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.

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.

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.

Well guys I posted a couple of days ago on RDC about a drawing we were holding at Interview on Demand, where the first 50 recruiters that signed up and purchased a video interview would be entered automatically for a free iPod Touch.

Good News! You still have time! There are a limited number of spots remaining (it has been only 2 business days after all) for recruiters to be among the first fifty to register. Click the button to register

The drawing is only part of the story. The reason we are having the drawing in the first place is to announce the launch of our second major program revision and the … tada …

ADDITION of a fantastic new tool for recruiters -Video Career Profiles.

Take a look at Interview on Demand website and check out the demo of the video career profile. It is a great tool that you can use to proactively market your candidates - providing your hiring managers with a one page view that includes:

• Candidate resume
• Downloadable supporting career documents
• Career Summary [where you can list your feature benefit statements for the candidate]
• Video interview, that we call the video ‘Intro-View’

Corporate recruiters are welcome to register as well, we have a great tool for you - video interviews. Corporate recruiters can create as many job-specific interviews as they like which are store them online. Then invite candidates to take these online video interviews which are recorded via webcam and stored on our system. The answered interviews are available for playback the hiring team anytime over a secure connection on the Internet, using a simple browser. Video interviews can help tremendously in a multitude of areas - shortening the hiring process, reducing costs, and increasing the quality of hires.  One way to make sure that you increase the quality of your recruitment program is to make sure you don’t hire the WRONG person.

Interview on Demand is like TiVo for Hiring only better… with TiVo you can time shift your watching but you have to be in front of your own TV to see your program, with Interview on Demand video interviews you can watch them when you want, but also WHERE you want - Starbucks before work, at home before dinner, on the train during the commute home, even on a cross country flight. All you need is an Internet connection.

Check out Interview on Demand and sign up for a free trial, today!

 

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.

Tips for successfully answering interview questions can apply to video interview questions, as well.  Here are two great articles offering job interview tips that illustrate this:

From Seven Crucial Interview Tips:  

1.   Use the power of “I” in your statements and avoid generalizations to keep the focus on you.

2.  Keep your language clear and direct, rather than using buzzwords to impress.

3.  Keep your answers short and sweet, giving enough information to answer the question, but not going on and on and on.  (Interview On Demand’s video interviewing system automatically limits candidate answers to 2 minutes.  It keeps you from going on longer than you should, but you should remember to practice answers to common questions to be sure you can answer well within the 2-minute limit.)

From What Not to Say in a Job Interview:

1.  The answer to “Why are you looking for a new job?” should hover somewhere near, “I’ve learned a lot from my job, but I’m ready for new challenges.”  And then you could point out something positive about the company you’re interviewing with.

2.  To answer “What are your strengths?”  point out some positives and how they’ve helped you in your job, and how they relate to the job you’re looking for.

3.  To answer “What are your weaknesses?”, don’t point out a fake one (as in “I just work too darn hard”).  Pick out a real (but minor) one, and what you are doing to fix it (reading books, etc.).   

When most people are offered the chance to do a video interview, the great fear is how they’ll come across on camera.  Interview On Demand does offer lots of tips on how to look your best on the video interview and be comfortable.  However, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter how comfortable you are on camera if you can’t deliver substantial, quality answers to the questions. 

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.

Hiring mistakes can cost your company a lot of money.  And let’s face it, they don’t make you look so great, either.  Great Leadership’s article, The 10 Most Serious Hiring Mistakes and How to Fix Them, by Brad Smart,  offers some great suggestions for avoiding them, but we’d like to add to his advice.  The good news is that some of the most serious hiring mistakes can be avoided by utilizing video interviews!

For instance:

Hiring Mistake:  Wasting Time on Unnecessary Phone Screens.  Phone screens are difficult to arrange and can waste a lot of time playing telephone tag.  Smart suggests e-mailing candidates to ask them to fill out a standardized form to give the hiring manager more information.  But, employers can still miss a lot by not speaking with the candidate.  Why not e-mail candidates to invite them to take a video interview?  Even though candidates can answer the interview questions at the best time for them, they still have a deadline to meet, so there’s no tag-playing.  Employers can set up the interview to ask only the questions they’re most interested in, and answers are timed.  Hiring managers can review the answers at their convenience, knowing how long it will take. 

Hiring Mistake:  Solo Interviews.  This seems to be a case of “two heads are better than one.”  Video interviews are stored online, which provides the opportunity for a whole hiring team to review them, if necessary–whenever is convenient for each person.  Everyone can get their two cents in, hopefully saving the company thousands of dollars. 

Video interviewing as part of a comprehensive interview process can help your company avoid costly hiring mistakes.  Interview On Demand knows what it takes for businesses to hire great people and be successful.  We can save you time and money.  Let us help you. 

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.

When you are presenting products and services to the marketplace for a new product, sometimes you get a bit of push-back.  That is especially true when you are talking about a product that hasn’t existed before, or a product that is so new that the majority of the target market has never heard of the product and sometimes have never even thought there might be a need for your product or service.

Push back can come from many places and on many levels.  One of the places where we find that hiring companies push back a little is on the percentage of adoption of webcams in target employee homes.  Hiring managers are sometimes overly concerned that the candidate pool where they are recruiting doesn’t have enough percentage of webcam owners. 

“What if they don’t have a webcam”  they ask? 

Our answer is pretty simple.  “Buy them one.”  They are cheap as dirt, almost.  The pictured webcam is available in our online store for right at $25.00.  That is just about what a candidate would pay for airport parking ALONE for ONE DAY if you were to fly them in for an interview.  So why not have the candidate order a webcam from our Amazon store and save yourself the price of the plane ticket?  Seems like a no-brainer to me.

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.