Living in a post-COVID world, where we're seeing rapid shifts in the market - the war for talent, the Great Resignation, and "quiet quitting," have become “the norm.” Due to this, it's more important than ever to be able to identify, attract, and hire the very best employees, and video interview platforms are giving recruiters an edge. By allowing candidates to be interviewed remotely, these platforms provide a more efficient way to screen applicants. And with the use of AI-powered tools, they can help identify the best candidates faster and with less bias.

Video interviews have been around for a while, but they've seen a surge in popularity in recent years as more companies embrace remote work and candidates become more comfortable with the format. Combined with video conferencing tools like Zoom and Teams, video interview platforms provide an easy way to connect with candidates anywhere in the world. As the aftershock of the pandemic continues to reshape the workforce, we expect to see even more companies adopting video interviews as a way to find and hire the best talent.

The video interview platform that's right for your hiring managers or recruiting team will depend on your specific needs, industry, and required integrations. A great way to begin would be to think about the current tools that are essential to you and create a simple workflow from them. If you'd like the workflow that we find most efficient for our team, check out our eBook, "How to Build the Best Recruitment Tech Stack." 

There are many video interview platforms to choose from and each one offers a unique feature to set it apart from the others. Some of the most popular ones include Greenhouse, Pillar, Spark Hire, and Jobvite. Each platform has different features and capabilities, so it's important to choose one that will fit the needs of your company. For example, if you're looking for a platform that can help you, screen candidates, faster, you might want one with automatic transcription or facial recognition capabilities. If you're looking for a platform that's more user-friendly, you might want one with a simple interface and easy-to-use features like candidate scoring and side-by-side comparisons.

The size of your company, required assessments,  and budget will also play a role in which platform you choose. Some platforms are better suited for large enterprises while others are more affordable for small businesses. No matter which video interview platform you choose, the important thing is that it's empowering you to find and hire the best candidates

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If you're looking for a tool that's simple and easy to use, Zoom with the Pillar app might be a great option. As video interview platforms have grown in popularity, interview intelligence software has become a game changer. Its AI-powered tools help you identify the best candidates, prepare your interview questions, and give you insights into candidate behavior.

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Most Common Virtual Interview Platforms

Video interviewing is here to stay. It's a flexible, convenient way to connect with candidates anywhere in the world. But with so many options on the market, it can be tough to know which platform is right for you. G2 currently lists 138 video interview platforms to choose from. So how will you decide which one is right for you? Here's a quick rundown of the most virtual interview platforms to help you get started.

The old favorite, Zoom: One of the most popular video conferencing platforms on the market, Zoom offers a simple way to connect with candidates for one-on-one or group interviews. It also integrates with a number of other tools, making it a great option for companies that already have a tech stack in place. Zoom is one that most teams today are very familiar with and adding an app like Pillar from the Zoom marketplace to this tool can provide a force multiplier to an already invaluable platform.

Skype: Skype is another popular video conferencing tool that's been around for years. It offers many of the same features as Zoom but doesn't have as many integrations. Skype is owned by Microsoft, so it integrates well with other Microsoft products like Outlook and Teams.

Google Hangouts: Google Hangouts is a video conferencing platform that's included with every Google account. It's simple to use and offers a great way to connect with candidates for one-on-one or group interviews. Google Hangouts also integrates with a number of other Google products, making it a great option for companies that use Google Workspace.

Webex: Webex is a video conferencing platform that offers a wide range of features for businesses of all sizes. Although Webex seems to be the best fit for enterprise-sized organizations and is more focused on presentations than video interviewing, Webex integrates with a number of other tools across the market.

Now that you have your video conferencing software in place, let's take a quick look at the other tools in your tech stack. ATS, scheduling, and onboarding.

Lever: Lever is another recruiting software platform that includes video interviewing capabilities. Lever integrates with a number of other tools to help you streamline your recruiting process. Lever is a combination of ATS software and a CRM to keep all your candidate data in one place.

Interview Scheduling Software: To save time and streamline your interview process, you'll want to invest in interview scheduling software. This tool will help you schedule interviews, send reminders, and keep track of your candidates. There are a number of great options on the market, including Calendly, ScheduleOnce, and Acuity Scheduling.

Greenhouse: Greenhouse is a recruiting software platform that includes video interviewing capabilities. Greenhouse integrates with a number of other tools to help you streamline your recruiting process.

All of these integrate with interview intelligence tools to make sure you're making the most of your time with candidates.

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One-Way Video Interview Platforms

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A one-way or pre-recorded interview is a great way to screen candidates quickly and efficiently. In a one-way interview, the candidate records their answers to questions that you've provided in advance. They can record their answers at any time and from anywhere. This type of interview is convenient for both you and the candidate. And it's a great way to get a sense of a candidate's communication style and ability to think on their feet.

One-way video interviews are often an early screening option as they allow the recruiter to see many candidates answer the same series of questions. This sets a baseline for each candidate and compares them against one another. And there are a number of great one-way video interviewing platforms on the market, including Spark Hire, Montage, and VidCruiter.

Once a candidate has moved down the funnel from screening into the hiring process, live or two-way video interviews are a great way to get to know your candidates in a more personal way. In a live video interview, you and the candidate are both present in real time. This type of interview allows you to ask follow-up questions and get a better sense of the candidate's personality.

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Pre-Recorded Video Interview Software
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There are many nuances to video interviewing, but essentially we're all trying to get to the same end result - making better hires. And one of the best ways to do that is by using video in your recruiting process. Pre-recorded video interviews or one-way interviews are fast becoming the first interview experience for candidates in the screening phase of the interview process. For this reason, pre-recorded video interview software companies have grown geometrically post-COVID.

Pre-recorded video interviews are a great way to screen candidates quickly and efficiently. In a pre-recorded interview, the candidate records their answers to questions that you've provided in advance. They can record their answers at any time and from anywhere. This type of interview is convenient for both you and the candidate.

There are advantages and disadvantages to pre-recorded video interviews. For instance, pre-recorded video interview examples offer very little in the way of personalization. This may be great for someone familiar with talking to a camera but will be less advantageous when trying to assess a candidate's ability to connect and build rapport.

On the other hand, since you can screen more candidates in a shorter amount of time, this type of interview has the potential to save you time in your recruiting process and offers candidates a convenient and flexible interview experience.

There are a few things to keep in mind when crafting your pre-recorded video interview questions. First, make sure your questions are clear and concise. Pre-recorded video interview questions need to give the candidate enough information to answer the question but not so much that they feel overwhelmed. Second, avoid yes or no questions. These types of questions won't give you the information you need to make an informed hiring decision. Finally, ask behavioral questions. Behavioral questions are those that ask the candidate to share a specific example from their past experience. This type of question will give you insight into how the candidate has handled similar situations in the past and can help you predict how they'll handle similar situations in the future.

Using interview intelligence software powered by AI is also a great way to assess candidates. Analyzing their body language and word choice in a video interview can give you an even deeper understanding of their qualifications. At Pillar, we built an interview intelligence platform to help you make better hires. Utilizing video analysis tools we've been able to help our customers decrease employee turnover by 50%.

To see how it can help your team, schedule a demo today.