A third of hiring managers know within the first 90 seconds if they’ll hire a candidate. This shows just how important it is to meet the person behind that brilliant CV, but with advances in video technology it no longer means candidates must come to your office.

There are two types of virtual interview – one-way and two-way live. The first type allows an employer to send a list of questions to candidates, which they then record the answers to and send on. The second is conducted in real-time, making it very similar to an in-person interview.

This process is an efficient way of creating a short-list of suitable candidates to then invite to face-to-face interviews, but there are drawbacks. Let’s look at the pros and cons of virtual interviewing:

Pros

Saves time

The average time to hire is 38 days, and while this has decreased over the years what’s to say you can’t cut that down further? Arranging a suitable time to meet a candidate can be tricky, especially when there are busy schedules to coordinate between, but virtual interviewing streamlines this process. If you begin the first stage with a one-way video interview, this allows a quick filter-out stage and if you’re sitting on the fence with a candidate it lets you revisit the videos.

Reduces the bias

A one-way interview allows you to structure the interview the same for all candidates and ensures that you cannot discriminate with your questions. As a result, virtual interviewing can help you create a more diverse workforce.

Widens your talent pool

Virtual interviewing is a fairly new concept but it’s steadily becoming more popular – 63% of hiring managers have now used it. One reason is that the flexibility of remote interviewing widens your talent pool. Your office location can deter candidates who live far away from applying, but a virtual interview means that neither you nor the candidate need to travel for the meeting, and this opens up the possibility of hiring top talent from overseas. Also, applicants that are currently employed are more likely to find the time for a virtual interview, so this can boost the number of applications that you receive.

Great for limited office space

Do you find that meeting rooms get booked out quickly in your office? Virtual interviews remove the need for a formal space to meet with candidates, which also helps cut down the time-to-hire if you don’t have to wait for a room to become available.

Cons

Harder to read someone

Whilst virtual interviews are better than telephone interviews – where you can’t pick up on body language – it is not as natural as an in-person interview. Body language accounts for 55% of the message that deduce when communicating with someone. Many hiring managers can tell simply by the way that someone walks through the door whether they’re suitable for the role. Using video in your application process can make it more difficult for you to pick up on non-verbal cues that ultimately help you decide whether the candidate is a good hire.

Miss out on introducing candidates to the team

When an interview goes well it can be great to show the candidate around your office, let them get a feel for the environment and even introduce them to who they’d be working with. When hiring talent, in-person interviews are a chance to see whether the candidate is a good cultural fit and help them start to feel a part of the team. Therefore, if you do choose to use video interviewing in your hiring process, you’ll need to pay close attention to the onboarding process.

Relying on technology

As with video conference calls, there is a possibility that the technology can fail on you. This is not an impression that you want to make when showing a candidate why they should work for your company. Having said that, technology can help you recruit the best talent.

The legalities

GDPR means we must be careful about what personal information is stored. To prevent legal issues, you’ll need to find a technology vendor that distributes consent forms and disclosures to candidates, informing them what is being stored. This can mean more paperwork and training your employees so they know the procedure to ensure the video selection process is non-discriminatory.

BMS are here to help

Are you looking for talented candidates to build up your sales team? BMS will work with you as an extension of your business, delivering a smarter, faster and more effective recruitment experience. We’d love to hear from you, so get in touch with us today.