Improving Job Fit with Video Screening

As HR technology continues to evolve and transform the way we work, many organizations are turning to AI-enhanced video screening to make it easier to recruit and assess candidates. Not only are organizations using video to screen candidates, but they are also conducting interviews using facial recognition and natural language processing (NLP) to automatically rank candidates’ answers, as well as evaluate if skills are a fit for the role.

Advancements like these have the potential to reduce the time to hire, allowing companies to move quickly on highly qualified candidates. The Society for Human Resource Management reported that thanks to video, Hilton shrunk its recruiting cycle from six weeks to five days. Under Armour had similar results when it started using video interviews — its time-to-fill positions in retail stores dropped by 35%.

Use natural language processing to screen for important skills

Recruiters must screen and assess candidates for required skills, but that’s not always easy. To save time and increase accuracy, organizations are finding success by screening candidates using a combination of facial recognition software and NLP assessments. Recruiters can ask questions and evaluate whether the candidate responds with the correct answer and digitally store the response for future review, if necessary.

There are unique advantages to having video recordings of interviews, including the ability to:

  • Replay, review, and rate the interviews online
  • Compare candidate responses during the interview
  • Recall outstanding candidates by putting a face to a name (rather than just audio calls)

“A consensus is emerging that traditional interviewing—subjective and unstandardized — may be an unreliable method for predicting a potential employee’s success,” according to research by Deloitte.

Embrace the advantages of video and remote hiring

Around the globe, employees are working remotely more than ever before. A survey of more than 15,000 adults found that 43% of Americans work remotely for at least part of the week. About 31% of employees say they work remotely 80%  to 100% of the time. As remote working is increasing, the ability to interview, assess, and hire remotely is becoming essential.

Video interviewing expands the reach for talent beyond the geographic and financial limits an organization may have in place. Video can help you reach college students who are entering the workforce, or passive candidates in another city who can easily participate in a brief interview after work.

Hiring remotely expands the talent pool; however, finding the right remote talent also requires a different set of interviewing skills. Access to video interview options can be a game changer to help recruiters source and screen the candidates who will succeed.

PREMIUM CONTENT: Ten Steps to Designing an SOW Management Strategy and Business Model

Take action to reduce bias

While more and more companies are interviewing candidates via video, there is still some concern about the potential for discrimination and bias that could stem from AI-enhanced video interviews. Joy Buolamwini, a researcher from MIT, is working to encourage organizations to make facial recognition software more inclusive.

“Different companies use different software for facial recognition, but the AI involved learns through images fed to it during its development. If it’s shown primarily white, male faces, it will become an expert at identifying white, male faces and can pick up subtle details,” Buolamwini said. “Meanwhile, it will struggle to identify or differentiate faces with different skin hues and will have a more difficult time assessing female features.”

Developers are aware of these issues and are working to improve accuracy scores and reduce bias. AI-enhanced video interviews provide just one example of an application that—if developed appropriately—has the power to improve results. As AI is used during video interviews, companies must take care to use it responsibly and ethically.

Still, those concerns shouldn’t keep HR from using these technologies. AI-enhanced video interviews, facial recognition and NLP can support recruitment by streamlining lengthy, time-consuming processes. With the use of these tools, recruiters can more easily identify role fit. Moreover, hiring managers are positioned to focus on creating candidate relationships that encourage engagement and a sense of connection with the organization.

Simon Oldham

Simon Oldham
Simon Oldham is the president at QJumpers, a recruitment platform.

Simon Oldham

Share This Post

Tweet

Related Articles

Powered by staffingindustry.com ·