Making the recruitment process more efficient so you can filter the best candidates from the top of the funnel is one of the biggest challenges facing hiring managers.
Traditional interviews aren’t cutting it any longer, but asynchronous video interviews (AVI) are one alternative some companies are using to shortlist candidates while saving on cost and time.
Instead of a real-time conversation, applicants in front of a webcam watch or listen to a video with a series of interview questions and receive a fixed amount of time to review and respond. Afterwards, their answers are reviewed by an AI, a hiring manager, or some combination of the two.
Here’s how startups and small businesses are using AVIs to make the most of the hiring process and shortlist the best candidates.
Optimizing for a good interview experience and employer brand
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is an admirable principle, but first impressions determine how an interview will play out. Even before applying for a job, 75% of job seekers first evaluate the employer’s brand, according to LinkedIn. Companies can leverage AVIs to take control of the narrative and portray themselves in the best light.
The most common reasons why candidates ghost prospective employers include mistreatment, intrusive questions and their perceived lack of organization.
To begin with, introduce your company as transparently and authentically as possible. Share your organizational culture and corporate philosophy with potential candidates — from the start, you need to know whether the candidate fits into your work environment.
When you’re a startup, building credibility in the talent market is critical. Talk about your vision and the impact you have had so far, using examples and case studies wherever possible. Use the interview process to stand out out as an employer.
Clarity is crucial
Creating a recruitment strategy is a long, complicated process. Every detail should be examined closely before you execute, especially when incorporating new tools. Before connecting with candidates, make sure your hiring process is well structured and clear by running interview formats by your hiring team, gathering their feedback and implementing changes.
Additionally, consider customizing the hiring process for different roles. Again, to reduce the number of steps, solicit input beforehand from all stakeholders involved.
At the beginning, describe the complete application process, including how much time it’s likely to take. If relevant, communicate how many interview rounds will be conducted in person, whether they’ll be onsite or remote, the time you’ll take to share a decision, and how it will be conveyed.
It’s crucial to be clear: the most common reasons why candidates ghost prospective employers include mistreatment, intrusive questions and their perceived lack of organization. To that end, share sample videos with applicants before their interview so they will have a clear understanding of the format and what’s expected of them.
To help candidates get over any anxiety, give them an opportunity to record a practice video. Afterwards, don’t complicate the process by adding interview rounds ad hoc, or surprising the candidates with additional assessment tests. This will only serve to confuse candidates, and they might lose interest quickly.
Pre-interview questions and role description
In recruitment processes, asking the right questions is as important as looking for the correct answers.
When putting together the interview, make sure that all hiring managers understand which skills they are assessing for. It’s also important to use structured, but open-ended questions to ensure that all candidates have equal opportunity to respond.
Make sure you only ask questions that are relevant to the job, and stay on course. Unrelated questions, such as whether they share your interest in sports or attended the same school, might introduce subconscious biases into the process that will favor some candidates over others.
You should aim for a unified interview structure, but make sure you leave time for questions or clarifications. Allow the candidate to share additional information before or after the AVI, but keep it short — you should already have the necessary information from the interview.
Explain the video interview format
Although nearly 80% of employers use video interviews regularly, AVIs can be a completely new experience for some candidates, and this is no different for your hiring team.
To reduce the chances of awkwardness and unintended consequences due to inexperience, make sure to thoroughly adapt the hiring process to using AVIs, and train your hiring team so they are comfortable with it.
Pay attention to your hiring specialists’ non-verbal communication, and help them become more aware of how they’re coming across, as your interviewer’s comfort level will affect each candidate’s overall experience and answers.
You may randomize questions for a particular role, but ensure that every candidate gets the same amount of time to prepare and record their answers. When conducting asynchronous video interviews, it’s also important to ensure there is no function that lets candidates stop and re-record answers with scripted or rehearsed responses: Spontaneity is key to capturing the right soft skills.
Documenting and sharing feedback
According to Employer Ghosting: A Troubling Workplace Trend, 77% of people who applied for jobs were ghosted by a prospective employer at least once in 2020.
No one likes to be left in the dark, so it’s important you inform candidates about next steps and process outcomes promptly. If you want to give them a full picture of their performance, share a copy of the candidate’s video response and their test scores, if any, after the process concludes.
If a candidate is a better fit for another role in the company, share the relevant profile with the hiring manager so they can take the process forward. Keep in mind that candidates find it respectful when they’re allowed to share their thoughts on who they are, what they have done and why they would like to join your company. AVIs cannot replace an interview with a person.
We’ve reached a point where interviews rarely happen in offices, and it is more common to see jobs with “remote” set as the location. That’s why hiring specialists need to reach beyond what’s already known. Assessing candidates based on their résumé alone is no longer enough.