VidCruiter Logo

What Is Video Interviewing?

Written by

Lauren Barber

Reviewed by

Mary Margaret Hansell

Last Modified

Aug 27, 2024
What is video interviewing hero

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

  • LinkedIn
  • X icon
  • Facebook
  • URL copied to clipboard!


SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Video interviewing is one of the most popular recruitment tools and used to conduct millions of interviews worldwide. It’s convenient, fast, and affordable, helping hiring teams find the best candidates for any position. It's clear why video interviewing software is taking over outdated, time-consuming processes such as phone interviews.

Are you a candidate looking to ace your interview?

Different Types of Video Interview Software

The main difference between video interview formats is whether or not the job applicant meets an interviewer in real time.

Types of interview software

Pre-Recorded Interviews

Pre-recorded interviews, also known as asynchronous, one-way, or on-demand, let candidates answer questions at their convenience. Raters then review and score these responses on their time.

Questions are posed to the applicants in written or video formats. Applicants receive the question, have a pre-determined time to think, and then record a response.

The software can allow users to set several variables, including prep time, number of questions, response duration, and the ability for applicants to re-record answers.

Pre-recorded interviews

Benefits for Hiring Teams

  • Reduces time-to-hire by up to 75%
  • Removes scheduling conflicts
  • No timezone considerations
  • No more phone tag and long email exchanges
  • Minimize hiring bias with a structured process
  • Easily include multiple raters
  • Curate candidate pools
  • Built-in structured rating guides
  • Interview more people, faster

Benefits for Candidates

  • Candidates control the time and place
  • 24/7 convenience
  • Interview from home
  • Better opportunity to get an interview than application alone
  • Fantastic way to showcase strengths and personality
  • No downloads! 
  • Works with any device
  • Receive timely SMS reminders

PRE-RECORDED INTERVIEWS

Fair and Flexible Screening Solutions

Faster and More Accurate, VidCruiter's Pre-Recorded Interviewing

  • Convenient Responses: Candidates record their answers at their own convenience.
  • Consistent Evaluation: Maintain fairness with standardized question sets.
  • Flexible Review: Assess candidate videos anytime, anywhere, on your schedule.

Streamline your hiring and enhance candidate experience.

Live Video Interviews

Live interviews are similar to virtual meetings like Zoom or FaceTime, but take place in an environment built for recruiting.

This software takes video conferencing platforms to the next level with standardized questions and rating guides embedded in the interviewing window. This allows hiring teams to rate candidates’ answers in real-time and focus more on the candidates.

Automated scheduling tools easily connect employers with job applicants at a mutually convenient time for virtual face-to-face interviews. This opens the door to remote, worldwide recruitment without leaving the office, and makes group and panel interviews easy.

Live Video Interviewing

Hiring Team Benefits

  • Structured interviews offer deeper insights into candidates 
  • Remove time and geography as barriers to interview 
  • Easily collaborate and share feedback with decision makers
  • The most efficient use of interviewer’s time
  • Keep secure records of every interview
  • Hybrid interview options for scenarios where interviewers or candidates are joining by a mix of in-person and video
  • Purpose-built features ensure seamless group and panel interviews

Candidate Benefits

  • Interview for jobs anywhere with internet acess
  • Easy-to-use software designed for a positive candidate experience
  • Most efficient use of a candidate’s time
  • Removes all travel, parking, and traffic-related stress 
  • Candidate’s join interviews with a single click
  • Ideal for candidates with busy schedules
  • Automated scheduling makes it simple to arrange a time to meet

LIVE VIDEO INTERVIEWS

Engage and Evaluate in Real Time

 Elevate your hiring with VidCruiter's Live Video Interviewing

  • Interactive Interviews: Conduct live interviews with multiple candidates and interviewers.
  • Customizable Rating Guides: View and rate responses directly from the interview window.
  • Automated Organization: Schedule and coordinate interviews effortlessly in seconds.

The premium interview experience for interviewers and candidates.

How To Add Video Interviewing to Your Hiring Process

Pre-recorded and live online interviews each have unique benefits and many top recruiting organizations use both. Together, they form a powerful recruitment tool, allowing your team to interview more candidates, more accurately, and in less time.

Based on our experience organizing thousands of hiring processes, a common approach is this:

Video Interviewing Steps
86%

86% of global organizations are already conducting virtual interviews according to Gartner.

93%

93% of global desk workers say they want more flexibility in their work situation according to LinkedIn. Why should interviewing be any different?

