Love it or hate it, interviewing is a part of life.  We are all dependent upon interviewing in some shape, form or fashion:  to find a job, to identify strong talent, to learn about others, to grow as humans.  For the longest time, interviewing was only possible in-person.  But as technology advanced, so did the interview.  Here is a break down of how the interview has evolved and the pros and cons of each method...

In-person Interview: Not much explanation needed here.  An in-person interview is the cornerstone for any hiring process and the goal for any job seeker.

• Drawbacks:  For a first round screening tool, the in-person interview is too time consuming.  After the first interview screen, it becomes vital and the only real way to effectively hire strong talent though.

Phone Interview: Tremendously useful as the first step in the hiring process.  It saves time for both the company and the candidate, and allows for a fairly quick assessment of skills.  This has become a standard for first round interviews.  Definitely an effective screening tool.

• Drawbacks:  It can be time consuming to schedule and conduct phone interviews, especially if you are screening lots of candidates.

Video Interview: A new trend is developing among innovative companies to incorporate video interviewing in their hiring process.  This is another great tool used for the first round interview process.  Video interviewing saves additional time and resources when compared to the phone interview.  As more and more individuals are purchasing computers with web cams, the technology is quickly catching up with the service.  There are 2 forms of video interviewing:  1) Live, streaming video interviews, and 2) Recorded video interviews.  Live streaming video (think Skype) can be very effective for interviewing out of town candidates.  Recorded video interviews are conducted by sending candidates a link to answer questions via video from home.  The answers are recorded and sent back to the company to review at their convenience.  A very effective tool for screening lots of candidates quickly and relatively effortlessly.

• Drawbacks: The video platform still scares some people.  If a candidate is scared of the camera, he/she might come across poorly on video.  Also, video interviewing is not as useful for interviewing high level job candidates.

Multimedia Interview: Another great option for first round interviews, the multimedia interview is a cross between the phone interview, video interview, an essay evaluation, and an interview questionnaire.  It's by far the best option if you are looking for a quick, effective way to evaluate your job candidates.  Here is how it works:  Companies write out interview questions and select which response format they prefer for each question.  Then the candidate is emailed a link to the interview.  Applicants answer each question through the selected format chosen by the interviewer.  So, a given interview could have video answers, voice recorded answers, written answers, and multiple choice answers.

• Drawbacks: The drawbacks are similar to that of a video interview, but to a lesser degree because the interviews are more customizable based upon the position.  So if you're concerned that video might pose a problem for a certain position, just don't use it.  Instead, incorporate essay questions, mock phone interviews, and/or multiple choice questions.  The ability to customize each interview is what makes this option so powerful.

In-person interviews will always be king.  And phone interviews will always have their place for certain job openings.  But for screening candidates early in the interview process, video and multimedia interviews are the most time and cost effective solution.