Best Practices When Integrating Video Into Your Hiring Process

Matt Weirich is CEO and Co-founder of Realync, the leading video leasing and engagement platform for the entire resident lifecycle.

More than 90% of U.S. workers said they are considering leaving their jobs, according to a Monster.com survey (via Business Insider). You’ve likely heard the phrase “The Great Resignation,” which refers to the mass wave of resignations many employers are facing right now. From my perspective, the record number of employees quitting their jobs signifies that pandemic priorities have shifted, and people’s current jobs just aren’t cutting it anymore.

In order to fill empty roles, some employers are turning to video interview solutions, as these can help hiring managers find the right people for the right roles efficiently. For example, in early 2021, my company, a video leasing and engagement platform, optimized its hiring process with video to help guide more informed decisions about new hires. Through this experience, I found there are a few reasons why real estate companies might consider integrating video into their hiring processes.

The Value Of Leveraging Video

When we decided to use video in the hiring process, our objectives were simple: Find top talent to contribute to our culture, do great work and support our clients. By adding video into our hiring process, I’ve noticed a significant change in candidates’ preparedness. They often come to the interview more educated on the role, company and culture. Our interviewers also get a chance to experience candidates’ personalities while giving them a look into our personalities as well.

Furthermore, video has saved our leadership team a lot of time. Screening and scheduling candidates can be time-consuming, and companies can lose potential candidates due to prolonged screening processes.

Short, creative videos can even be used to source and discover career opportunities. For example, TikTok, an entertainment video platform, seemed to jump at the opportunity to provide recruiting tools. The social media platform ran “TikTok Resumes” as a pilot program in July to expand its utility as a recruitment and job discovery platform.

Getting Started

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind if and when you decide to add video into your hiring process.

1. Be transparent with candidates. Lay out the entire interview process with candidates so expectations are set. Tell them how and why video is being used during the interview process.

2. Put the candidates’ experiences first. If you’re using one-way interview solutions, allow candidates to re-record their interview if possible so they can put their nerves at ease. For later steps in the hiring process, you can make the interview interactive or more engaging.

3. Be mindful of privacy issues. Be sure you’re not asking questions that could make a candidate uncomfortable.

4. Ask questions that help you get to know candidates. Here are a few examples of questions we ask during the first application phase to get to know the candidate a bit more. (We ask these questions through one-way, pre-recorded videos):

• “Tell us a little about yourself without reciting your resume.” You want to learn more about each candidate beyond just work.

• “What is your superpower? What do you bring to the table that we don’t already have or need more of?” You need to learn what each candidate believes their strengths are and how they feel they can impact your company.

• “What is a professional struggle you’re currently experiencing? And you don’t need to turn it into a positive.” Nobody is perfect or has it all figured out. As professionals, we are all constantly learning, adapting and pivoting. You should want candidates who feel the same way.

• “What prompted you to choose us?” Perhaps you have an outstanding team, culture and product. Whatever the reason, you should try to learn what attracted each candidate.

Going Beyond Video To Create An Agile Work Environment

Beyond leveraging video, I believe a people-first strategy is also necessary for your hiring process if you want to attract new hires and retain employees. Other than the role, there are a variety of other things a candidate considers, such as competitive pay, greater work-life balance, career opportunities, flexible working conditions, etc. If possible, you can consider providing remote-work options to employees and start showcasing this benefit in your compensation package to candidates during the hiring process.

Another way to get the right people to your company is to invest in improving the tools that’ll make their day-to-day operations easier. Chatbots, artificial intelligence platforms, customer-relationship management tools, etc., are all designed to streamline on-site teams’ processes. Want to really wow your candidates? Ask them what tools they need in order to do their jobs well for their video submission.

Successful hiring looks different nowadays, and today’s hiring managers must be proactive. I believe creating an agile hiring and working environment can generate outstanding results for your teams and increase employee retention as you navigate the “Great Resignation.”

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