The Internet of Things has ushered in new job interview strategies. With technological advancements, human resource (HR) managers can recruit the best talent without sitting down for a face-to-face with the candidate and without dehumanizing the process. Here are some novel online interview tools that are making life easier for HR professionals:
- Video interviewing platforms are easy to manage and offer a lot of flexibility. In addition to the ever-popular Skype, employers are using platforms such as Google Hangouts, Viber, Spark Hire and Jobvit to interview job applicants. Many companies are using live one-way video interviews in which candidates receive questions, and have their responses recorded via webcam. Video interviews allow recruiters to get to know candidates better and choose the right options efficiently – without losing time or resources on in-person or phone interviews in the initial phases.
- Skills testing platforms allow recruiters to conduct online psychometric tests, coding tests and aptitude tests, which are used in job interviews. They can help assess if the candidate has the proficiency to meet the hiring company’s requirements. Advanced fully automated platforms even provide in-depth reports after the test is completed on the candidate’s skills and on-the-job potential.
- Gamification has reinvented the interview process. Smartphone gaming apps are ideal to assess skills in innovation, creativity and problem solving. According to a recent assessment by the Gartner Group, up to 70% of global companies are adapting or planning to integrate gamification into the workplace. In hiring, gamification helps recruiters assess how quickly candidates learn, their processes, behaviors, and reactions when faced with risks.
The latest tool to join the high-tech hiring bandwagon is the robo-interview. PBS Newshour recently reported on this novel concept which allows jobseekers to be assessed online through a robot – with absolutely no need for human interaction! Here’s what the digital interview involves:
The first step is filling out online forms designed to show the prospective employer that you have the skills they require. Next, attach you resume with references to your application and sign off forms.
The program then uses software and algorithms to scan your data record for keywords and see if they match those in the employer’s database. If you pass, your application enters the next phase and your get an email asking you to click on another agreement so you can download interview software. This is when you meet your interviewer – the robot!
You sit in front of your own video camera and answer the questions put to you by the online robot. There is absolutely no human interaction as the entire interview process is conducted on a digital platform. When you’re finished, you click your video interview up to the database of the digital interviewing service provider hired by your prospective employer. Finally, another robot views the video, with the software even scanning the sounds and movements you made during the interview.
Many would agree that this may not be the ideal solution as it completely depersonalizes the job interview.
Regardless of the manner in which interviews are conducted, many companies rely on professional interview transcription providers for error-free transcripts of the procedure. Recording job interviews and getting them transcribed allows recruiters to evaluate and cross-reference them to make the final decision. The transcribed interviews can also be archived and referenced as and when needed.
