Video: The Unsung Hero Of Virtual Hiring In The Pandemic Era

How employers can benefit by introducing video in their talent process

How and where we work has changed forever. Virtual workplaces, remote working, hybrid workforces are the latest buzzwords describing our new normal. We have been adapting personally and professionally to find the best way forward to live and work virtually, while not losing our humanity and connection. In this new, quickly-evolving pandemic era, video has stepped in to take a primary place at the table, enabling companies to hire, onboard and develop their employees, while maintaining humanity and engagement.
 

While hiring slowed initially for some industries, most are back on track and seeking to hire and grow. Many employers are grappling with talent supply challenges as workers reflect and consider their future career path. Some employees choose to only work for companies offering full-time remote positions, while others are considering dramatic changes in the type of work they want to do. Hiring teams have been forced to assess their virtual processes and HR technology to see if it meets the requirements of a fully virtualized hiring process.  

The market has introduced many new video-based conferencing solutions to deal with the onslaught of demand for virtual meetings. As a result, using video to connect virtually and being on camera has become a regular, daily activity. Now, with video in our DNA, the adoption of video in new areas of hiring and talent development has become increasingly popular, along with the benefit of merging a virtual environment with an engaging, personalized experience. Here are some examples of how employers are benefiting from video in their talent process.

Recruiting and Interviewing - Employers can:

1. Add video job descriptions to their career sites and add realistic job previews to job ads to bring the job to life and create connections with candidates.

2. Embed video interview questions directly into their application process to increase the information they are collecting about applicants at the first stage and rely less on the resume as the tool to represent the candidate’s capabilities. This helps employers to avoid prematurely screening out great candidates.

3. Replace phone screens with video questionnaires, which are sent by email to shortlisted candidates, giving them the flexibility of responding by a set deadline and the flexibility of when and where they want to respond. Screening time is reduced from 30 minutes to five minutes when assessing video questionnaire responses.  

4. Assess employees and candidates with situational video assessments and automatically assess their competencies with the help of AI and data-assisted automated assessment.

5. Invite candidates to a live video interview, or run group interviews with multiple participants. Record the interview, add comments, rate and then share the recorded interview with other team members to review and assess each candidate. 

6. Gain efficiency and standardized measurement with all interviews and ratings in the resume-to-hire flow accessible from the candidate profile.

Onboarding - Employers can:

1. Create a more engaging onboarding process with the delivery of video training and familiarization for new joiners, covering all important topics, including, how to use various software programs, the dos and don’ts of social media, and other protocols and learning opportunities.

2. Create a fun and engaging way to deliver training, with a reusable video training library, and then test employees’ retention of the concepts shared.

Employee Assessment and Development - Employers can:

1. Educate employees on the topic of diversity and inclusion with the delivery of video-based training content.

2. Invite employees to complete the diversity mindset assessment and test their diversity sensitivity and leadership potential.  

3. Test employees’ competencies and potential with video-based competency assessments and get their automated competency scores assessing abilities in areas of customer service, attitude, growth mindset, sales performance, communication and more.

Dedicated, SaaS-video platforms have been developed for companies to support and improve efficiency and engagement at all steps in the talent recruiting and employee lifecycle.  Benefits include:
 

• workflow efficiency and automation
• improvement in hiring fit success and retention
• standardization of talent measurement and defensibility of results 
• cost savings
• improved implementation and management of accessibility governance and DEI policies

Best practice video platforms integrate seamlessly with a company’s existing HRIS and ATS systems and provide ongoing support and updates of the latest video features and functionality. Engaging a reliable supplier of a best practice video platform is an important decision in a company’s talent strategy; it is a partnership to uncover critical talent in our now-virtual world of work.

Patrick Kielty is VP of Customer Success at videoBIO Recruiter.  Connect Patrick Kielty