In today's fiercely competitive job market, attracting top talent has become increasingly challenging. To stay ahead, companies must strengthen their brand and deliver an exceptional candidate experience. This requires a comprehensive review of their recruitment strategy and processes.

Recruiters face multiple demands, from building and engaging with a talent community to positioning their company as an appealing employer while efficiently filling numerous positions with the best candidates. Without the right strategy and tools, this can quickly become overwhelming.

That's where video interviews come in. By incorporating pre-recorded video interviews into your recruitment process, you gain valuable insights early on, surpassing the limited information provided by screening calls.

Video interviews offer flexibility, speed up the hiring process, and reduce costs while delivering an exceptional candidate experience. Ultimately, these benefits have a positive impact on your employer brand.

In this blog post, we'll discuss the 6 main benefits of video interviews. But before we delve into that, let's understand what video interviews are all about.

What is a video interview?

A video interview is a job interview that takes place remotely and uses video conferencing tools to support the interview. They consist of the same interview questions as an in-person interview and oftentimes are recorded to ensure legality.

Video interviews are used when companies are hiring for remote workforce positions or as a matter of convenience for both candidates and hiring teams as they are easier and faster to facilitate and deliver. 

Video interviews can be delivered in two ways, live where candidates are talking to hiring managers in real-time or asynchronously (or async) when questions from the employer are recorded for candidates and candidates record a response in return. 

Companies use video interviews in various stages of the hiring process. For example, in the early stages, a hiring manager might pose a set of questions and ask job seekers to record their responses in a video. Also known as a one-way interview, this enables the employer to screen candidates quickly and select which ones will proceed to the next stage.

Why are video interviews so popular?

Video interviews aren’t new to recruiting, but the mass adoption of video interviews since the pandemic revealed many of the key advantages for both companies and candidates. Video interviews have dramatically improved the hiring process because they are convenient, flexible, and efficient.

In any situation, the benefits of video interviewing cannot be overstated. Let’s explore some of the biggest advantages of video interviews for both employers and candidates.

1. Convenience

Video interviews are incredibly convenient for both employers and candidates. They eliminate the need for employers to travel for in-person meetings, saving time, money, and enabling interviews with candidates worldwide.

Similarly, candidates benefit from the elimination of travel to interview locations, saving them time and money.

Video interviews offer remarkable convenience for both employers and candidates.

2. Flexibility

Video interviews are highly flexible. They can occur at any time, adapting the schedules of both employers and candidates.

This allows employers to interview candidates across different time zones and enables candidates to interview during lunch breaks or after work.

3. Efficiency

Video interviews are faster than traditional face-to-face interviews. They can be conducted easily and swiftly, without the need for travel or extensive preparation.

This saves employers and candidates a lot of time and helps to speed up the hiring process.

4. Insight

In many traditional situations, interviewers often rush, making it difficult to take thorough notes and accurately interpret candidates' body language.

On the other hand, video interviews allow examiners to observe applicants and review recorded videos for thorough evaluations after the interview.

Moreover, video interviews provide a deeper insight into candidates' personalities compared to phone interviews.

By observing body language and facial expressions, interviewers gain valuable insights, aiding the alignment of skills and experiences with company culture and values during discussions.

5. Positive candidate experience

Video interviews provide a positive candidate experience. They are convenient, flexible, and efficient, and they allow candidates to interview from anywhere in the world.

This makes video interviews a great way to attract top talent.

6. Cost savings

Video interviews can save a company's time and resources when compared to traditional in-person interviews. Not only do they minimize travel costs for candidates and interviewers, but they also offer scheduling flexibility.

By leveraging video interviews, multiple rounds of interviews can be conducted efficiently without the need for a physical meeting place.

Moreover, video interview platforms often provide tools for creating and storing structured interviews. This creates digital records that streamline the organization and analysis of applicants.

Video interviewing is the future of the recruitment process

The workforce has evolved, and recruiting must adapt accordingly. Whether you operate fully remotely, have a hybrid workforce, or are transitioning back to an office environment, your recruiting strategy should prioritize the needs and expectations of candidates.

To attract top talent, companies must deliver exceptional candidate experiences that incorporate video interviews.

Video interviews enable companies to broaden their talent pools and evaluate each applicant with greater precision, ensuring that the best candidates are consistently matched with the right roles.

Video interviews empower both interviewers and candidates to move toward a modern workforce that caters to everyone's requirements.