4 Reasons to Make Video Interviewing the Norm in 2013

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Video camera viewfinder recording in TV studioVideo is rapidly becoming the second language of the Internet, behind the typed word. How do we know this? Well, because YouTube is now the third most-trafficked site on the web after Google and Facebook.

But, the influence of video is extending far beyond how we consume content, it is also influencing how we interact with each other, particularly in the corporate world. Employers now routinely engage with candidates using corporate branding videos and an increasing number are beginning to incorporate video into the selection and hiring process. Latest research suggests that 38 percent of respondents use video at some stage of the hiring process and this figure is projected to grow over the next two to three years. However, there are four compelling arguments  why video interviewing should be the norm today in 2013 and not three or four years into the future. For example:

1. Financially streamlined hiring

There is going to be continued pressure on talent management departments to introduce cost efficiencies to the hiring process in 2013 and some level of first round video interviewing is one big, non-controversial step toward achieving this. How? Well, incorporating video interviewing into first-round screening will reduce costs related to interview expenses for both candidates and interviewers and can reduce travel time costs for interviewers who must travel to the interview location. In fact, a recent study suggests that 70 percent of organizations will fly a candidate in at some point for an interview; so, a company can significantly reduce costs by using video interviewing for previewing or full interviewing of candidates prior to or instead of flying them in.

2. Shorter hiring cycles

Video interviewing can lead to a shorter hiring cycle. Time-pressured candidates and interviewers will find it harder to schedule-in the additional time required for a face-to-face interview over a shorter video interview, which will lead to scheduling delays. Video hiring is flexible and sympathetic to busy diaries, meaning video interviews are likely to occur sooner than a corresponding face-to-face interview. First-round video interviewing is a simple way to speed up the hiring process during a time when talent supply lines are still severely strained in many professional areas.

3. Greater involvement from hiring managers

Put simply, video interviewing is more convenient than face-to-face interviewing, which means that off-site managers who might not be able to attend a traditional interview might be able to actually attend a video interview instead. This method is an easier way to involve hiring managers and relevant team members in the hiring process.

4. Tap into the increasingly mobile candidate market

An increasing number of candidates are now mobile workers, which means they now work from hotels, third party flexible office space, cafes, airports, beaches, etc. There are a range of video interviewing apps on the market that now make it very easy to interview mobile candidates on their mobile devices. This means that video interviewing allows you to tap into the increasingly mobile 2013 candidate market, as it exists today. Don’t be left out in the cold, just engaging with the static, desk/home based candidate market.

As a final word: as businesses, friends and family become more widely dispersed, communication, interaction and relationship maintenance all now occur via video. Now more than ever, people and candidates are ready to engage with each other and employers via the video platform – and the technology is there to support it. So, this is a great time to begin connecting with candidates with video interviewing as a matter of routine.

By Kazim Ladimeji