Do Interviews miss that Personal Touch??

Skype, Facetime and other video conferencing tools are taking over interpersonal communications. People are becoming more and more reliant on them to keep in touch with loved ones, friends and colleagues. Video Interviewing has already been implemented into modern recruitment processes as a way to screen candidates. Is it really a reliable way of accepting or declining people?

Let’s find out.

Why do we need to interview?

Everyone has taken it for granted, for every job position, there are interviews. You won’t get the job without an interview. Have you ever wondered why this was the case? People are social beings, we want to belong and be compatible with people around us. Interviews are a way to see whether the candidate fits with the organization’s structure. The interview, if conducted correctly, will portray what the culture is and if the candidate fits.

Interviews allow for engagement and rapport to build into positive experiences. Positivity, the motivator and the decider of choosing to work here or over there.

The Bane of Video Interviewing

Video Interviewing, such an impressive technological advancement, it reduces time and costs and even allows you to target candidates from all across the world. Why the negative tone then? Video interviews don’t produce the expected results as stated on paper. It can miss the human touch.

Research by Degroote School of Business have shown that video interviewing should not replace face-to-face interviewing altogether. Video interviews can create an air of uncertainty and increase distrust. It is different to looking at someone’s face and looking at a screen, there is no emotional exchange.

Why Face to Face Interviewing

As mentioned before, people like to have interactions, there has to be some kind of engagement to develop a connection. Face to Face interview allows this. Actions can become more unnatural when delivered through a screen, factors such as internet connection, video quality and delays can influence the expressiveness of either parties. You may be required to exaggerate certain motions for it to be noticeable on the screen as opposed to direct contact.

Job applicants might be unable to acquit themselves well on video, even though they were brought up on technology, it just feels different. Video interviewing can be presented with technological disadvantages where applicants may not be technology-savvy or having reliable webcams for videoing. Furthermore, the conversation can suffer from poor audio or video quality, further decreasing the comfort factor. When video conferencing occurs smoothly, it is similar to face-to-face as you are able to see and engage in conversation with the individuals. In reality, everyone has varying conditions of video tools and connections, it is difficult to establish a stable and uniform approach every time. Face to Face lets both the candidate and the interviewer to acquaint themselves and make themselves comfortable in a consistent environment.

Take Home Message:

Video interviewing is at large but it is not as efficient and as effective as most people may think of it. An abundant amount of recruitment firms uses this approach to screen and select candidates; though studies have shown it is not the best way to do it. There is still nothing that beats face to face, human interaction and positive attitude comes with more than just talking.

Keep videos to the screening phase.