Pre-recorded Video Interviews

Unlike the traditional interview that happens face to face and that is previously scheduled with the candidates, pre-recorded video interviews are not conducted in person; on the contrary, they are applied remotely and include questions chosen in advance by the recruiter depending on the stage of the selection process in which they are. The candidate answers the questions as they appear on the screen of the application that the recruiter has defined in advance, and their answers are recorded so that the recruiter can review the video interview later. This way, for example, if they are in the initial part of the process, the questions will probably focus on the candidate's data and general information.

Pre-recorded video interviews represent a form of interactive dialogue and, most importantly, can be conducted remotely from any location using a computer or mobile device with internet access, a camera, and a microphone.

Pre-recorded video interviews can be used at any stage of the recruitment process, and their importance lies in the different benefits they bring to personnel selection processes.

The recruiter or interviewer is the one who prepares the questions and chooses the duration of the interview, the approach it will take, and the format. It is important to keep in mind that this depends on the platform they have chosen for the pre-recorded video interview, as each service provider has different tools and functionalities.

1. Private Video Interviews: This is the most usual case, and, in this type of video interview, an invitation is sent to the person who will answer the interview questions. Only invited people can answer the interview, and access is not public; it can only be reached by invitation.

2. Public Video Interviews: This type of pre-recorded video interview is used in large recruitment campaigns and usually replaces job advertisements. Large companies generally post a link to access the video from their home page or on their social media sites to invite candidates to apply and respond to the interview. In this case, anyone can access and answer the video interview.

Pre-recorded video interviews in the selection process

Recruitment and personnel selection processes in organizations have been changing and updating constantly with the new options that technology provides to facilitate and complement these processes.

The use of pre-recorded video interviews in the personnel selection process has quickly gained ground because it allows you to get to know the candidate and observe specific characteristics that may be required for certain positions. Once the candidate is known, subsequent interviews can be conducted to explore certain personality aspects or professional skills in greater depth.

Although pre-recorded video interviews can be used at any time or any stage of the personnel selection process, most organizations report greater benefits when using them at the beginning of the process. This is because it lets them get to know the candidate before moving forward with the process, and because it sets an important guideline on how to continue, if they need to apply certain tests or other interviews based on the first video interview.

These interviews require prior work from the recruiter or interviewer to choose and prepare the questions and the approach they want to have during the interview with the candidate, so that their strategy for the selection process delivers the expected results with the final interview video.

Advantages or benefits of using pre-recorded video interviews:

Pre-recorded video interviews have several benefits for recruiters but also for candidates and for the organization in general. Since the beginning of their application, more and more companies and individuals are pointing out the benefits of using technology in tools such as this one to streamline everyday processes and procedures, which, in turn, allows achieving better results in a timely and proper manner.

The following is a list of the various benefits of using pre-recorded video interviews:

• It allows you to really get to know the person before starting the process and complements what the CV shows.

• Greater scope of results in the processes by interviewing several people simultaneously.

• It reduces tedious administrative tasks and saves time for other activities in your work area.

• It increases the confidence level of recruiters and minimizes intuitive bias.

• The use of these technologies improves the company's image in its processes.

• It provides greater convenience for candidates as they can do it from home.

• It allows you to review the recording as many times as necessary in case something is not clear, unlike the traditional face-to-face interview in which the recruiter has to remember the details of the interview.

Evalart is a tool for conducting assessments in selection processes and includes pre-recorded video interview functionality. See more here: Evalart Pre-recorded Video Interviews.