Thomas Pretty writes a very informative article about migration to New Zealand and how candidates can put their best foot forward.  In his article he mentions the difficulty that differing time zones can introduce into the interview process.  New Zealand happens to be 17 hours ahead of us (we are in Atlanta on Eastern Time) and is over 8100 miles away.  Those are two big obstacles to overcome if you are trying to migrate there and need to secure employment.

Not to worry though.  Thomas suggests (and we do as well) that you try setting up a video interview.  Since he only talked about how video interviews could help with the distance problem, we surmise that he wasn’t familiar with the time-shifted video interviews that Interview on Demand offers.  Our video job interviews can help employers and candidates bridge the ‘distance gap’ and make the interview possible without having to travel anywhere near 8000 miles.  Simply plug in your webcam, and take answer interview questions that the employer has stored on our system.   Now, using our video career profile for jobseekers, you could even send a mini-interview to an employer who doesn’t even know about video interviewing.

Even if you aren’t trying to migrate to New Zealand, video job interviews and video career profiles by Interview on Demand can help you close the gaps of time and distance when you are trying to find new employment.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

I hope you all read our recent post Interview On Demand is TiVo for hiring.  (We love TiVo.)  In an interesting coincidence, I ran across some news recently:  As cool as TiVo is, it has trouble attracting, identifying and hiring top candidates.  I can’t believe it, but OK.  In an effort to improve their stats, TiVo has signed up to be a tester for the beta version of LinkedIn Recruiter–in a nutshell, this setup has upgraded search features, allows recruiters to group candidates in folders and tag them with comments and offers teams the ability to collectively keep track of candidates to avoid repeating contacts (and annoying the daylights out of passive candidates).  Every little bit helps, right?  The whole concept’s getting some nice attention…(see what TechCrunch and Cheezhead have to say.)

Of course, at Interview On Demand we know the value of keeping track of candidates online and allowing teams to work together in the interest of acquiring the best talent.  We’d also like to put our two cents in: going after passive candidates becomes a little easier and more acceptable to them if their first interview can be done online at their convenience and at their own location.  It’s much less intrusive to them, and having a first interview recorded for teams at the hiring company to see makes multiple contacts much less necessary until there’s something serious going on.  Hiring top candidates can be a tricky business, but Interview On Demand is here to help!

Are you listening, TiVo?

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Today, jobseekers have a new tool to differentiate themselves from the masses. Interview on Demand, LLC. introduces the Video Career Profile! This is a web page that showcases the jobseeker in a way that will generate interviews and ultimately - “The Job Offer”. And isn’t that what all jobseekers want?

The Video Career Profile will show a video clip of the jobseeker in an interview situation, the resume and a short “why you should hire me” summary. Here is a sample Video Career Profile.

Click the player below to listen to Peggy McKee talk about this product and what it means to the jobseeker!

Then check out our website at www.interview-on-demand.com to complete your Video Career Profile!

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Many thanks to Miriam Salpeter for her guest blog….

Would you set your own broken bone?  Wire your own home for electricity?  Do you cut your own hair?  Most would say “no.”  If it is important (involving our health, safety or appearance), we hire an expert.

The same standard should apply when job seeking. Your career is one of your most crucial financial investments. Whether you are actively engaged in a search, underemployed or unhappily employed, it makes sense to consult an expert as you embark on your search for a new job.

Most people don’t welcome the idea of a job hunt.  It is hard work and may seem scary.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have an experienced ally who will help you every step of the way?  Keppie Careers’ mission is to advise, encourage and enlighten job seekers and provide a toolbox of practical tips and support. When we work together, you will overcome obstacles keeping you from making positive changes in your life. We offer confidence, clarity and know-how!

Career coaches add value on a number of fronts. Keppie Careers can help you with any of the following:

Goals assessment.   Are you at a transitional point in your career?  You aren’t sure what your next step should be?  A coach will help you identify what you want next and get you on the right path to achieving your goals.

Critique and rewrite your resume and letters.  Do you really want to face the job market with documents that are not optimized?  Often, job seekers don’t view their resumes objectively.  Misplaced modesty prevents them from incorporating their very best accomplishments.  Ignorance of a resume’s purpose (it’s a sales document, not a laundry list of things you did) precludes them from producing a top-notch result. 

Many job seekers don’t stop to consider how much money a less-than-optimal resume costs them.  If you are unemployed, how much money do you lose for every day that you are out of work?  If your resume isn’t top-notch, you may not appear qualified for the salary that you seek or deserve.  A professionally written resume will help shorten your job search and may qualify you for a higher salary.  Your return on investment in yourself can pay off substantially!

