Everything is done electronically these days – even recruiting. Every day, positions are advertised on online job boards, social networking sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, and on company Web sites. But, “recruiting 2.0” doesn’t stop there. Candidates are being vetted for positions from afar, using technologies that save time and a little bit of money.
“As a recruiter, I see these new techniques as a progression and wise use of new technology. There are some cost savings involved, but more particular, there are significant time savings. Flying a candidate in once, twice, multiple times to do multiple interviews slows the process down considerably. Using webcam or video technology is a huge efficiency tool,” said William M. Gaffney, a recruiter and career coach with Amaxa Group.
1. Web cameras. I remember when webcams were extremely expensive. Now, you can get a pretty good one for around $30, such as the Logitech Quickcam. If you want to set yourself apart in this market, particularly if you are looking to relocate, offering a video interview and its benefits to the hiring manager might be just the ticket. Point them to sites like HireVue that make the interview extremely easy to conduct and share with colleagues.
2. Online meeting space. Don’t have an online portfolio to showcase your previous work? No problem. Organizations are using services like WebEx so you can share your desktop with a hiring manager while speaking with him or her on the phone or via videoconferencing.
“I have used WebEx for interviewing candidates after finding them on Linkedin. This was a great way to spend time and money in the first round of vetting a candidate. We talked to four different candidates using this method and found that our response to the candidate online closely matched our expectations from the phone interview,” said Kathy Taylor, principal of TalentPlanet and author of “How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn.”
3. Virtual career fairs. These events, which I’ve discussed in previous articles, have many benefits to both the candidate and employer.
“Virtual job fairs conducted online allow the recruiting company to attract far more candidates than its physical counterparts,” said Brent Arslaner, vice president of marketing for Unisfair. “People who can’t make it to the local job fair because of distance, another appointment or because they currently have a job can easily log on to a virtual job fair.”
“For the hiring company, the benefits include attracting a wider reach of candidates, substantially reduced costs, incredibly rich data on each candidate since everything is tracked online and the HR staff stays healthy. Inevitably, the HR staff becomes sick after shaking several hundred hands at a physical job fair,” he continued.
4. Video and audio job ads. Think YouTube is only for videos of you and your roommates lip-syncing your favorite songs? Think again.
“Companies are publishing YouTube videos of what it’s like to work in their stores or internship programs,” said Doug Berg, chief innovation officer at Jobs2Web.
Additionally, sites like JobsInPods.com – “the Internet’s first ever audio recruitment platform –feature interviews with hiring managers and employees about “what it’s like to work there, the kinds of people they hire, the benefits they offer and what their ideal candidate is like.”
5. Connect with recruiters instantly. “Companies are offering ‘chat with our recruiters’ online, and the ability to join the company talent community to hear about future jobs,” said Berg. An example of this is Microsoft Entertainment & Devices.
Join me and J.T. O'Donnell, a caeer coach, workplace consultant and founder of Careerealism, for a free, live, online chat about crafting winning cover letter and résumés for internship and entry-level job candidates. The chat will begin at 4 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. PST on Sunday, February 8, 2009. Click here to register.
Comments
This is great advice, Heather!
Especially from someone that gets "social media." I'm sure this is a broken record, but one other bit of "recruiting 2.0" for those being recruited - remember that your social media platforms are being reviewed by potential employers. Please be yourself on these platforms but be aware that many use these for recruiting purposes. Again, great subject and tips!
www.CareerCam.net and www.ExecuCam.com are also good resources.
Hi Heather - Helpful post...
We've actually created an ebook called "Great Video" to help job seekers quickly express their talents, attributes and personality in order to create a winning video and avoid common errors.
We've also got some great vid. res. examples on our site that people can view.
If you'd like a copy of our Great Video ebook to review - just let me know and I'll send you a freebie.
Thanks,
Robin Ogden
FiredUP Careers
Thanks for the informative post!
We use ilinc at our internet based company to virtually connect with interviewees throughout the hiring process.
It makes the process a lot more efficient.
Yes, in this economy of tight budgets coupled with the continuing need to communicate nationally and even globally, technology can offer tremendous dollar savings. Video interviewing is one of the nascent tools that is helping to speed up the candidate screening process -- particularly for screening the large number of applicants in the market today who may be remote from the hiring manager. Recruiters and Managers can either do LIVE interviewing via webcams or handycams plugged to computers, OR if the team can't get together at the same time, or if one of the decision makers is on the road, they can browse through pre-recorded or "canned" or "on-demand" video interviews anytime from anywhere using the internet and a webcam. If your laptop didn't come with a built-in webcam, we find the Logitech line of webcams to be pretty affordable for the quality at around $49.
One emerging tool in this arena is InterviewStudio, right here in our back yard (Seattle area). We have created the InterviewStudio platform to be used in many applications that need an elegant communication tool for remote viewing. In the market you are discussing here -- Job Search and Interviewing -- the platform is a total online profile for the upfront screening of candidates including the resume, endorsements from co-workers, their LinkedIn or Facebook profile, the results of a professional assessment test, and a full video interview wherein the candidate answers questions of their choice from the EEO-compliant library. Candidates can go to the InterviewStudio website to create their own profile to send to any recruiter or employer. Or Employers or Recruiting Agencies can subscribe to the service in order to run their candidates through the online profiling process to assist in quicker due diligence before deciding to bring them in for interviews.
Another tool you might want to look at is from CareerCam. Daniel Kurt offers a great LIVE webcam interviewing tool that has a scheduling front end.
Or you can look at all the vendors in this arena in the white paper on the InterviewStudio website under the Research tab.
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