The difference between 2013 and 2014 at HR Tech is significant. Meaning technology has truly taken a front seat here with vendors as the floor exhibitors (for the most part) have moved on from talking about how big and bad they are. Most vendors I've spoken with have come to be hip on the fact that we don't care about their conference spend and how big there... well you know where I'm going....

Video technology is clearly not new but with the strong presence of video interviewing companies I want to bring them all to the community here to review. I have some questions that I need answered. I am sold on the tech and I fully understand the value of the tech. I do not however think the sales guys onsite here understand the buyer.

Here's what I like:

I like video interviewing, in fact I use it daily

I like the offerings from all of the video interviewing platforms on the market

I like the experience provided by the vendors to the candidates throughout the entire process

I really like the return on time and gaps closed when leveraged properly

Here is what I don't understand:

What new innovations are being presented to video interviewing market in this space that are different from last year or even the year before or the year before that? Years ago, when video interviewing was new, the story was fascinating. It was an idea that made sense and a technology that has yet to be proven in recruitment so there was buzz; a lot of buzz. Today the fear of compliance and process has for the most part been eradicated and legal teams that once had heart attacks at the sound of video in recruitment have come around.

My question for video interviewing vendors is what really makes you different from the next guy?

Video interviewing is video interviewing. Is this thought naive? Maybe so, but the marketing hype and sales pitch for every product has created a clouded understanding at best for most buyers.

I still love video interviewing and my favorite players are listed below, but I need to ask the question:

What do you being to the table that is truly different (at the technology level) from your competitors?

With all of that....here are my top 7 players I've found at HR Tech this year:

Take the interview

Take the interview in my opinion is a great tool and the team behind it is pretty awesome as well. I've met with them on multiple occasions and consistently hear the platform continually outperforming expectations. (from the TTI website) We believe that the interviewing process can be a lot better in most organizations and that software can be both easy-to-use and powerful. Our unique platform enables your recruiting team to engage candidates and hiring managers in ways not possible before. Our philosophy is simple: Better technology enables greater efficiency and better communication.

Better communication results in better interviews. Better interviews produce better hires.

InterviewStream

InterviewStream helps companies generate great candidate experiences and remarkable returns through Web-based video screening, interviewing and preparation. InterviewStream pioneered the category in 2003, and today more than 5 million users have access to products to transform the most-demanding hiring environments and perfect the practice of video interviewing.

InterviewStream is part of a growing suite of video apps that go beyond hiring and include employee communications: RolePlayPRO for training and best practices, and ivMessage for one-way messaging.

HireVue

Over the last couple of year HireVue has taken big strides to position themselves as the digital leader in this category. They've truly got an awesome product and with their new release of Insights their offering just got better. HireVue was recognized this year at HR tech 2014 with "The Top HR Product of The Year" award.

The system is easy to use, it's fast and the candidate experience is a real focal point for them.  I'd recommend giving them a try or at least run through their onsite demo

Greenjob Interview

I've never personally used GreenJob Interview but I've seen the demo and have spoken to plenty of people that have used the tool. Based on those opinions the tool is good and the new UI creates a much better user experience.

From their website:

We provide cloud-based virtual interviewing solutions that help employers dramatically reduce the time and costs associated with scheduling and conducting interviews. Our robust and easy-to-use live, recorded and mobile solutions also enable organizations to reach a global talent pool, strengthen their employment brand and reduce their environmental impact. More than 300 of the world’s leading organizations (including Walmart, PepsiCo, UCLA and Mayo Clinic) have chosen us, and we continue to gain recognition for developing technology that literally transforms the recruitment process for employers and job seekers alike.

Rivs

I've used and I like this platform. It's as strong as any other video interviewing platform on the market and deserves you eyes and time for a full review if you are considering video interviewing as a solution to your company.

From the Rivs website:

Our clients use our services to improve their quality of hire and reduce hiring costs by leveraging digital interviews to get better candidate information sooner and with less effort. Digital interviews make it possible to evaluate skills and attitudes that usually don't appear on a resume, reducing the time spent interviewing by 60% while allowing companies to hire the best people before they are off the market

Sparkhire

Sparkhire, similar to a couple of other platforms enters the market at a lower price point while still delivering the goods.

Recruiters and hiring managers can review candidates anytime, anywhere and make smarter decisions about who makes the cut for the next round.

• Eliminate phone interviews
• Save time and money
• Improve hiring collaboration

VoiceAdvantage

VoiceAdvantage is the only platform on this list that I have not heard of nor used in action but I wanted to include them on this list because they are here at HR Tech and their product looks good. We'll have a demo shortly but until than I'd recommend checking them out and to include them in your due diligence.

Here is their pitch on the website: High-touch video interviews with a high-quality experience. Safely and securely speak with candidates, and record for future playback. You'll wonder how you ever interviewed without it.