A new video job market startup based in New York has emerged. Its called goldi.com and it requires that job seekers apply with a video only. I caught up with their founder, Melanie Andersen and asked her a few questions about the site.

1) How do you describe goldi to others?

goldi is the first video job board connecting job seekers and companies through short videos. From our web or ios app, companies create quick video job descriptions about their role and who they are looking to hire. Job seekers respond with video applications answering the three questions asked by the company specific to the role. goldi video applications often eliminate the need for first interviews, saving time on both sides and making goldi a productivity tool for anyone in a recruitment role.

2) What problem are you trying to solve?

I am an ex Recruiter and spent 17 years working in executive search before founding goldi. A few years ago I realized that the job search process was broken. The rise of the digital economy and startup/VC culture had made it an extremely competitive job market. Agencies, brands and startups were all competing for the same talent, specifically at the mid level range of 5-10 years of experience. I was running a search firm and we were constantly being briefed on roles where we could never send a resume because there were just too many open roles all requiring the same skill sets, Marketing Manager, Ecommerce manager, Digital Art Director, Technical Project Manager etc.

Job seekers had/have their choice of many roles, and can pick and choose where to go. Recruiters on the agency side are aware of this, however companies generally are not and are not good at marketing their “employer brand” to attract talent. They still thought that a large brand name would attract candidates, however this wasn’t the case in this candidate short market. Using the beauty industry as an example, job seekers were more interested in joining the younger, up and coming beauty brands like BECCA and IT Cosmetics that were doing interesting things in the digital space, compared to the larger, traditional beauty brands.

It had become hard for both companies and search firms to to engage with job seekers who no longer resonated with LinkedIn. They felt they were constantly being spammed by recruiters there,and  likewise, companies were also frustrated with LinkedIn because when posting a job they were spammed by unqualified candidates. LinkedIn was actually promoting spam applications through “one click to apply” leaving no barrier to entry.

So much time is wasted throughout the interview process, especially at the beginning. You receive a resume and evaluate the persons skill sets, however you still need to meet them in person to get a sense of whether they are right for the role and are a cultural fit. At the beginning of a new search, especially as a Recruiter working in a search firm, your calendar is completely full of these types of interviews. Video interview software tools exist, but they are used as part of the interview process and NOT at the point of application like gold. Recruiting is the least efficient part of the hiring funnel, and goldi video applications speed up the interview process. They save so much time and are a productivity tool for anyone in recruiting role.

A video job description is a short video created from our web or mobile app by the hiring manager or a Recruiter describing the role and what you are looking for in this person. In our dashboard, you decide the three questions you want the job seeker to answer when they respond to your role with a video application.

A video application is a short video created by the job seeker answering the three questions you have asked them to answer specific to each role. Think of these like the three most important questions you would ask during a first interview. You can change the questions for each role.

On goldi, only highly engaged job seekers respond as they need to be able to answer the three questions asked by the company. So you will likely have less applications than other platforms, however they are all going to be highly engaged and qualified candidates. Each video application is created uniquely for the specific role.

Companies and Recruiters can also include the link to the goldi video job description in their headhunt emails or other job posts, and use goldi as a screening tool.

Once you have reviewed a goldi video application, you can continue the candidate through the interview process as normal.

3) Why should employers use it? Answered above

goldi is great for new companies who may not have a lot of brand recognition. The video job descriptions allow companies to bring their role and people to life in a way that a written job description never can. Job seekers LOVE the video applications because they are hearing directly from companies.

Learn more at goldi.com