Video interviewing software revolutionized hiring. Before tools like Zoom, Teams, and Interview Intelligence software, hiring looked very different. Traditionally, the hiring process was a time-consuming, labor-intensive endeavor. Companies would have to advertise openings through publications or job boards, wait for applications to be mailed or handed in, manually sift through piles of resumes to identify potential candidates, and then conduct face-to-face interviews. These interviews often required the candidate or the employer to travel, sometimes significant distances, adding extra time and cost to the hiring process. This process was also restricted to local talent, as international interviews were often prohibitively expensive and logistically complex.

Limitations in hiring all but went away as technology allowed hiring software to take the place of in-person interviews. Before Interview Intelligence platforms, the hiring process was often marred by biases and subjective judgments. Hiring decisions were largely based on gut feelings and initial reactions, resulting in a lack of diversity and potential bias in employee selection. This old-fashioned approach not only relied on subjective impressions but also ignored valuable data points that could provide more objective and comprehensive insights about candidates and how they fit into a team.

The Benefits of Interview Intelligence:

Interview Intelligence software brings many important benefits to the hiring process. First off, it enhances objectivity in candidate evaluation by leveraging advanced AI techniques to analyze responses and assess various attributes such as confidence, clarity, and conviction. Assessing applicant's tone, facial expressions (even miro-expressions), and reactions to specific questions can provide valuable insights into their suitability for the role. This, in turn, leads to more informed hiring decisions and increases diversity in the workforce.

Next, Interview Intelligence software streamlines and accelerates the hiring process by eliminating time-consuming stages such as interview scheduling, candidate/ interviewer introductions, and traveling for interviews. With a virtual platform, companies can easily conduct multiple rounds of interviews with candidates from anywhere in the world nearly free. This means that the world of talent truly has gone global and the barriers to entry for most companies to hire have almost ceased to exist.

Interview intelligence also mitigates the influence of unconscious bias, which can significantly impact hiring decisions. Through standardized and structured interviews, Interview Intelligence software helps to eliminate the influence of factors such as age, gender, race, and appearance. This creates a more level playing field for all candidates and reduces the risk of discrimination.

These new solutions allow recruiters to handle a high volume of applications efficiently, thus saving time and resources. You can review, rate, and even replay the interview at your convenience to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. With geographic constraints eliminated, companies can tap into a global pool of talent, thus elevating the quality of hires.

Last but not least, interview intelligence offers data and analytics that can help companies continuously improve their hiring processes, especially related to interview insights. From candidate sentiment and coachable moments to interviewer talk time and more The benefits of Interview Intelligence extend far beyond the hiring process itself.

What Is Interview Intelligence?

If you're just getting into the world of HR and how company hiring processes work, you may be wondering, "What is interview intelligence?" It is, after all, a new category of hiring tools.

Interview intelligence is software designed to assist companies in the hiring process. It uses advanced AI techniques to evaluate and analyze responses from job applicants during virtual interviews. This technology can assess various attributes such as confidence, clarity, and conviction, providing valuable insights into a candidate's suitability for the role.

But, interview intelligence is not just limited to evaluating candidates. Platforms like Pillar also offer interviewer coaching features that help improve the skills and performance of recruiters during interviews. These tools provide valuable feedback and insights to help interviewers ask better questions, identify potential biases, and improve overall efficiency.

Additionally, interview intelligence software also offers data and analytics that can help companies continuously improve their hiring processes. This means that organizations can use this technology not only for recruiting but also for ongoing talent management strategies.

But it's essential to remember that while interview intelligence is powerful, it shouldn't be relied upon as the sole decision-maker. At the end of the day, humans are still responsible for making hiring decisions and should use interview intelligence as a "force multiplier" and not the sole determinant of a candidate's suitability for the role.