Learn how to sell yourself.  You must identify and be able to effectively describe your skills and accomplishments.  Specialized coaches not only write your resume, but help you recognize your marketable skills.  Once you know what you have to offer, your ability to sell yourself via networking and in interviews increases exponentially!

General job search skills.  Do you know how to look for a job?  How savvy is your networking plan?  Do you know where hiring managers are sourcing candidates?  Do you know how to avoid common pitfalls?  Keppie Careers does!

Interview preparation. Tell us about yourself?  What’s your weakness?  What do you have to offer?  Why should we hire you?  Do you know the answers to these and other important interview questions?  More importantly, do you know how to structure and deliver your answers to ensure optimal results?  If not, you may be wasting your time.  We all know that “time is money.”

Negotiating.  Entering an interview or negotiation unprepared will cost you.  A coach can help you prepare so you don’t lose money.

Career market knowledge.  We spend our time keeping up with the market.  We learn about new technology and approaches and stay plugged in because you don’t have the time, expertise or desire to do it.  Helping people along their career path is our passion. 

Do you want to achieve your career goals and save money?  Hire an ally for your job hunt.  An ally tells it like it is and helps you get where you need to be.  Are you committed to discovering what you have to offer an employer? If you are motivated to make a change, Keppie Careers is here for you!

Visit us online for free advice and information about our services:
 www.keppiecareers.com.  Our blog is updated almost daily: www.keppiecareers.wordpress.com.  Feel free to email us:  results@keppiecareers.com.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

We’ve spent a lot of time here pointing out all the money-saving and time-saving conveniences of online job interviews.  Now, I’d like to call your attention to a great article on the environmental impact of video interviews.  Direct quote:  “Virtual interviews require electricity and aren’t zero-impact but they do help cut down air, transit and car travel which means less emissions and a smaller carbon footprint all around.” 

Given our country’s growing concern for the environment, it’s (if nothing else) good PR for companies to use eco-friendly practices in every aspect of their businesses. 

Go green!  Use Interview On Demand and Save Our Planet!

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

A customer hires quite a lot of employees every month (~ 20 per month). The in-house recruiter sorts through the resumes —-narrows down to 100 candidates that seem relevant to the positions. Then calls all 100 candidates on the phone. Not all answer the call or even return the call. But he spends approximately 50 hours per month talking with candidates on the phone (screening down to a final number that he sees in person). Because he hires for a facility, he is setting up a interview room off of the front entrance.

Now instead of calling those 100 candidates (and spending an average of 30 minutes on the phone with those that he actually engages), he is going to invite them to take a video job interview at his site. All he needs is a computer, with a webcam and high speed internet. Done! So now instead of spending time on the phone he can actually “see and hear” his candidates answer his interview questions! This means that the candidates that he is able to screen down to invite for an actual face to face are even more qualified than before and he saved countless hours talking with candidates that weren’t qualified. Oh - and because they have to come to the facility to take the video interview, they are much more interested in his position (or they would not have made the trip,)

He can, also, have an intro video that brands his company and the position for them to view! Key attributes of the Video Job Interview that will really provide value to his organization:

1. Completely standardized questions.
2. He can share the interviews with the hiring managers - they can help decide what candidates make the cut. This means that the hiring manager has greater buy in on the final candidates (and we all know that this is important).
3. The time and energy that he saves can be utilized to find new ways to recruit….(maybe he can start recruiting in another geography (using the Video Job Interview). He can see candidates that are interested in his position (will relocate themselves to his city) using TiVo for hiring!
4. Like he said, now he can pursue on-campus recruiting without being on campus!

If you are interested is finding out how Interview on Demand can help you save time, money, and make better quality hires, please give me a call at (800) 881-4557.

-Author Peggy McKee, VP Sales & Marketing at Interview on Demand, LLC. Interview on Demand is a leading provider of video job interviews and career video products that serve recruiters, employers, and jobseekers in the hiring process.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

The SouthWest Alliance of MBA programs partnered Interview on Demand to provide video job interviews for the annual spring virtual career fair. Interview on Demand provided recorded video job interviews of the participating students for the prospective employers.

The hiring process has been around for centuries. Before the telephone, the process was basically face to face interviews. The talent pool was limited to those who could actually meet with you in person. With the invention of the telephone and telephone interviews the talent pool was greatly increased. With Interview on Demand video job interviews, we can now see and hear candidates recorded answers to job specific interview questions, anywhere, anytime. In time, we will wonder how we ever hired without it.

The Southwest Alliance of MBA programs hosts a spring virtual career fair annually. With the help of Interview on Demand, LLC. we were able to provide recorded video interviews of our students online for our participating employees. The system is so easy to use. Working with each college, Interview on Demand, LLC. was able to invite over 1200 students to take a video interview in less than an hour of time! Interview on Demand provides a fantastic path for employers and prospective hires to move through the process faster and with reduced costs. I predict that we will see more employers embrace this technology as they realize the very real value it can provide in the hiring process. - Mel Penn, Director, Student Support Center/MBA Corporate Relations Executive at the Price College of Business – University of Oklahoma

Faculty and career center staff weren’t the only ones who saw the value of the opportunity.

