Video interviewing is no longer an up and coming practice, it’s here. With 63% of HR managers having used video screening as a means to finding candidates, there is good reason to use this technology for enhancing your hiring process. Professionalism is hard to recognize through a phone interview, since only 7% of non-verbal communication is tone of voice. So when a candidate is thousands of miles from the company headquarters, video screening is ideal to measure their cultural fit.

Nonverbal Communication

A key indicator for cultural fit is a candidate’s nonverbal communication, and that’s something you can really only judge by seeing their face and hearing their voice simultaneously. Not every candidate will be from the same zip code as the company, and phone screenings don’t give the hiring manager the opportunity to see the face of their talent. This makes video interviewing  an ideal option. A candidate’s tone of voice, posture, facial expression, and eye contact account for 93% of communication, which gives a great deal of insight into a candidate’s personality.

• Nervous disposition: Those with nervous personalities beyond the typical anxious behaviors attached to the stigma of an interview often have little or shaky eye contact, obsessively crossing of legs, knuckle cracking, oral fixation (chewing on a pen, fingernails, etc.). Performing a video interview gives insight into whether or not your candidates have nervous personalities. For a position such as a front desk representative, this would clearly not be a choice temperament to have.
• Passive-aggressive tendencies: “Behind the smile, a hidden knife,” a Chinese proverb in regards to those who exhibit passive-aggressive traits. Those traits include procrastination, forgetfulness, argumentativeness, and blaming others for their own faults. A candidate with a passive-aggressive personality would not be ideal to communicate to clients or customers on a regular basis.
•  Type-A personality: If you find a candidate talks over you or interrupts you during the interview, they most likely have a Type-A personality. They are perfectionists, constantly worry about wasting time, and are often called workaholics.

Attention to Detail

A candidate who has deliberately and carefully set up their “studio” is not only more likely to take the job interview seriously, but also more observant after they are hired. It is important to pay particularly close attention to their environment while conducting an interview. The noise, distractions, background, and their choice in interview attire are key in determining which candidates from the talent pool you’d like to see move to the next step in your hiring process.

However, that attentiveness goes beyond their surroundings. Asking insightful questions during the interview is a rare quality to find in candidates. In fact, 29% of employers say it is a reason some candidates are not considered for hire. Candidates who actively participate in an interview will most likely ask questions that matter; it is a sign of their attention to detail especially during conversation.

Gives Clear Picture of Company Culture

Interviews make or break a potential hiring opportunity for a candidate and for the hiring manager. Since 82% of companies say that a cultural evaluation is important during the hiring process, it’s important to take into consideration a candidate’s personality, not just their particular set of skills. With the capabilities of video interviewing like recorded, live, or even mobile options, there are multiple ways to test a candidate’s cultural fit before they are hired or rejected.

Yes, hiring for culture is important, but you’re not the only one asking the questions. While the candidate may not verbally interrogate you, they still process company culture in their mind and where they would fit in given what little window you provide them.  Video screening helps to promote a good employer brand. It not only improves the interaction between the recruiter and the candidate, but it increases the amount of communication between the company and the candidate. Ultimately, this increases the positive perception of the company.

Nearly 100% of companies feel that cultural fit is no longer just a buzzword in the world of recruiting. It’s a relevant term that should be taken into consideration by hiring teams. Video interviews are the perfect avenue to measure that candidate-company match. It not only provides recruiters with insight to a candidate’s level of professionalism and their personality, but also gives a candidate the chance to discern their fit into the company’s culture.

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Julie Salerno, VP of Sales, Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at GreenJobInterview, is a talented professional who provides GreenJobInterview's sales team with strategic leadership and guidance that has helped more than 300 of the world’s leading organizations discover global talent through cloud-based virtual interviewing solutions, which reduce time and costs associated with scheduling and conducting interviews.

photo credit: Ant1_G via photopin cc