Submitted by Spark Hire

The demand for external talent sourcing is at an all-time high, but with such a large influx of quality talent, it can feel difficult to manage your candidates and clients effectively. Now, more than ever before, staffing professionals rely on innovative technology to manage the workload and stay ahead of the game.

A dedicated video interview platform has the power to boost placements and increase your success as a staffing pro. However, knowing how best to leverage the platform isn’t always so obvious.

To give you a solid start, we’ve laid out exactly how video interview platforms actively boost candidate placements:

Gain early insight into candidates

The earlier you’re able to provide clients with an in-depth snapshot of your candidate, the better. Traditional candidate profiles and CVs no longer provide adequate insight beyond their basic skills and experience, and frankly, don’t excite your client.

Video interviews showcase a candidates’ personality beyond their resume and allow clients a chance to evaluate how they might fit within the company culture or among the team. Not to mention, one-way video interviews help shed light on the most desirable skills your clients are looking for.

For example, with one-way video interviews, you can choose questions based on a specific requisition to highlight a candidates’ personality, soft skills, and unique experiences. As a result, clients gain advanced insights earlier on in the placement process, and it boosts their investment in the prospective candidates. This equips them to make the best decisions about who to advance to the next stages of the interview process.

Enhance the candidate experience

Now more than ever, staffing pros focus on enhancing the candidate experience throughout every stage of the recruitment process. To do this effectively, look for ways to curate a more personalized experience while keeping candidates excited about open roles. Video interviews are a great way to stand out from the competition and establish a more personal connection.

To ensure a candidate remains excited and engaged, start leveraging a video interviewing platform to promote your client’s brand. This technology comes equipped with customizable branding features to help make a lasting impression. You can upload a clients’ logo, select their brand’s unique colors, add photos, and record or embed company videos to appear before and after candidates complete their interviews. Use these videos to personally welcome candidates to the process, get them excited about the role, and thank them for their time while providing information on next steps.

These personal touches help to enhance the candidate experience and promote their investment earlier on in the recruitment process.

Expedite a transparent screening process

The shift to remote recruitment has resulted in a slower screening process for the majority of agencies. Without the proper technology, recruiters are left bogged down with an overwhelming talent pool to filter through. Despite the influx, 60% of candidates now expect quicker feedback on their application status.

On top of a faster screening process, both candidates and clients want frequent and transparent communication. However, expediting the communication process is never cut-and-dry. There are many factors impacting candidate details you send to clients and information you receive back.

With a dedicated video interview platform, candidates and clients have some control over their experience while streamlining the way you stay up-to-date on the status of the screening process.

Candidates record video interviews on their own time and after your review, clients can offer their impressions and feedback at their convenience from anywhere in the world. You’ll receive notifications when each step is completed, from the candidate interview to client reviews. This quick feedback helps you know when to follow up with a client or candidate on next steps, resulting in a more transparent and efficient process.

Improve team collaboration

Seamless team collaboration is critical for making a successful and long-lasting placement. However, working remotely can make team collaboration feel more difficult than ever to coordinate. Between impossible schedule syncs and time-strapped hiring managers, more and more recruiters are discovering the benefit of video interviews to promote open and effective communication amongst your key decision-makers.

Being able to share recorded candidate videos with the entire hiring team provides your client the opportunity to collaborate at their convenience. The team is free to view, comment, and rate candidates in their own time. You can then view your client’s interview evaluations for specific roles and track feedback about each candidate, resulting in faster follow-ups with prospective candidates. Managers can also share video interviews with other departments within the company to evaluate culture fit and skill set.

Secure higher retention rates

The key to a successful retention rate hinges on how you interact with your candidates and clients. The candidate and client experience are crucial.

Video interviews create a positive chain reaction that increases clients’ retention rates from the hiring process through employment. Additionally, enhancing the candidate experience solidifies their investment in the new role. When their expectations are met during the interview phase, they start their career on a more positive note. As a result, clients and candidates are more satisfied with their placements for the long-haul.

Clients that see increased retention thanks to your placements are almost guaranteed to keep coming back for more. As their trust in your ability to provide the best quality hires increases, word will get out to their network, likely earning you new clients. Similarly, former candidates who are satisfied in their roles are more likely to refer you to other top talent creating opportunities for valuable placements in the future.

About the Author

Josh Tolan is the Founder and CEO of Spark Hire, the world's leading video interviewing platform with more than 6,000 customers in over 100 countries. Since Spark Hire's launch, Josh has become an influential member of the HR and recruiting community. He shares his knowledge and thought leadership on recruiting as a contributor on a wide range of outlets including Mashable, FastCompany, The Huffington Post, ERE.net, Recruiter.com, TechCrunch, and more.