Interviewing has evolved, and there are so many ways to streamline your recruitment processes now. If you scan the surveys within the last few years from various sources, it seems that video interviewing practices are now commonplace with high percentages of adoption. Technology like Skype video provides several benefits when it comes to evaluating talent. Here are a few of my favorites.
1. It’s Free – It is easy to see why this is a benefit. When you can screen a distant applicant “in person” through Skype without paying the air fare/mileage, that’s a win! I once used Skype to interview a student for an internship opening. He was working within an exchange program in Brazil at the time. The Skype video tool allowed us to conduct a thorough interview, and we ended up hiring a great intern.
2. It Allows More Inclusion – If you have staff members in remote locations who need to be involved in the interviewing process, you can easily include more for a panel atmosphere. It’s generally easier to get the right people involved through a videoconference vs. in person.
3. It’s Personal – While Skype is very similar to the in-person interview, in reality, the person being interviewed has to do a bit more preparation than normal to pull off a great impression. Conscientious candidates will consider what’s behind them (what background is the interviewer seeing?), and they’ll likely need to practice camera angle and sound, along with the normal attention to appropriate dress and preparedness. This allows the interviewer to experience the facial expressions and presentation as would be normal with a face to face interview. So if you use Skype earlier on in your interviewing process, you may be able to get through your candidate pool at a faster pace.
4. It’s Flexible – You don’t have to reschedule a Skype interview when the weather shuts down the airports. If you are interviewing across time zones, you will have the flexibility of conducting the interview away from the office if necessary. Skype is a time-saver on many levels for both the candidate and the employer.
I can just imagine the new technologies on the horizon that will change our communication channels yet again. If you haven’t utilized video conferencing yet, it might be time to give it a try. Before you do, it is always a good practice to be intentional and develop a few ground rules about how and when you will use it.
Now all you need are candidates. Post a job to AgCareers.com now to start luring in top talent. Happy Skyping!
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
