As the coronavirus pandemic has gripped the world, every business and industry has had to adapt quickly and prioritise safety. The recruitment industry is no different, having moved their recruitment processes online to ensure they can continue to support the businesses that need their help. Video interviewing has been at the forefront of this change.
The use of video interviewing has seen significant growth over recent years, and we have certainly seen the benefits of using it here at Bridgewater long before the current pandemic. It’s great to see that many employers too, are now discovering the benefits of video interviewing first-hand and they may wish to make this a permanent change even after the crisis has subsided.
Industry leaders are already predicting that employers won’t want to switch back after giving video interviews a try which could change the way businesses recruit forever. Here are some of the benefits that video interviewing can offer:
Since recovering from the Great Recession of the late 2000s, we have transitioned into a candidate-led job market which has put pressure on recruiters and employers to speed up their recruitment processes.
While the UK job market will be impacted by the current pandemic, the fundamentals remain the same; the best candidates get snapped up quickly. By using video interviews for the first stage of your recruitment process you can engage with candidates much more quickly and get ahead of your competitors.
With managers often having busy diaries and many candidates working full-time, arranging an in-person interview quickly is usually a challenge. However, by switching to online video interviews, scheduling becomes easier as there’s no travel involved. Candidates tend to have more flexibility as they can fit the interview into their working day i.e. by using their lunch break.
For managers who are recruiting across large regions or even the whole country, video interviews offer the perfect solution. You can interview candidates wherever in the world they are without the time and expense it takes to travel.
Since making the change from in-person interviews to video interviews here at Bridgewater, we have seen a significant drop in the number of candidate no-shows and cancellations. We know how frustrating it is when you arrange an interview and a candidate doesn’t show up, but the ease of video interviews reduces this problem.
Video interviews still offer the benefits of in-person interviews in that you can build rapport, ask your usual questions and sell your opportunity to the candidate. If they impress, then you can set up a final interview where you can meet face-to-face and they can see what their working environment and team would be like.
At this stage, the candidate is usually a lot more invested in the role and the company because you sold it to them during the video interview. This means they are less likely to drop out of the process even if they are receiving offers from your competitors.
There are so many benefits of video interviewing for employers and there’s no harm in giving it a go. At Bridgewater, we are already supporting clients who have requested to use online video interviews and we’re receiving positive feedback.
If you would like to find out more about it and how we can make it a part of your recruitment process, contact us today.
