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Besides Skype, what other sites are companies using to conduct video interviews with job applicants?
I'm writing a story for a national business publication on the topic of using video to interview job applicants. I would like to find out what other sites are being used (besides Skype). I would also like to hear from SMB and job applicants about what they like and dislike about conducting a video interview.
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4 Answers
Our organization is in the midst of developing a comprehensive video conferencing (primarily Cisco TelePresence) solution for a variety of reasons - including recruiting, connecting a highly remote, flexible, and mobile workforce, time and resource efficiencies, etc. Currently our laptops are all equipped with video capability and Skype - absent an enterprise solution - has been the natural mode of communicating with external constituents. However, we've begun to more broadly adopt and mobilize Microsoft Office Communicator and WebEx for internal video communications. From our standpoint, the merits to using video in our talent acquisition efforts are hard to ignore; and any organization - irrespective of size - would be remiss to not at least be thinking about it. In our mind, this is no different than the advent of the fax or Email: buck it, kick and scream as long as you want, but eventually you'll be compelled...if not forced...to adopt the technology. The quality of the experience is dictated by the lowest common denominator: if either party to the video conference is using inferior technology or bandwidth, each party pays the price. So the picture might be grainy or delayed, but it's easy to forgive those faults. The access to video capabilities is not as pervasive as one might think - particularly when it comes to dealing with individuals, not organizations. However, most cities have conferencing centers that facilitate these video calls; not always the cheapest, not always the most convenient, but more available none the less. We've found video conferencing to be particularly useful in the first line of sourcing and screening. It brings another dimension to filter on that ordinarily would have been unavailable during phone screens: presence, presentation, non-verbal cues, etc. That results in better "short-lists" produced for the hiring managers which produces happier hiring managers which ultimately produces better hires. Eventually you put your candidate(s) on a plane and bring them to your office, but now you can do it later in the process - sometimes only once, rather than multiple times - and you can really make sure you're doing that only with the best of the best. Finally, the indirect benefit is that the candidate is also in a better position to explore their own fit with and interest in your organization. This allows them to make a more informed decision about investing further in your organization and its recruiting process. Hope this helps...thanks for asking the question-it's a good one.
Our firm is about to launch a personal video presence service in North America called VuCall.com. The technology uses high definition,video and audio in a totally secure manner to conduct personal web (VOIP) based interactions. We have been searching the market for a viable alternative to Skype and VuCall solves the quality, reliability and security issues that exist with other services. As an HR business consultant to clients who need to recruit sales candidates in a predictive manner, this service is a productive and cost efficient alternative to traditional approaches and with the advent of tablet technologies, the future "candidates" will be mobile and be very comfortable with this type of interviewing process since their world is mult-itask, multi-dimensional and multi-mediums.
Hi Christina;
Not surprisingly, you got replies here from both sides - a vendor and an end user. Being an analyst, I'm neither, so I can't give you a first hand perspective. However, there are two basic ways of doing this, and both have their place. First, like Skype, there are the public, web-based platforms that offer video among other things. They are typically low/no cost options, and can do the job pretty well. Quality can certainly vary, especially if multiple parties are involved and broadband service is not consistent for everyone. You should note, however, that many of these services can't be recorded, so if you need more than a live session, this may not be the way to go.
The second route would be for the employer to utilize their in-house video capabilities. Two were mentioned earlier - MSFT and WebEx. Aside from being internal, some of these services can run over a private network, providing full control over QoE - Quality of Experience - not to mention security/privacy.
Within this realm, I should add there are two important variations. The examples cited above are primarily PC-based, and this will usually suffice for a job interview at both ends. However, there may be cases where a more immersive experience is needed (such as auditioning for a film role), or if you want to conduct the interview in a group setting. In these cases, the employer may resort to videoconferencing, and in this regard there are a wide range of solutions being used today, with Cisco/Tandberg, Polycom, Magor, LifeSize being a few. These solutions may not be compatible for the interviewee (depending on the PC capabilities), but in some cases the employer can send the candidate to a local site (such as their sales office) and conduct the interview using the same system already in place there.
Well done Charlie, Im sure this will be helpful for Christina to better understand the nuances of video presence services... you've named all the key providers so the key is convenience, simplicity and ease of use and then of course price... after all the comparison is to Skype.. and depending on the type of service and, price starts to creep in as a factor in the decision.
And again, we started to get somewhat technical and forget the key intent is to enable distance interviewing to occur. Critical to conducting a web based or in person interview is the timing, the expectations of both parties and the ability to properly and accurately assess the potential candidate attributes and when in the process should you perform the usual behavior, ethics, skills assessments and reference/investigation of the candidate. Video is powerful alternative to in person interviewing, however tools are essential to maximize the experience, the ability to be objective, unbiased and complete. In theory you shouldn't need to have a face to face.. Or should you?
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