The Video Resume: A Recruiter’s Timesaver?

Finding the right employees has always been a challenge and it will always take time to find the best possible fit. It is becoming easier though to find the right fit and make better use of your time through video resumes and interviews. Video resumes, according to an article on ReelSEO, are the wave of the future. One video resume referenced in the article received 50,000 hits and the video is actually unlisted on YouTube! So with a video resume being that effective for a job seeker, how is it useful for YOU, the recruiter?

Your company may ask you to cut costs or to find candidates outside of the immediate area in order to have access to better qualified candidates. Do you want to be able to record your interview questions and have multiple candidates answer the questions at their convenience? Would you like a product that also allows you to review the recorded interviews later, should another position become available where a candidate may be a good fit?

Video interviewing will give you the ability to cast a wider net, enabling you to find candidates in areas that may be too far for a daily commute, but great for a telecommuting or remote job. You’ll also be able to find candidates that are willing to move to the area for the perfect job, but don’t currently live down the street. You will save tremendously on any travel expenses you would have paid (or couldn’t afford in the first place) if you had brought those prospective employees to you for screening. To illustrate how much it is a recruiter’s time saver, here are some interesting statistics:

In a recent survey of 506 organizations conducted by the Aberdeen Group on this very topic, video interviewing consistently showed better outcomes on all accounts:
?     67 percent reduction in travel costs associated with hiring
?     47 percent shorter length in time to hire a candidate
?     22 percent more reach into other geographic regions
?     11-14 percent better employee performance overall on key metrics

Companies who use video as part of their recruiting process will also have a higher employee retention because you are making more informed decisions right off the bat by being able to evaluate your top candidates more fully than if you were just look at their paper resumes. If your employees are staying longer and doing a better job, then you should have fewer turnovers, and can find yourself filling new positions then continually replacing old ones!

If you aren’t acclimated to them already, be prepared to start watching some video resumes as many great candidates are using them now to get an edge on competition. If they are willing to take the time to present you with something to help you better evaluate them before every meeting them in person, you might just find that candidate is helping save you time already by making your hiring decision easier!

How will you start incorporating video into your recruiting process? Do you feel it will make a difference in your initial screening decisions on candidates?