How To Screen People Effectively With Video Interviews

Video interviewing is the wave of the future for hiring. It's been around for years, but it's only recently that we've seen a spike in companies using this technology to screen potential employees. Video interviewing allows you to interact with candidates in a way that's much more personal than phone interviews or email back and forth. Some employers use special-purpose video interview software to screen potential hires, while others set up video calls using Zoom or another conferencing application. Either way, it's a great way to get a sense of who your candidates are.

Screening interviews are important because they give you a good idea of who your candidate is. Some interviewers have a tendency to focus on qualifications and resumes alone, but that doesn't give you a full sense of whether a person will truly be a good fit for your company. The only way to truly find out who someone is is to sit down with them and talk. Video interviews give you a better way to do that.

The key component in most screening interviews is a video call. This allows you to get a sense of who the candidate is and how they interact. You will usually ask some questions about the candidate's resume and qualifications. This process is important because it allows you to dig deeper into what they wrote on their resume.

After that, the interview becomes more conversational. You will ask more open-ended questions and try to get a sense of who the candidate is as a person. You can ask about their interests and hobbies, and you can ask about their biggest weaknesses and strengths. This part of the interview will tell you a lot about how the candidate acts and how they interact with others.

No matter what method you use to screen your candidates, there are some basic rules that you should keep in mind. The most important rule is to treat every candidate with respect. No matter how little you like a candidate, you need to be courteous and professional. You also need to make sure you're consistent in the questions you ask and in the way you score candidates. You also need to make sure that every interviewer is following the same guidelines when doing their part of the screening process.

There are a few things you should avoid when screening candidates. The first thing you should avoid is asking personal questions about race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. It's important to keep your screening process professional and to ask questions that have a direct bearing on their ability to do the job.

Another thing you should avoid is interrupting the candidate. It's very easy to do this while you're on a video call, but you need to take a step back and think about how the candidate is reacting. If you're not giving them time to think, it's not fair for you to score them on how they answer.

There are several things worth keeping in mind as you run your next interview process:

1. Consistently Capturing Candidate Information

In order to consistently screen candidates, you need to consistently capture candidate information. That means ensuring that applications are coming into your hiring funnel in a consistent manner. If your pre-interview screening steps involve review of specific materials such as resumes or portfolios, then you need to ensure that all applicants are submitting those materials. If you need submissions in a specific set of file formats, you need to make sure that you request those formats from every applicant.

2. Resume and/or Portfolio Screen

If you are having candidates to submit a resume or portfolio, you need to review it. That doesn't necessarily mean reading it from start to finish, but it does mean looking over the information presented and ensuring that it meets your standards. You may also need to ask the candidate to clarify certain information before moving on.

3. Crafting a Great Initial Email

When you first respond to a candidate, it's important to craft a great initial email. It should be short and to the point, and it should clearly outline the next steps in the process. If you need to give them specific instructions about how to prepare for the video interview, it's a good idea to include those instructions in the email. Also, make sure that you respond to every candidate within a few days.

4. Setting Up a Video Call

If you're setting up a video call with the candidate, it's a good idea to ensure that they have knowledge of the video conferencing software you're using. Be sure to give them clear instructions on how to connect, and don't assume that they'll just know. If you need them to download the software ahead of time, tell them to do so.

5. Asking Consistent Questions

It's important to ask consistent questions during your screening interview. Questions should cover all of the pertinent information you'd like to know about the candidate, but they should also be specific to your needs. For example, if you're a startup with limited resources, you may want to ask about the candidate's ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.

6. Scoring Candidates Fairly With Data

Data can help you to score candidates fairly. This means using a consistent scale and making sure that every interviewer is using the same scale. If you are scoring candidates on a 1 to 5 scale, for example, all of your interviewers need to use that same scale. Consider using an AI Call and Meeting capture solution such as Hyperia to record, transcribe, and summarize your screening interviews. Leveraging data from your recorded interviews will ensure better candidate scoring and higher quality hiring outcomes.

7. Social Media: Is It Worth Checking?

Social media can be a useful tool when you're trying to screen candidates. It can be a great way to verify the information that's on a candidate's resume or portfolio, and it can give you insight into how they interact in real life. Some employers have even looked at candidates' social media pages to find reasons to disqualify them from the screening process. However, there are potential legal or ethical issues with this approach. As such, it's best to stick to using social media as a way to verify information the candidate has explicitly provided.

8. Hiring Is A Funnel; Treat People Right

One of the most important things you can do when hiring is to treat people right. No matter what's happening in your organization, you need to remember that people are the most important thing. That means being polite and professional, even if you're not happy with a candidate's answers. You also need to make sure that you're communicating clearly with the candidate and that you're providing them with clear instructions about what you need from them.

9. If You Aren't Moving Forward, Tell Them

If you decide that you aren't moving forward with a candidate, it's important to tell them. It's better to give them a clear answer than to string them along and then reject them at the last minute. The best way to tell a candidate that you aren't moving forward is to explain that they didn't meet your needs. You can even take the time to explain what they did well in the interview and why you decided not to move forward.

Video interviewing is an effective tool for finding the best candidates for your company. It can be a great way to get a sense of who they are and how they speak, and it can help you to find out whether they'll be a good fit for your organization. Applying a good and consistent process will help you to find the best candidates and to avoid wasting your time. Leveraging AI Call and Meeting Capture solutions such as Hyperia will help to significantly reduce the time and effort required to conduct and score these interviews. Hyperia automatically records your candidate interviews, transcribing and summarizing them, extracting key events that are important when performing screening. This includes answers to specific questions, frustrations or confusion, complaints and potential red flags. These events are recorded by the AI and can be compared to other candidates for consistency.