With the abrupt shift to virtual recruitment over the past year, it’s no mystery there’s a plethora of video services on the market right now. But the imperative distinction is their uses. And each has its own time and place. At Spark Hire, we often field questions around the benefits of implementing video interviews when you are already using a video chat or video conferencing tool. When it comes to your recruiting process, it’s crucial to your candidate experience, time to hire, and your goals, that you use the best tool to suit your needs.
As we mentioned before, the main difference between video services is their intended use. Let’s dive into what makes each distinct.
Video Chat vs. Video Conference vs. Video Interview
To begin with, the most basic form of video service, video chat is meant for personal use and quick one-off calls. These products include Skype, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. They are used on both computers and mobile devices. Their widespread personal use makes them unattractive for video interviewing.
Video conferencing software’s use for video interviews is also on the rise due to its expanded capabilities. These products are ones like Zoom, WebEx, and GoToMeeting. But these tools are meant more for general business purposes and therefore limit your capabilities specifically for hiring.
Finally, video interviewing platforms are purpose-built for recruitment. This means they’re designed exclusively for recruiters just like you. The most popular of these, according to popular review site G2, is Spark Hire. These tools automatically include additional features to enhance the recruiting process and is what makes them critically different from the other two forms of video software.
Types of Video Interviews
The most critical built for recruitment difference between video interviewing platforms and other video software is the types of interviews you can create with each tool. For video chat and video conferencing services, this is limited to a live video interview.
Live Video Interview
Live video interviews allow you to converse with candidates in real time no matter where they are. Some video services allow you to record the interview, but this is usually a cumbersome process and results in a large file equally cumbersome to share with others. On a video interviewing platform, live interviews are recorded automatically and can be shared with hiring managers to solicit feedback in just a few clicks.
One-Way Video Interview
The additional edge gained with a video interviewing platform is the one-way video interview. This format of interview allows you to set interview questions as well as parameters like think time, take settings, and timed responses. Candidates then record their answer to your questions, “selfie-style” on their own time.
This results in huge efficiency gains for you and your team, as you no longer have to waste time on phone screens, especially those where you know two minutes in the candidate is not a good fit for the open role.
An added benefit of one-way video interviews is best explained by Kevin Miller, Director of Growth at Open Listings:
“We had used Google Hangouts and Zoom.us with some regularity, but never had a structured tool that we used team-wide. It wasn’t until we tried Spark Hire that we introduced a consistent video standard.”
One-way video interviews allow you to know with confidence your candidates have the exact same interview experience, and the opportunity to use the resources, such as Spark Hire’s candidate boot camp, at their disposal to put their best face forward for your team.
Beyond the criticality of one-way interviews, Spark Hire specifically is built for organizations serious about their recruiting.
Enhanced Recruiting Features
Using a video chat or conference service for your video recruiting needs makes you miss out on tons of valuable features you could get with a true video interviewing platform. Spark Hire’s video interviewing platform is loaded with features to not only improve your interviews, but your candidate experience, the efficiency of your process, as well as foster improved collaboration with key decision makers.
Branding
Each step of the video interviewing experience is customizable. Interview invitations are templates customized by your team so they sound like you wrote every one. The interview experience includes your colors and logo, and just like a one-way interview, your branding remains consistent and personal to your brand from interview to interview.
Interview Evaluation
Both types of interviews are automatically recorded and reviewable within a video interviewing platform like Spark Hire. And, on Spark Hire specifically, you can rate each answer to a one-way interview with its own 5 star rating. This allows you to organize interviews by their rating and shortlist for the next round. Spark Hire also has easy rejection management, allowing you to easily let candidates know if they didn’t make it to the next round.
Interview Collaboration
Using a video interviewing platform, you’re not the sole provider of information about an interview, your colleagues and hiring decision makers also have the ability to hear straight from candidates. Once you’ve evaluated all candidates and created your shortlist, you can solicit feedback from colleagues and hiring managers to provide their own feedback, completely independent of your own. This means you have more unbiased opinions for the base of your recruiting decisions.
Interview Scheduling
Another tool included in Spark Hire’s video interviewing platform is an interview (and event) scheduler. This tool populates a calendar visible to candidates or whomever you want to meet with according to your calendar’s availability, without needing to give them access to said calendar. You can even include multiple calendars on the same event, if a candidate will meet with multiple team members.
Support You’ll Love
We’ve all heard horror stories about technical failures on video chat services, and even video conferencing services aren’t much better. But with a video interviewing platform like Spark Hire, you and your team will have unmatched customer support behind you. The best part is, you don’t have to troubleshoot for candidates!
World class training and support
Immediately upon signup, Spark Hire customers are paired with one of our onboarding specialists. Their job is solely to ensure you get off to a fantastic start with Spark Hire. Your onboarding specialist guides you through creating your account, even setting up your first jobs and interviews on the platform. You won’t feel overwhelmed by the technology because you will be fully trained to become a Spark Hire expert!
Drop us a line, anytime
Our technical support team is available around the clock to answer questions and troubleshoot any issues you or your candidates face. At Spark Hire, there’s no support ticket black hole. Every request gets personally taken care of by a member of our team.
Incredible concierge services
Participating in a live video interview? You and your candidate can connect with a member of Spark Hire’s support team for a test interview to make sure you’re set up for a successful interview before “the real thing” begins. That way, there’s no last minute scramble when things don’t go perfectly.
The difference between the support of other video services and Spark Hire’s is best summed up by Chad Karlsson, AmeriCorps and VISTA Manager at College Possible:
“Previously, we would use phone screens or conduct Skype interviews. Both processes required a large time commitment to arrange meetings and deal with complications of unavailability and technical challenges. We have never experienced these issues with Spark Hire.”
Between the unique features offered by video interviewing platforms, the improved collaboration and expert support makes a huge difference to you, your candidates, and your organization.
