-to-face without being in the same room. They simply log into the same video call and have their interview in real-time regardless of their location.
It’s currently the most popular type of online recruitment interview and is usually used as a replacement for the first in-person interview.
When hiring managers offer job seekers the opportunity to perform a live video interview, it means that the candidate doesn't have to travel into an office multiple times to complete different interview stages. Instead, the application can complete the interview from the comfort of their own home, using the internet, a webcam, and a microphone to communicate with all members of your company that are necessary to speak to.
Live video interviews tend to be most useful when:
- The candidate and hiring managers are in different locations and want to save time by interviewing remotely.
- Recruiting managers and interviewers want to screen a large number of candidates for an open position without having to worry about details like booking meeting rooms and welcoming candidates into the office.
- Recruiters are interviewers who will be doing the screening are in different offices.
- The entire team is remote and there isn’t a physical office for a candidate to travel to for an in-person interview.
When preparing for a live video interview, it’s important to give your camera, headset, microphone, and speakers a quick check. Have the contact information of the candidate nearby in case you need to let them know that there’s a delay on your end.
Then, make sure you pick a location that’s free of distractions and mute any notifications, like from email and internal messaging software, so you can remain focused. A candidate is bound to notice when your eyes wander to a different part of the screen or when body language changes.
You’ll want to have good eye contact and show the candidate you have their complete attention to make them as comfortable as possible.
Amy Lecza
Senior Manager of Content Marketing at G2
Pre-recorded video interviews
Pre-recorded video interviews, also known as one-way or on-demand video interviews, are quickly becoming the preferred replacement to screening interviews performed using just a phone call or phone interview early in the selection process.
Instead of performing the interview with a recruiter on the line, an online system will show the candidate questions one at a time and they’ll record their answers solo. Once complete, the system notifies your hiring team so you can watch their responses and come to a decision about whether to move forward with that candidate.
Pre-recorded video interviews have their own set of benefits:
- A candidate can have time to prepare if they know the questions ahead of time.
- A candidate can choose the best recording if their answer takes multiple takes and even do a trial run of their answers.
- Interviews can be held when the candidate and interviewer are in different time zones.
- There isn’t the struggle of finding an open slot on multiple calendars to conduct the interview.
When preparing for a pre-recorded video interview, always test the recording and submission of videos before you send an invite to the candidates. Create questions according to the software and the features it offers. For instance, are you able to set a time limit for the answers? Can candidates do more than one take of their answers?
Then, decide how you’d like the candidates to know the questions. Will you send them ahead of time so they can prepare or wait until they log into the application so you can see how they think on their feet?
Finally, make sure to send the applicant simple but detailed instructions. You can also choose to give them a call ahead of time. Regardless, they should always know what’s expected on their end and how they can reach you if they run into a technical issue, or question, regarding the platform.
Want to learn more about Video Conferencing Software? Explore Video Conferencing products.
Benefits of video interviews
If you’re unsure of whether or not your team should be implementing video interviewing into your hiring benefits, check out these clear benefits to doing so.
Reduce time to hire
Regardless of whether you choose real-time or recorded video interviews, or are using talent acquisition or recruiting, they can save HR teams and department leads tons of time.
Consider how much time you spend with each candidate when they come into the office for a job interview. You probably take some time to welcome them into the office, offer them coffee or water, walk them to the meeting room, give them a short tour of the office, and walk them out.
It may not seem like a lot, but if you’re interviewing a long list of candidates, this could take up more time than you think. When you compare this time to conducting video interviews without leaving your desk, you can meet more candidates in a shorter time, which will in turn speed up the hiring process.
56%
of recruiters say lengthy hiring practices hold managers back from filling positions.
Source: EasyHire
Lower hiring costs
Speeding up the hiring time is going to naturally lead to your company saving some money. When you have a slow hiring process, the open position stays open for longer, which can cost your business when hiring for that role is crucial to the workflow and success of others.
When you take advantage of rapidly screening candidates by reviewing their recorded interviews, or interviewing multiple candidates in one day on video, you can move through the various stages of hiring faster, leading to hiring the perfect candidate sooner.
Positive interview experience
When done correctly, video interviewing can create a positive interview experience for everyone involved.
For the candidate, they don’t need to worry about the drive into your office, and finding and potentially paying for parking. Plus, when they know the questions ahead of time, they can feel more confident and they’ll be better prepared with the answers they want to present.
Being able to practice these answers and say them in multiple takes eliminates stress, which can also help hiring managers assess candidates more effectively as nerves can often get in the way of a candidate’s performance when interviewing.
Remove geographical limitations
If your company only hires local talent, you’ll miss out on some exceptional candidates that may live elsewhere.
When you implement video interviewing software, the right platform will connect you with potential employees that can work remotely or those who live in other areas that are interested in relocating. Knocking these barriers down, in addition to time zone conflicts with one-way interviews, opens your company up to a much larger talent pool.
