Corporate videos in the recruiting process

Recruiting 2.0 – Selecting the right supplierRecruiting 2.0 – Selecting the right supplier
There are masses of suppliers around: specialists, generalists, some very “stale”, some highly innovative, etc. To name them all here would makes little sense, since the list changes continuously. This is why selection criteria help you to achieve your aim faster when searching for the right supplier. Even if I were to raise the flag for social media here: in the first place, your HR software needs to offer the key functions required for your recruiting process in a clean form. While this is obligatory, the cure comes in the form of all the new topics, such as the connection to social networks and CV parsing. One tip I can give you is that the suppliers arrange themselves into a defined ranking. It may sound naive, but it does work quite well for the initial screening. This is because if the supplier ranks moderately or very well in the strengths/weaknesses criteria defined, then the first filter has already been set. Often, the first useful step comes in the form of an online seminar presentation, where you can have the system shown to you in just over an hour. You will notice that you become more familiar with the topic every time you see the presentation because each supplier has its strengths and weaknesses, along with questions for you. Incidentally, you can also work through your criteria at the same time and check it for completeness.

What do Application and Job Search 2.0 mean?

A lot has changed when it comes to applications: HR prefers to receive applications digitally these days – in their email inbox or via an online form on the company’s career page. And even that is virtually obsolete. Application 2.0 is popular, which is to say, the digital business card is more important than a covering letter and résumé these days. Job seekers are urged to actively expand their personal network and use social media for job searches and present themselves there. “Show who you are!”, thus is the motto for the young job seekers of today and tomorrow. Maintaining a presence in Web 2.0 – that’s the point. Presenting oneself on the Internet using videos, images and text should not present a problem to most of today’s graduates and young professionals, since using Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Co. is common practice for Generation Y and Z. Self-marketing on the Internet is something they are totally familiar with. Of course, employers have in turn recognised this long ago and many of them have already firmly established social media as part of their employer communications. Technology-driven companies in particular are already using social media to find and appoint employees, and other companies are following suit. In fact, so should you, if you want to win the battle in the competition for talent. But are employers keeping their digital personnel files up to scratch as well? It is not enough for them to simply write down their flood of data on XING and LinkedIn, instead they need to give their companies a face as well. Portals like absolventa, kununu and watchadoo may certainly help in doing this. The employer just presenting himself on his company career page alone is no longer sufficient. You need to get out and hang out where your target audiences are.

Video is on the rise

A fairly new and rapid development is taking place in the video segment. You will experience it increasingly in the coming months: you suddenly receive an application in the form of a video that the candidate has probably recorded on his own smartphone. The era of receiving applications with just CVs is over and qualifications are often glossed over anyway. Progressive companies are also open to receiving videos from candidates, a trend which will continue to grow. This is because it is becoming increasingly important for job seekers beyond the formal motivation letter to present themselves in an authentic light. The personal impression you make and the personal match count increasingly. To present themselves as attractive employers, companies are increasingly discovering the power of photos and videos. Corporate videos, for example, provide job seekers with a glimpse of aspects of corporate values and culture, as well as the working atmosphere at the company. Doing this with online employment ads is virtually impossible. You can use your corporate videos to let your employees to talk about you as an employer, so that, in turn, you can convince your would-be-employees. In the USA, it is long since common practice to interview your candidates via video link, such as Skype, and increasingly companies are doing the same in this country as well. Many companies are already approaching job interviews in this manner, thereby saving on time and money, for the candidates as well.

Fighting the systems

Lots of systems will dovetail into this new market niche, ranging from time-delayed video interviews (such as viasto and cammio) to portals. The advantage of these systems is that the interviews are recorded and can be imported into the BEMS over an interface. This is not so easily possible with Skype. Another problem with Skype is that the data centers are outside the European Economic Area, which would have privacy advocates up in arms.

How time-delayed video interviews work:

• You formulate your questions (if necessary, with an assessment running in the background).
• The candidates answer the questions on video when and where they want and send them back to you over a link.
• You and possibly the hiring department watch the video when it suits, assess the candidate and make your decision.

A live link has the advantage, of course, that you can assess spontaneous reactions like in a real conversation, and quickly come to a conclusion together. Why not try posting a job ad with a background video attached, which you can distribute in the various social networks, and then post an advertisement without the video and compare the results. You will notice there is something in the air – videos pull!