Fair, Ethical, Accurate Evaluations Made Easy

Adding a structured digital interviewing methodology eliminates guesswork and ensures fair evaluation of all applicants. Standardizing the process makes interviews more accessible and can allow for necessary accommodations to ensure equal consideration. Learn more about how an asynchronous platform can promote accessible interviewing.

Green checkmark Increase predictive validity of your hires by 65%.

Platform features like question guides, rating rubrics, and interviewer coaching reduce hiring bias and help evaluate candidates more accurately. Structured interviewing can increase the predictive validity of hires by up to 65%.  (The Structured Employment Interview: Narrative and Quantitative Review of the Research Literature).

Should You Include Artificial Intelligence in Your Video Assessments?

Ideally, AI can make a great assistant to your hiring process- but not necessarily as a primary evaluator. AI-led processes are not universally accepted as ethical and are even illegal in some jurisdictions. AI assessments, facial analysis, and voice-to-text software can be prone to inaccuracy, introducing unnecessary risks, raising privacy and human rights concerns, and potentially increase hiring bias.

Instead, use AI as an assistant to make the process easier, more efficient, and more consistent for human raters. Let real human beings evaluate all applicants, using their sound judgment and experience. Paired with time-saving automation and structured interviewing, this method is much safer than relying on AI alone. Keep the human in human resources when making important decisions such as hiring.

Sean Fahey discusses how to get the best interview results

On The RecruitingDaily Podcast, Sean Fahey and William Tincup discuss how structured interviewing delivers accurate, dependable results today. For those who don’t want to wait for AI to catch up.

What To Look For in the Best Video Interview Software

There are endless online interview platform options out there. To find the best fit, consider these perspectives.

What to look for in video interviewing

The Right Video Interview Platform for Your Organization

Select a software that integrates and adapts to your systems, so you don’t have to change your process to accommodate software. Here’s what to ask:

Integration: Does it integrate with your existing systems like calendars, ATS, and payroll?

Security: What about security features like end-to-end encryption and secure data storage?

Flexibility: Can it create customizable, scaleable workflows to match your hiring processes and create a branded environment?

Implementation: Is there a dedicated implementation team to plan, optimize, and train your team?

Interoperability: Does it comply with privacy, data protection, and hiring regulations in the jurisdictions you operate?

The Right Interview Software for Your Hiring Team and Candidates

Choose a platform that supports both your hiring team and candidates with the following features:

Ease of Use: Ensure the platform is user-friendly for both candidates and recruiters.

Support & Training: Provide comprehensive support and training for your hiring team.

Collaboration: Opt for features that facilitate team collaboration.

Candidate Experience: Focus on delivering a pleasant and engaging candidate experience.

Multilingual Capability: Choose software that supports multiple languages to accommodate every region you operate in.

Live Agent Support: Offer live agent support for your recruiters and applicants to address any technical difficulties immediately.

#1 FOR VIDEO INTERVIEW SOFTWARE

We Know Interviews

Hire great people—in less time and with fewer resources.

  • Over 10 years of strategic recruitment experience
  • We’ve worked with tens of thousands of recruiters
  • We’re a leader in all things online interviewing

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Video Interviewing Software?

Video interviewing software is the backbone of your interview program. The best solutions integrate with other recruiting tools to create a seamless, automated process. This software allows hiring teams to meet potential employees anytime, anywhere. Recruiters can review interview evaluations at their convenience, ensuring a flexible and efficient hiring process.

What Are the Different Types of Video Interview Formats?

There are two main options: pre-recorded (asynchronous) and live (real-time) interviews. Both should be treated with the same seriousness as traditional in-person interviews but they are conducted virtually or as a hybrid interview.

In pre-recorded interviews, applicants record responses to questions without needing to schedule a meeting time.

In live video interviews, hiring teams meet applicants face-to-face online at a convenient time.

Both types have their place, depending on recruitment objectives and the stage of the hiring process.

Do All Asynchronous Interviews Use AI for Candidate Evaluation?

No, not all asynchronous interviews use AI. Some asynchronous interview platforms use AI to help analyze responses and provide interview insights. Others simply record the applicants' responses to the interview questions. In these cases, human reviewers evaluate the recordings without AI assistance. The use of AI depends on the specific platform and the features it offers.

What Are the Main Benefits Offered by Pre-Recorded Interviews?

Pre-recorded interviews offer flexibility for recruiters and candidates, allowing them to complete tasks at their convenience. This format ensures consistency and fairness by standardizing questions and removing geographical barriers, widening the applicant pool. It reduces stress for candidates by allowing them to interview at home, enhances accessibility, and makes the hiring process more efficient and inclusive.