Cecilia has finally done it. After earning her spurs in the Human Resources department of a large company, she is now responsible for their selection process. Their job posting, CV screening and assessment centre procedures are established. However the pre-selection process for the assessment centre is falling short of expectations. Only 12 candidates can be invited to the assessments centres, but there are usually about 30 suitable applicants. Being able to narrow down this number has been a challenge because there is no official step in the process to do so. Another challenge is that the departments would like to be more involved in the pre-selection process. Currently they use telephone interviews to narrow it down to twelve candidates. Though recently, Cecilia heard of a new method: pre-recorded video interviews. To determine if this would work for her company, she did a little research to compare the methods. Here are her results:

What does the recruiter learn about the candidate?

Telephone Interview (TI): The information varies with whatever the goal is, which can range from clarifying CV information to competency-based questions.

Pre-recorded Video Interview (PVI):The choice of questions is open. However, the questions must be pre-determined, and so must the evaluation criteria. The criteria are based on the competency profile for the job. This ensures that all candidates are asked the same questions, allowing evaluators a simple way to compare the candidates’ skill profiles.

How are the interviews coordinated?

TI: There are a lot of people’s schedules to coordinate for every call; there is the interviewer, the candidate and the department representative. This can be really tricky when one person has to reschedule. And altogether they have to make 30 interview appointments.

PVI: As the name suggests, the process is out of sync. Once Cecilia sets up the video interview, an email invitation is automatically sent to all the candidates. They have a specific time frame in which to complete the video, as set by Cecilia. Within that time frame candidates can choose the time and place they want to take their interview. The evaluation is also independent in time and location once the videos have been recorded. Each evaluator can complete it at their convenience. This way everyone involved in the process is able to do it on their own schedule. The coordination effort is completely eliminated.

How much time does it take each evaluator per candidate?

TI: With pre-and post-processing and the coordination of appointments with the department representatives, the time can be as short as 75 minutes per applicant. But that is in when everything goes smoothly. Scheduling is often where time is wasted. Especially since the departments usually have a lot of work to do in the day-to-day business and often have to cancel appointments with short notice.

PVI: Pre-recorded video interviews allow everyone involved in the process to participate whenever and whenever they want. So there is no more coordination involved. The average time for each candidate takes about 10 minutes per evaluator to complete. This allows for flexibility for everyone involved.

How standardized is the process?

TI: Like most HR departments, Cecilia’s company conducts semi-structured telephone interviews. In order to keep the conversation flowing she might ask further questions or change the topic, altering the format slightly for each interview. Because of this she would try and take detailed notes, but even with her notes she didn’t always remember specific details later and often had to rely on gut feelings.

PVI: PVIs are completely structured. This means that all questions and evaluation criteria are pre-defined and related to the job requirements. Each candidate has the same exact questions with the same exact preparation and response times. Video sequences can be viewed over and over while the evaluator assesses the applicant. This process ensures that all applicants undergo the exact same processes and are easily comparable.

Do candidates like it?

Telefoninterview: Candidates acceptance is good for the announced telephone interviews, but low for surprise interview calls. However, candidates often report that they are not in “interview mode” in phone interviews if they are sitting in slippers on their couch for the conversation.

PVI: Candidate acceptance is positive. It is important to communicate with the applicants before the video interview process begins. For example, candidates should be told why the video interviews are being used and what the benefits are for them.

What’s Cecilia’s conclusion?

After checking out the facts, Cecilia has decided to use pre-recorded video interviews. It was the time saving, allowance for easy departmental inclusion, and high standardization that convinced her.

Would you like to know how pre-recorded video interviews can help you recruit better and faster? Then schedule a demo with us!