As I just might have mentioned before, I'm a little skeptical about video as a prehire selection or screening tool. Commonly called "video interviewing," that label is actually a little erroneous as the point solutions in this emerging category offer much broader services or business cases for their products than just interviews. For a really good overview of these companies, check out "9 Video Interviewing Options to Consider for Your Recruiting Organi..." by Ryan Leary.  But I might be coming around...just a little bit...on video interviews, particularly after taking a long look at a lot of these vendors. 

The thing that always frustrates me about SaaS product marketing in the HR technology sector is the fact that the demos are always so carefully planned and staged. If it's a cloud product, just give me a password to play around - if it's a well designed product, I'll be able to figure it out on my own. Of course, most of these demos don't deliver as promised, or the product pitched is a Potemkin village style prototype, but for video interviewing, proof of concept seems really simple. So I informed these vendors and their PR firms (there are a ton of competitors in this niche, and yes, all have enough capital to pay someone to spin on their behalf) I'd only accept briefings on one condition:

They actually had to be video interviews. You know, like the product they're selling.  So far, only one responded with the ability to capture a live interview directly in their solution, and then have the ability to make that video shareable outside of a proprietary player or self-contained system.

So far, RIVS was the only one to take me up on this (a lot offered the first feature, but not the second - all were willing to send me a link, but not an actual embed code), so check out their video solution - conducting an interview between my office in Dallas and RIVS headquarters in Chicago. I'm the one in the hat, by the way, not to be confused with Bill Meidell, RIVS Director of Sales and Operations, who took the hot seat to talk about RIVS - and the video should speak for the solution itself:

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words (which, from experience, aren't worth much). But if you want some more words, make sure to check out Britni Salazar's RecruitingBlogs page. She's the one who contacted me about RIVS and not only pitched the product, but had experience using the end solution as a candidate at companies other than RIVS - an experience which sparked her interest enough to make a move from her cushy gig at the University of Chicago into the volatile HR tech startup space. That kind of passion for product is something no marketing can replicate.

Britni - and countless others, like the team at WePow (shout out to my boy Imo) or Sparkhire CEO Josh Tolan is the other reason I'm actually coming around more and more on this category. Because, for whatever reason, there are a ton of people way smarter than I am throwing a ton of equity, sweat or otherwise, at creating a video solution for recruiting, people who could be applying those smarts to any other industry. But I'm glad they're here. Even if they do make me feel a little old.