Video interview: Employees, your Best Hiring Tool

An employee interview gives candidates a degree of added value information about the company and the recruiter. It allows them to project themselves in an immersive way, before their own skype or zoom interview. A good practice for recruitment in 2021 on which innovative companies, recruitment platforms and job boards are betting! Here are some tips and piece of advice. Afterwards, these successful interviewing contents can be posted on your social networks or your blog through articles. Our zoom on this popular videoconference that you can prepare at any time, for any occasion, either you’re in France or in the United Kingdom.

The video format is smart and very popular among young people: a good opportunity for companies

82% of Internet traffic will be occupied by video in 2022.

You might as well say that young candidates are very fond of it when they look for a job. Usage has changed a lot in the last ten years. Before visiting your corporate website, they will go to your LinkedIn profile or your Welcome To The Jungle page. So you need to push strategic content on these types of channels, to avoid other distractions.

The video interview is “THE” format to focus on to attract the best candidates and reach new audiences who would not necessarily have thought of applying to you as the 2018 Employment and Social Networks study conducted by RégionsJob suggests.

A very popular web format in 2021

Some organisations and managers have specialized in employee videos to present the company in a different way, on multiple screens, for a better performance on social media.

This is the case of expert recruitment websites such as Welcome to the Jungle, JobTeaser or Talents Tube: three start-ups that surf on the employee video. The economic success of these companies shows that there is a real appetite for this format.

To attract the best people or gain notoriety, large groups, start-ups and SMEs are using this type of new platform. Especially since this video format corresponds to the uses of the new generations.

The reasons for this success are clear: it’s a way to recruit in a different way by getting away from the formalism of traditional recruitment. In addition, it provides the candidate with a lot of value-added information in a short, impactful and human format.

And you don’t need a lot of tools: just remember to have a micro to get the sound properly.

Check out this example of video interview, of Sophie, Client Success Manager at Pitchy:

With the video interview, candidates discover your corporate culture

The employee video is a job description that takes the form of an interview. The ultimate content efficiency!

Many topics, starting with the quality of life at work, are more important to the younger generation. The video interview allows you to reveal the backstage, the backstage and especially the environment in which the candidate will be able to project himself.

Every second of your video is an opportunity for the candidate to have a concrete glimpse of his future work environment. Think that a video highlighting the layout of the work space, distractions and your premises will have a positive impact on Internet users.

Beyond the football table and the designer sofas, the employee interview setting must reflect your HR policy in terms of well-being and functionality. The best practice is to find a welcoming place for the main frame and to film in illustration shots the places where a particular care has been given to the layout of the offices such as a lounge or relaxation area.

Don’t forget that each element and its layout says a lot about your working methods. You must also sell yourself with relevant answers 🙂

With the video interview, candidates get to know their future colleagues and avoid social distance

You may decide to film several employees in key positions. Then, build up a library of portraits that will allow candidates to get a glimpse of the other functions of the company, even before they work there.

For example: a person who wants to apply for a job in the marketing department will be able to virtually meet his or her future manager on video and know :

• his/her first name,
• his or her education,
• his/her seniority,
• the skills expected within the team,
• the average age,
• the atmosphere,
• the functioning of the team: who does what?
• the projects in progress.

This library of portraits can also be used to discover how other departments operate and to understand the transversality of certain missions.

This series of portraits can also be used in your onboarding process to present your teams.

For example, during quarantine due to Covid-19, we encouraged our employees to make a quarantine interview, sharing their tips (cooking, reading, etc…). Check out Simran‘s (International Marketing Coordinator at Pitchy) quarantine interview

What are the top questions that can be asked when filming a video interview?

Basics for new recruits. here’s our little guide of questions that you can be separated and put into a different category and you’re making the video shooting.

• What are your reasons for applying?
• What is your job in three words?
• What is your background?
• Where did you study?
• Where did you work?
• What department do you work in?
• How would you like to develop?
• If you had to describe the company in a few words?
• What makes you get up in the morning?
• What is your motto or philosophy?
• What are your main professional challenges?
• What do you expect from this new professional adventure?
• If you had to choose a mentor, who would you choose?
• When was the last time you laughed a lot?
• Your favourite movie quote?
• What is your pet peeve?
• Your incredible talent?
• your best assessments?
• If you had to take three things to a desert island, what would you take?
• Out of 10, how would you rate the reception in society?
• Your favourite film?
• What is your greatest quality?
• What has been your best moment since you arrived?
• Morning or evening?
• Tea or coffee?
• Routine or unexpected?
• “Good morning or goodbye?
• Social or lonely?
• Dogs or cats?
• Formal or casual?
• If the person has lived in two different cities, ask them to choose (e.g. Paris or London? Paris or Lyon?…)
• World Cup or French Cup?
• Manual or intellectual?
• Wifi or Wifi?
• Beyoncé or Rihanna?
• Smartphone? Or Iphone?
• Phone or laptop?
• Headphones or no headphones?

For managers

• How did you meet?
• How did you come up with the concept? The tool?
• If you had to describe the concept/tool/application in three words?
• Is it possible to have doubts when you are an entrepreneur?
• What obstacles did you face?
• Any failure that taught you a lot?
• What qualities do you look for in your future recruits?
• What career opportunities are available to candidates?
• Any advice for candidates?
• What has management taught you?
• Being in the field or being in the office?
• Work or politics?
• Pride or pride?
• Formal or informal?
• Vertical or horizontal organisation?
• Idealistic or optimistic?

You create a climate of trust and transparency

Communication codes have evolved. Nowadays, Internet users (and therefore candidates) want content that is more emotional, more direct and less impersonal.

To do so, communication must be embodied in the voice of your employees to gain credibility. In a study conducted by Hootsuite on the power of employee ambassadors, 58% of the companies surveyed explained that investing in content created by employee ambassadors helps recruit the best talents 🙂

An employee knows the company’s values and the business better than anyone. He or she is the most qualified person to create this video format, and thus establish a first virtual contact.

This first contact also informs the candidate about the personality of a future colleague, notably through the non-verbal language transmitted by the video.

Do you want to make an interview without being a pro or having specific techniques? Ask a demo from software Pitchy. With our solution, you will get several exclusive templates for different usecases. And we have an answer for all your questions 🙂