Best Practices for Successful Pre-Recorded Video Interviews

Best Practices for Successful Pre-Recorded Video Interviews

The pandemic has forced the world to go digital. With everything from education to work, people were forced to look for virtual options. Hence, the increasing popularity of video interviews does not come as a surprise.

According to a survey by Gartner, during the early days of the pandemic, about 86% of employers were using virtual interviews for hiring purposes. One of the commonly used types of video interview is a pre-recorded interview.

Pre-recorded interviews are an efficient and easier way to save time and money in the recruitment process.

 

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What Are Pre-recorded Video Interviews?

A pre-recorded interview is also popularly known as an asynchronous interview or one-way video interview. Unlike a live video interview, in a pre-recorded interview, the interviewer is not present to engage in a two-way conversation. The candidates are shown a set of questions, for which their video responses are recorded via a webcam. The video-recorded answers are later on reviewed by the hiring team. Think of it as a video audition for a role in a television series.

To dive deeper into this process, the typical workflow of a video interview is as follows :

Step 1: The organization chooses 5-10 standardized questions to be shown to the candidate.

Step 2: The hiring team sets the rubrics and grading criteria for the video interview.

Step 3: Candidate receives a unique link for the virtual interview

Step 4: The candidate is shown a question followed by a think time to formulate their answer.

Step 5: Candidate records record their 1-2min video responses to these questions.

Recruiters and hiring professionals receive the recorded responses, and can then watch, compare and grade the responses at their convenience.

 

Why Do Companies Use Pre-recorded Interviews?

Pre-recorded video interviews are used usually for the pre-screening move to see who should and shouldn’t be moved to the next stages of the hiring process. They are used as the first step in the hiring process, and as an introduction to each possible candidate.

A recent survey by Robert Half specified that over 40% of companies are looking to transition to video interviews in the near future. It requires only a few minutes for sending out questions, and few hours watching and evaluating the recorded responses, which reduces the time spent on every in-person interview.

Pre-recorded interviews also help in saving the cost per hire. With onsite interviews proving costly, recorded interviews eliminate travel costs, hotel stays, and flight tickets.

As every candidate is asked the same questions here it helps in providing consistency in the evaluation. During an interview, a hiring manager may forget to cover a topic or go off track. One of the unique benefits of a pre-recorded video interview is that it can eliminate this issue.

 

Best Practices For Successful Pre-recorded Video Interviews

Include An Introductory Video

This will help in letting the candidate get to know about your company’s culture. It helps in creating a polished and immersive candidate experience. You can make sure applicants have knowledge of what their experience will look like before joining.

Some of the things that you can add:

  • Your introduction as the recruiter
  • What are you looking for in the candidate?
  • The reason for doing a video interview instead of choosing the other options
  • Thank candidates for participating

        

    Keep The Number Of Questions Limited

    Try to be brief and only ask critical questions. More number of questions may risk that the candidates won’t be able to complete the interview. Adjust the wording of the questions to suit the pre-recorded interview environment.

     

    Include Introductions

    There is a chance that not all candidates would be well-versed with the functionalities of pre-recorded video interviews. A tutorial can be shared to help the candidates prepare.

    Some of the steps you can share:

    • Required equipment and supported browser
    • A demonstration
    • Practice question
    • Minimum internet speed required

          

      Use Video Questions

      With the help of video questions, you can add a personal touch. It feels better to be asked questions by a human rather than a computer. The hiring manager can record all the questions one by one, it can help in making the applicant a little comfortable recording their answers.

      This in return, will help in improving the candidate experience and building a better candidate relationship. It also helps in getting a better insight into the candidates.

       

      Add Links For Additional Elements

      If you want to take the format a little further from the traditional Q&A, you can add elements of different formats and styles, etc. For example, asking candidates what they would improve in a sales sheet, product page, or product advertisement.

       

      Send Staff Reminders For Evaluation Of Candidates

      Make sure that the recruitment team reviews and evaluates candidates in time. Since this might be the initial stage of the hiring process, it is better to find the top candidates for a face-to-face interview before they lose interest.

      Since the candidates might not have met with you for a live interview, and due to the pandemic, a majority of candidates might be out of work or stuck at home for the near future.

      So, remove all your concern about video interviews. Look at this disruptive HR technology for what it represents: a cost-effective way to interview more candidates efficiently.

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