What is a video interview?
In job recruitment, video interviews allow you to interview candidates remotely through a video chat. Video interviewing is quickly becoming a popular method for assessing potential employees across all industries and fields because of its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Video interviewing, when compared to face-to-face interviews, saves time and money.
For traditional interviewing, you have to factor in candidates arriving late, rescheduling or canceling. For out-of-town candidates, traveling to and from an interview may be tricky and expensive. Video interviews give you the freedom to instantly connect with applicants, wherever they are.
Usually, you will invite the candidate to meet via a secure interviewing platform. Companies have a wide range of options when selecting the right video interviewing software.
You can now easily conduct live virtual interviews right on Indeed for free — without the need for a separate video conferencing tool.
Best video interview software features
The basic mechanics of conducting video interviews are straightforward. You and your candidates just need a microphone, camera, computer or smartphone, and access to video interview software.
However, to make the interview process easier to manage for you and more enjoyable for your candidates, many platforms offer additional features.
Each business conducts the interview process differently — yours might not require all of the features that a particular platform has to offer.
If you’re considering implementing video interviews for your business, keep reading to review potential software options and their features.
Varied questions
Some video interviewing platforms give you the option of providing pre-established questions through audio, video or text. To make the questions more accessible and easier to understand, you might choose to ask the questions aloud, write them out for the candidate or both.
If you’re interested in supporting several question formats, this is an important feature to look for.
Scheduling
Keeping on top of scheduled interviews manually can be stressful, especially if applicants call to rearrange or cancel entirely. Some video interview software solutions offer integrated appointment scheduling to automate the process.
Applicant assessment
While artificial intelligence (AI) may not be capable of conducting an entire interview successfully (yet), some video interviewing platforms use it to scan and assess applications from job-seekers, shortlisting the most suitable candidates for the role.
If you’re looking to save time in the early stages of recruiting, this could be a valuable feature to look for.
Form submission and documentation
The job application process often requires a substantial amount of paperwork. Some video interviewing software allows your candidates to submit forms before, during or after the interview through the platform.
This can eliminate additional steps for your candidate and keep all important documentation in one place.
Pre and post-interview questions
Asking your interviewee non-job-related questions before or after the interview helps you analyze and improve your hiring process.
These questions might include:
- “How did you hear about this position?”
- “Did you find this interview style comfortable?”
- “Do you have any follow-up questions?”
Some video interviewing software allows you to configure pre and post-interview questions for each candidate. This saves you from calling or emailing the candidate manually for the information.
Collecting the responses automatically makes analysis much simpler, too.
Interview styles
There are three common styles of video interviews:
- Recorded interviews: In a recorded interview, you provide questions for the candidate to answer by recording themselves.
- Live interviews: In a live interview, both you and the candidate are present and communicate with one another directly in real-time.
- Video resumes: In a video resume, the candidate provides an overview of their education, experience and skills without directly answering a series of questions.
Having the option to perform different styles of interviews is important for some companies, especially those that hire large numbers of employees across multiple time zones.
Panel and group interviews
You may want to include multiple interviewers in the interview process or handle several interviewees at once. Some video interview platforms can support multiple attendees. This allows interviewers and applicants to be present at the same time with their own video feeds, displayed to all participants as a group video call.
If you hope to hold panel or group interviews, then ensure the video interviewing software you select has that functionality.
Notifications
Want to send out interview prompts automatically? Opt for a video interviewing system that automatically sends out notifications and reminders.
It’s useful for both you and your candidates, reminding them to attend interviews on time and submit necessary documents by the deadline.
Feedback
If you’re interested in getting feedback from your candidates about the recruiting process and video interview, look for video interviewing software with an integrated feedback form. It’ll allow you to customize questions for each candidate to complete, automatically sending the form to them after the interview.
Configurable interview window
The ability to customize the look of your screen when interviewing a candidate can be helpful, particularly if you have other employees on screen and a list of questions or notes you also want to view.
Indeed Interview provides tools for employers to evaluate candidates, such as the ability to take notes and rate candidates on various criteria within the video interview window.
Ensure the video interviewing software you select has configurable interview window functionality.
Mobile support
Some of your candidates may attend their video interviews using their mobile devices rather than a traditional desktop or laptop computer. After all, smartphones have built-in microphones and cameras
Make sure the software you select has mobile compatibility with an official app they can install.
Integration with recruiting software
If your company has a recruiting team that already uses recruiter-specific software, select a video interviewing platform that integrates smoothly with your existing program. It streamlines information sharing and candidate tracking without a steep learning curve.
Branding options
Some video interviewing platforms allow you to add your company’s branding, videos or other introductory documents for the candidate to review when they enter the interviewing platform.
The option for branding gives the interview experience a cohesive, more polished feel for the candidate and improves their experience with your company.
Customer service
Technical hiccups can be frustrating. Look for a video interviewing platform that offers easy-to-access customer service. Knowing you can call and receive help with a technical issue immediately will help ease the stress that any technical challenges present.
Simplicity
Make sure the program you select is intuitive and easy to use for all parties. Your candidates should be able to sign in and participate in the interview without any training on the software.
Recording
If you’d like to go back and review interviews at a later date, consider selecting a platform with the option to record and play back video clips. Some provide cloud storage for recorded interviews, making it easier to discuss the hiring process with colleagues.
Security
Look for video interviewing software with encrypted and secure video channels. This will ensure company and candidate privacy.
Frequently asked questions about video interviewing software
Why do recruiters use video interviews?
Video interviews are more convenient, time-saving and cost-effective than traditional face-to-face interviews.
This is especially true for candidates who may have to travel a long way to attend an interview or if you’re interviewing for a remote role.
Rather than arranging travel, both parties can log onto the same video interviewing platform and conduct a traditional interview over video.
Are video interviews legal?
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stipulates that it’s not illegal to find out the race, ethnicity or gender of a candidate prior to or during a job interview, so video interviews are legal.
What software is used for video interviews?
There are many popular companies offering software specifically for conducting interviews.
Each has its own pricing, features and functionality. With Indeed Interview, there is no software to download and you can access all features within your browser. You can use Indeed Interview to screen candidates quickly via phone or video call straight from your Employer Dashboard. The platform features the ability to schedule and automatically remind candidates of their upcoming interviews. Moreover, there are many great features to help with interactions such as the chat, blurred background, whiteboard and screen sharing capabilities. You can even take notes and access the candidate’s resume within the software while hosting the interview.
How long do video interviews last?
Video interviews can vary from 15 minutes to over an hour. The length of the interview depends on the company, position and candidate’s questions.
Prepare your candidates before the interview by giving them an estimate of the interview’s length and providing questions prior to your meeting.