We saw the true benefits of interview intelligence software when the COVID-19 pandemic forced workers to stay at home. Companies still needed talent, but people weren't allowed to travel for interviews.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for businesses that hadn't been seen in a generation. The Spanish flu was the last time a true pandemic affected world markets and this time technology was there to help keep the world running. Tools like interview intelligence empowered organizations to maintain their recruitment processes seamlessly while adhering to social distancing and stay-at-home mandates.

The last 3 years served as a monumental test run for the world, revealing how we can adapt and thrive amidst unprecedented disruptions. As traditional office spaces were shut down and in-person interactions limited, businesses and employees alike had to quickly pivot to remote operations. Through this, interview intelligence proved to be a valuable tool that facilitated efficient and effective hiring processes.

The best interview intelligence platforms offer features such as real-time analytics, candidate scoring, and personalized insights based on your company's past hiring data. This allows recruiters to quickly identify top candidates, predict job performance, and make data-driven decisions. Additionally, interview intelligence can help mitigate unconscious bias by providing objective insights into interviewer bias. This is one of the key benefits of interview intelligence over human intelligence - it can't be biased in the same ways that humans can.

Interview intelligence is a prime example of how technology can empower industries, making them more efficient, cost-effective, and inclusive - underscoring how these solutions will shape our future. With a 360-degree view of candidates, recruiters can make more accurate hiring decisions, leading to better workforce retention and lower turnover rates.

Interview Process

Let's turn to the interview process and specifically how interview intelligence solutions like Pillar can help deliver an excellent candidate experience. If our goal is to create a high-performing team of diverse and talented individuals, then we must ensure that our hiring process is fair, efficient, and transparent.

How to be a better interviewer and deliver an excellent candidate experience:

We know that interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience for candidates. They are trying to present themselves in the best possible light while also being evaluated by potential employers. This pressure can lead to anxiety and even impact the candidate's performance during the interview.

This means awareness is a superpower. Candidates are going to be nervous, so we deliver "presence" to help them feel comfortable and seen. "Presence" comes from our ability to put our entire focus on the candidate and the conversation at hand- and the best way to deliver this is to engage the candidate with AI interview questions that are already queued for you. This means that AI-powered analytics tools can be running in the background while you're placing your full attention on the candidate.

Next, delivering an excellent candidate experience in the interview process means being able to automate tasks that don't require a human touch so you can focus on what matters, the relationship with the candidate. With interview intelligence, you can automate tasks such as scheduling interviews, sending reminders and notifications, and even conducting initial screenings using pre-recorded questions. This frees up valuable time for recruiters to connect with candidates on a more personal level.

Another crucial aspect of delivering an excellent candidate experience is transparency. With objective, standardized, and structured interviews (or at least semi-structured interviews) through interview intelligence software, all candidates are evaluated based on the same criteria. This eliminates any potential biases and promotes diversity in hiring.

Plus, with the data and analytics provided by interview intelligence tools, companies can continuously improve their processes and make them more equitable for all candidates- and, since we're on the topic of data, let's talk about how you can use data to make better hiring decisions.

Pillar's interview intelligence software piggybacks on your video interview platform to provide candidate scoring, interview recording and transcription, and predictive candidate analysis. This data can help you identify top-performing candidates, uncover any potential red flags or biases in the hiring process, and make more informed decisions about who to bring onto your team.

But, how does this help you make better hiring decisions? By having access to consistent and objective data from candidate interviews, you can make more informed decisions based on a candidate's skills, qualifications, and fit for your company culture. You can share relevant interview clips with members of your team and include panelists in interviews. You can compare AI scoring to your hiring criteria for each role deciphering whether or not your organization is headed in the direction you desire it to. All of this not only leads to better hires but also creates a better workplace for people to do better work - which is what we all want.

If you'd like to see how interview intelligence can help your team save time, and money, and make better hiring decisions, book your demo today. We'd love to show you how we've helped companies increase diversity hiring by up to 59% all while lowering costs and decreasing time to hire.