Video Interviews: Challenges & Opportunities

A while ago I mentioned the idea of “canned” video interviews that some companies were instituting in their hiring process (make that screening process). Now I have a first-hand client story that points out some of the perils these interviews pose for job seekers.

One of my clients was required to undergo a video-webcam interview that he expected would contain five questions. After just one question, he found he was unable to continue. He assumed that was due to a technical glitch, but when he contacted their tech support, he was informed that he had completed the interview and it was being processed. Subsequently, he received a rejection notice.

What’s wrong with this picture? He was applying for a position similar to what he does now but at a more well-established company, and his background seemed like a good fit. Obviously,there’s no way to tell whether his answer to the question was good, but what does seem apparent is that, for whatever reason, technology had been used to rule him out as a job candidate.

Challenges of Video Interviews

My client’s experience indicates just one of the challenges of video interviews used for pre-screening candidates: The technology can be inflexible, and you have little chance to influence that. Here are a few more challenges:

• The information available to you before the interview might be inaccurate, incomplete or otherwise not as helpful as it needs to be in order for you to prepare properly.
• Such interviews are completely one-sided. You have no interaction with an interviewer to give you hints on his/her responses, reactions, etc., because there is no interviewer involved at that stage. You also don’t get to ask questions about things it might be important for you to know.
• If you don’t do well when being recorded (visually or audibly), you start the interview with a pre-set handicap that can put you at a distinct disadvantage.

Opportunities of Video Interviews

According to an article by Hannah Morgan titled “Are You Ready For Your Video Interview?” (an interview with Jobvite’s CEO), video interviewing offers some advantages to the job seeker as well as saving a lot of time for recruiters.

“Dan Finnigan says this advancement will help eliminate the ‘black hole’ applicants find themselves in because companies will be able to interview more candidates. The candidate will have the opportunity to review and re-record each answer before submitting them according to Finnigan. This is the equivalent to an open-book test in my mind. There will be no excuse NOT to submit the best interview responses possible. That is, unless the candidate doesn’t review their answers first.”

But what if the system you’re forced to use doesn’t allow you to review and revise your answers or exhibits a glitch that truncates the process? Does that mean you’re pretty much out of luck? At this point, who knows?

These points do suggest, however, that preparation will be as critical as for a more traditional interview–and maybe even more so. Your best bet is to begin by gathering as much information about the company and the position as possible–always a good idea in any case. A key element, of course, is the need to make sure that you are well prepared to present yourself effectively in a visual format (including obvious factors such as hair, clothing, facial expressions, etc.). In addition to that, you need to practice speaking about yourself and make sure you don’t stumble over your words or come off looking/sounding like an idiot.

Will every company move to video interviews? Maybe not, but the more that do, the more challenging you’re likely to find the interview process. Be prepared!

Related

---