The ultimate guide to improving your hiring process with video interviews
You can decide whether to incorporate video during this first phase. Consider including a video introduction of yourself and your company in the job ad. You can then invite candidates to submit a video introduction in response, or only ask for responses in the next step.
Before sitting down to record your video questions, think carefully about what information you need from candidates to make smart recruitment decisions. What qualities are you looking for in candidates? What types of personalities fit your work culture? Less is more when it comes to video interviews—it’s good practice to ask three to five questions.
Recording video questions should only take about five minutes or less, and you can send the same questions to all candidates. Both you and the candidates can re-record your video as many times as needed. Instruct candidates on how long their answers should be and provide any other specific guidelines. Most recruiters find the optimal lenght for one video answer to be within two minutes.
Since there’s no need to coordinate schedules with candidates or your team, it’s easy for both recruiters and hiring managers to see all the candidates on their own time.
Now that you and your hiring team have reviewed all the video answers, you have a clear idea of what candidates you do—and don’t—want to move forward with. Invite only the top candidates to in-person interviews.
Before you press record, take a moment to look around the room. How’s the lighting? What’s in the background? Set the camera at eye level, and make sure the light doesn’t come from behind you. You’ll also want to dress accordingly to appear professional and give off the right impression. And stay away from any bright designs or patterns that can be distracting on camera.
When you send out your interview questions, you set the tone for the candidates’ responses. If you want them to relax and be natural, don’t be overly stiff or serious in your video. Keep your questions simple and to the point, so that candidates can stay on track.
Recording interview questions should only take you a few minutes, but that doesn’t mean you need to rush the process. Take your time, look right at the camera, and speak loud and clear. Feel free to get creative—brainstorm some interesting questions beforehand, and consider giving a quick office tour or introducing your team in a welcome video.
Video interviews help create a smooth candidate experience—as long as you make your expectations clear. Give candidates brief guidelines and explain what answer length you expect. You can do so either in the same video where you record your questions, or in a separate welcome video.
Let’s say it louder for the people in the back: recruitment is a two-way street. Giving candidates a chance to ask questions not only shows you care about their concerns—it also helps you identify stand-out candidates. Asking insightful questions is an important way candidates can distinguish themselves from the competition.