Ways video interviews help to spot the right tech candidate

Video interviews are not a new idea, but the heightening preference for them is probably more recent. It has become the most frequently used mode of interviewing technical candidates in today’s remote recruitment era.

Video interviews may be of two types:

• In one-way video interviews, or asynchronous video interviews, candidates receive questions in a text or video format, and they record their answers in a video format. Such on-demand video interviews help recruiters screen candidates very early in the hiring process.
• Two-way video interviews are interactive and allow interviewers and candidates to talk to each other in real time. Almost every organisation now is conducting two-way video interviews to recruit their technical personnel.

Advantages of video interviews

• Video interviews have made candidate evaluation location-agnostic. As a result, the talent pool has become limitless. The situation is benefitting both the organisations and the candidates. Neither the interviewers nor the candidates are having to travel to take the interviews. Further, given the evolving work culture, video interviews are the best thing that could happen. ‘Face-to-face’ interviews have taken on a new look.
• The logistics of having on-site interviews can be simplified. Unlike on-site interviews, video interviews eliminate the need for extensive coordination to get the logistics in place. Thereby saving both time and costs.
• Video interviews can make high-volume hiring simpler. Asynchronous video interviews can be especially useful when an organisation is planning to hire a large number of people. Video interviews can replace resume screening, phone screening, and group discussions all at one go. Asynchronous video interviews can eliminate scheduling woes, and the recruiters can review them at their own time.
• Video interviews can improve performance tracking of the top candidates. Interviewers can revisit videos for better decision-making.Video interviews are typically carried out using online video interview platforms that have necessary functionalities built in such as, interview scheduling, a whiteboard, recording abilities, evaluation forms, and ability to integrate with an organisation’s own Applicant Tracking System (ATS).HirePro video interviews platform takes care of all the interview needs. Organisations of many sizes have successfully completed large-scale hiring initiatives by using this online video interview solution.

How can video interviews help with spotting the best tech talent?

When it comes to spotting technical talent, video interviews can help in several ways.

• Coding interview questions can be tailored for better candidate screening.
• Technical and communication skills can be evaluated real time during virtual face-to-face interviews.
• A real work environment can be simulated to test a candidate’s readiness.

The best way to understand these advantages is by exploring an example.

1. Create a skills test to check the candidate’s technical knowledge:

Whether you’re looking to hire a coder, a programmer, or a software developer, you could begin the selection process by creating a short skills test to gauge the candidate’s knowledge and communication skills. You would need to select an appropriate video interview platform for the test. This would be a timed test and it could be an on-camera test.

You could make the test a mix of:

• A few multiple choice technical questions that would be an indicator of the candidate’s technical readiness
• A few short answer questions that would showcase the candidate’s writing skills since communication is a vital skill in today’s remote working style
• A few ‘challenger’ questions that could include short coding questions. Such a section would give employers a pretty good understanding of the candidate’s coding skills and style.

You would need to tailor the style and difficulty level of the test for the position to be filled. Such a test would also give the candidate an idea about the programming language that would be necessary for the job. The evaluated test can be discussed during the face-to-face video interview.

2. Set up the video interview:

During this face-to-face meeting, the relevant team members could talk with the candidate, either one-on-one or all together, depending on time and requirements.

• The candidate’s skills test could be discussed in detail now. It would help the interviewer get an insight into how the candidate thinks.
• Any wrong answers in the skills test could be discussed in detail too. This step helps the interviewing group understand whether the candidate would fit the desired role, as well as the team and the organisation.
• This is when the candidate’s resume can be discussed, with emphasis on the areas relevant to the position and organisation.

3. Live test the candidate’s coding skills:

As a coding test, the candidate could now be given a program to debug. The program should have a reasonable number of lines of code, including a few bugs. The candidate would have to work on the program during the interview. The bugs could be of different levels of difficulty in terms of detecting and correcting.

• Such a test not only shows the candidate’s technical skills, but also his/her ability to work under pressure.
• It would also help the interviewers see if the candidate asks for help in case of difficulties and how he/she does it. This would give the interviewers a brief insight into the candidate’s ability to work in a team.

Cons of video interviews, and how to handle them

Every good thing is sure to have a few cons! And video interviewing does too.

1. Perhaps one of the biggest risks is poor connectivity. While it is a problem that could plague any video interview, technical or not, it cannot be ignored. You could turn to HirePro’s video interview platform which runs on pretty low bandwidths and on office, home, and mobile networks.
2. The possibility of fraud during video interviews is an undeniable factor. A candidate may be keeping a cheat sheet open in another window, or is being fed answers through an earpiece, or is being cued by someone in the room. The proctor must be pretty observant to catch the telltale signs of cheating.
3. In certain cases, the candidate taking the interview may be an impersonator. As a precaution, you could use AI-powered ID verification software offered by interview products such as HirePro’s video interview platform to ensure that the interviewee is the candidate who registered for the selection process. Ensure that your online video interview platform is impersonation-proof.

And finally, here are a few points to keep in mind before scheduling a video interview:

1. It would be prudent to have a backup plan ready in case there are any last-minute technical issues.
2. Ensure that the candidate is familiar with the expected sequence of events during the video interview as well as the interview platform to be used for the interview. It will keep things running smoothly.

References:

-workable.com
-Harvard Business Review
-Techgig
-SelectSoftware Reviews
-gitconnected
-builtin.com

Sarala Vanga

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