Amy Lecza, Senior Manager of Content Marketing at G2, shared her thoughts on how removing geographical limitations can be a positive. She said, "The business world, especially within tech, is moving toward a future where the city a candidate resides in is no longer a major consideration to filling a role."
Amy Lecza
Senior Manager of Content Marketing at G2
Challenges to video interviewing
On the flip side, video interviewing can come with some potential drawbacks, too. Here are some risks to keep in mind.
Technical difficulties
Any time you rely on a software solution, you run the chance of running into a technical difficulty. Maybe the candidate will have a WiFi signal that drops, a slow internet connection, or the power will unexpectedly go out at your office.
Whatever the case may be, both you and the candidate can be prepared to answer even the toughest of questions only to be thwarted by a camera or microphone that doesn’t seem to want to work. Consider how stressful this can be for the candidate and have patience and a backup plan.
Unconscious bias
Whether we want to admit it or not, sometimes unconscious bias slips its way into the interview process. Even though video interviews can help you structure your hiring process, and learn to be more objective, they can also introduce new biases related to a confident-sounding voice or attitude, plus the person's physical appearance.
To avoid this, try and keep your evaluation strictly related to the open role. Also, document any feedback you have post-interview to avoid being influenced by any bias you may have afterward.
Lacking human interaction
This particular challenge is mostly related to one-way or recorded interviews. Imagine how nervous a candidate will feel talking to a machine, instead of another person.
Pre-recorded interviews are lacking a personal touch and real human interaction, especially when you consider that if a candidate doesn’t get past the first hiring stage, they may never actually speak with anyone within the company.
51%
of recruiters now use interview scheduling software, with an additional 26% thinking about starting.
Source: yello
Questions to ask during a video interview
Since a video interview often replaces the initial phone screen, but with the added benefit of being able to see the candidate, common interview questions that you should ask can be relatively surface level, while still getting to know the applicant and how qualified they are for the position.
Some interview questions you can ask include:
- Why did you decide to apply for (role)?
- Why are you leaving your current company/Why did you leave your last one?
- What inspired you to pursue this career?
- What is your experience using X software?
- What is your ideal work environment?
- Do you work best alone or in teams? Why?
- Tell us a challenge you faced at a previous position and how you overcame it.
- Name three skills you acquired from a different position that you believe would be beneficial for the role here.
You’ll want to get a good assessment of the candidate, their skills, and what they can potentially bring to your company.
Best video interviewing software
The goal of video interviewing software is to make the entire job interviewing process as simple and streamlined as possible, no matter the industry. Video interview software helps hiring managers, recruiters, and all HR professionals as they identify the best candidates for available positions within their company.
When it comes to video interviewing software, there are two types: pre-recorded and live interviews.
Pre-recorded interview software makes it easy for users to complete interviews at any time from anywhere by answering pre-determined questions. Live video interview tools provide a way for recruiters to conduct interviews online and in real time with a candidate located anywhere. Both systems use AI and chatbots while integrating with Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to keep all applicant information organized.
To qualify to be included in the video interviewing category, a product must:
- Make the interviewing process streamlined and simplified
- Internally track the candidate screening process and integrate with ATS
- Provide technology related to video interviewing for a variety of roles
- Incorporate pre-recorded interviews, live video interviews, or both
* Below are the top five leading video interviewing software solutions from G2’s Fall 2020 Grid® Report. Some reviews may be edited for clarity.
1. Spark Hire
With over 6,000 customers, Spark Hire is an easy-to-use video interview platform available in over 100 countries. Companies of all sizes rely on Spark Hire to make hiring decisions faster than ever before with one-way video interviewing, live video interviewing, an interview evaluation feature, video messaging, and more.
What users like:
“It's wonderful to have potential candidates who have the ability to do an interview at any hour of the day. It gives them the opportunity to take their time and put thought into the process. In the past, it was always very difficult to lineup interviews or to be able to have somebody do an interview in person.
"But with this program and them having the ability to work at a reasonable time, it allows us to see the best of people. We have received so many more responses than we ever did for in-person interviews. This video platform is versatile and allows us to create and sculpt the types of questions and thoughts that we want to execute.”
- Spark Hire Review, Samantha L.
What users dislike:
“All interviews, regardless of the job they pertain to, are stored in the same place. Because of this, an archive option would be great. I also feel that the process for us as the main user is slightly convoluted. It isn't enough to put us off, but it has taken longer than expected to get a grasp on how to use the platform, how to upload your own videos, etc.”
- Spark Hire Review, Charlie R.
2. Codility
Codility is a video interviewing solution and hiring platform developed for engineering teams. Users of this video technology can easily predict the real-life skills of technical candidates at all stages of the interviewing and hiring process. Features of Codility include the ability to screen candidates with online code tests, accelerated time-to-hire, reduce unconscious bias, and more.