In order to attend my first virtual career fair, I needed a video job interview in addition to my resume. By using Interview on Demand’s website to post a video job interview, I was able to craft and modify my responses at my own pace to create the best version that I wanted potential companies to see. The ease with which I was able to upload my responses to their website was amazing considering that it was my first time creating a video job interview. In doing research, it appears that more companies are moving towards video job interviews to save time and screen candidates. Interview on Demand has allowed me to make an easy transition to video job interviewing and what could be a new era in corporate recruiting. - Kevin D., MBA Student - SMU Cox School of Business.

If your school or organization would be interested in hosting a virtual career fair contact me at (800) 881-4557 ext. 100 to discuss how Interview on Demand and its virtual career fair technology can make it easy for you to invite and present video job interviews or video career profiles of candidates/jobseekers/students to hiring companies.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

You know you need to appear confident when you go to a job interview.  No one wants to hire someone who doesn’t seem to know what they’re doing or appears hesitant about their own ability to do the job. 

Interviewing on video brings another level of anxiety to this process, because you’re not speaking to a person, you’re speaking to a camera.  (Although that could work in your favor–you don’t have to worry about establishing rapport with a camera.  You just have to remember to look at it.  And smile.) 

The good news is, tips on how to build up your confidence for an interview also apply to your situation in a video interview.  For instance, you can practice your presentation skills and approach.  Research the company before the interview and practice answers to common questions (from 20 Interview Tips).  One tip from Calming Your Interview Jitters suggests you should pretend you are talking to a relative, which is pretty easy to do with a webcam. 

Just be careful that your confidence doesn’t veer into know-it-all, overconfident behavior.  The kind where you don’t acknowledge any problems you’ve ever had (which leaves you unable to convey your ability to overcome them) or where you don’t give any credit to co-workers or managers who have helped you.  That kind of attitude can turn off a hiring manager, no matter how much experience you have.  It can be a fine line, according to Heather Hamilton from Microsoft.   

Interview On Demand provides tutorials that walk you through the interview process, complete with more tips on interviewing, and practice questions so that you can see how you’re coming across before it counts for real.  And remember, the company is already interested in you, which is why they contacted you for the video interview.  That should make it easier to maintain your confidence.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Just a quick note.  As I was perusing the net today I noticed that our friends over at Hirevue had raised the price of their basic service offering from $19.95 to $49.95.

This is great news!  What I think it means is that major corporations are seeing the value of video interviews and the value proposition is now allowing the price to reflect some degree of the intrinsic value delivered by dramatic cost savings and productivity increases. 

It also means that our price point ($39.95) make us the best value in online video interview services.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

OK, I have to confess:  I’m so spoiled, I don’t think I could live without my TiVo.  I think the DVR is the greatest technological convenience ever.  (Besides my cell phone, of course.)  I am no longer a slave to the schedule of TV programmers who don’t take into account how busy I am.  I no longer have to patiently wait and suffer through commercials I can’t stand.  TiVo has changed my life.  (Yes, I know that seems pathetically shallow to some of you, but that’s only because you don’t have one yet.)  At the touch of a button, I can watch what I want, when I want.  It saves me time because I can skip commercials.  And if I need to see something again, I hit Replay.  It’s EASY. 

TiVo is revolutionizing media in America–from what we expect as consumers, to marketing practices, to advertising, to what we can imagine might come next. 

I am here today to tell you (and you knew this was coming, right?)  that Interview On Demand is TiVo for job  interviews. 

Like TiVo, Interview On Demand is convenient.  Interview On Demand makes it easy to arrange interviews to fit your schedule.  Watch the interview when it’s best for you.  With no hassles involving traffic, airlines, or hotels.

Like TiVo, Interview On Demand saves you time.  Interview On Demand gets you the answers you need in the fastest amount of time possible.  Video interviews consistently take less time than in-person interviews.  You can skip over interviews that you can tell won’t be a good fit. 

Like TiVo, Interview On Demand is easy to use.  Interview On Demand is intuitively easy to navigate.  Once you’ve contacted Interview On Demand, we can walk you through setting up interview questions.  We contact your candidates by e-mail and offer them tutorials on how to video interview.  Once the interviews are done, we store them online for you (or any member of your hiring team) to access anytime.  And you can hit Replay if you want to see them again.

Interview On Demand is revolutionizing the hiring process just like TiVo has revolutionized TV watching. 

Join the revolution.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.