What users like:
“Codility is an excellent tool to improve the quality of our coding. I would recommend it to any developer. The algorithms are respectable, and the interface is great for practicing and testing the answers. The tests and the scoring methodology are very useful to understand the improvement points on my answers. The wording of each problem is quite explicit. The examples are enough to understand the use cases very well. The user interface is very intuitive and simple to use. Employers may well recognize the participant's level of study.”
- Codility Review, José Antonio S.
What users dislike:
“One thing that we dislike most is adding new user administrators to the list of internal admins to receive email notification of scores once completed by the candidate. Currently, you need to click the test, then the edit button on the test, and get through four steps and too many clicks to finally get to the "add admin" email on the bottom of the page. This was difficult to find in the first place, and too many clicks to get there. Other than that, nothing else comes to mind.”
- Codility Review, Chad J.
3. HireVue
HireVue aims to simplify the hiring process by offering live and on-demand video interviewing features to its users. It connects hiring managers and recruiters to candidates fast, reducing the time-to-hire and increasing the quality of each hire. With a pre-hire assessment to identify the best candidates, while minimizing bias, you can be sure your company is interviewing the best talent on the market.
What users like:
“HireVue allows us to get candidates in front of hiring managers fast and without the expense of flying or driving. At times, we have to wait 2 weeks for flights to be cost-effective and we lost momentum. I love that it records and you can share with additional hiring managers that may not be able to make it, or the client. I also enjoy that we can enter pre-qualified questions for a panel interview and being able to have three interviewers is simply awesome.
"We always have to have our panelist rate each question of a panel interview, for each candidate, and ask them the same questions, so this ensures that we do so and it tallies the scores for us and creates an easy to share report. It is super simple to use and allowing our users to be able to use a laptop, tablets or smartphones is perfect. Lastly, if there are ever any hiccups, their support line picks up, every time, and is super helpful to both the candidate and hiring manager.”
- HireVue Review, Charisse R.
What users dislike:
“I don’t like that we can’t get a readout of the AI scoring to provide better feedback to the candidate and our hiring managers.”
- HireVue Review, Kelsey P.
4. VidCruiter
VidCruiter offers pre-recorded and live interviewing to its users in a way that can be customized to meet any recruitment situation or scenario. This helps organizations in all industries and of all sizes find better quality applications while remaining fast and cost-efficient.
What users like:
“VidCruiter is a great tool that has helped us save an immense amount of time screening candidates for high volume roles. It eliminates the back and forth of scheduling phone screens/interviews because the hiring manager and candidate complete their part on their own time within a specified time frame.
"VidCruiter gives you the time to plan out your questions for a candidate and keep your interviews consistent. It's user-friendly for both recruiters and hiring managers to collaborate on candidate feedback, as well. The rating system is very helpful when comparing candidates for a specific role. VidCruiter's customer service has always been incredible. They are fast, responsive, and easy to talk to.”
- VidCruiter Review, Carlie J.
What users dislike:
“Editing features for email templates need to be easier to see and use. They are set up in small windows which make it hard to edit and change the long quality of emails that the federal government uses for staffing.”
- VidCruiter Review, Hailey V.
5. OutMatch
For companies making a shift to virtual hiring, OutMatch is transforming how companies hire candidates. In addition to video interviewing, OutMatch also offers talent assessment, reference checking, and culture analytics to remove bias and improve hiring decisions.
What users like:
“Along with the amazing customer service by your client success team, we love that the assessments are so simple and streamlined. They are easy for us to send to candidates, easy for the candidate to complete on any device, and easy for us to quickly get insight into our candidate. On top of that, the report provides an interview guide that can help you interview with specific questions to hone in on the candidate's potential weakness. It is overall a great tool for us to use from hourly associates to Executive Vice President level.”
- OutMatch Review, Christy W.
What users dislike:
“I would like to have the option to upload my own job specifications versus having to find one within the OutMatch database that most closely aligns with the role we are looking to fill.”
- OutMatch Review, Sarah C.
Can you hear me now?
At the end of the day, creating a hiring workflow that enables video interviewing can benefit your company for the long haul. No matter which type you choose to do, or maybe even a combination of both, there are clear advantages for you and the candidate.
Before you start video conferencing and interviewing candidates, double check you have good posture, an adequate light source, and you’re ready to take notes! The right candidate could be just on the other side of the screen.
Ensure your schedule for video interviewing is filled with only the best candidates when you develop a recruitment marketing strategy.
Mara Calvello
Mara Calvello is a Content and Communications Manager at G2. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University). Mara writes customer marketing content, while also focusing on social media and communications for G2. She previously wrote content to support our G2 Tea newsletter, as well as categories on artificial intelligence, natural language understanding (NLU), AI code generation, synthetic data, and more. In her spare time, she's out exploring with her rescue dog Zeke or enjoying a good book.
