What are the disadvantages of online interviews?

Table of Contents Show

Advantages of Video Conferencing Interviews
Disadvantages of Video Conferencing Interviews
Reduces the bias
Widens your talent pool
Great for limited office space
Harder to read someone
Miss out on introducing candidates to the team
Relying on technology
The legalities
BMS are here to help

With the advent of the internet and later on video conferencing,life has improved and has become easier. These days,most multi-national companies,opt for video conferencing interviews. So,what is the video conferencing interview? A video conferencing interview is exactly like any usual face-to-face interview,just to the positive point,that the candidate can be given the interview,from the vicinity of his/her home.

It is an ideal way for a long distance job,as you don’t need to travel,to give your interview. It has made lives easier,for the interviewer as well for the candidates,as it can easily connect many candidates from different locations. There are various advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing interviews. Below are mentioned the video conferencing interviews advantages,as well as disadvantages.

Advantages of Video Conferencing Interviews

#Travel Cost Reduction – This is surely the biggest and the most influential advantage of video conferencing interviews. That's because your company doesn't need to spend a heavy amount for the travelling of the interviewers and can easily conduct the interview a whole lot,easily and efficiently by using this technique.#Time Management – Travelling from one place to another consumes a lot of time,from the flight to the airport delays to the drives. However,by using this method,time can be used sanely,as there is no way of wasting it. Additionally,your company doesn’t have to worry about the time zones of the candidates,as they don't have to travel to attend a meeting. Therefore,video conferencing interviews can be set at any time of the day without any hesitation.#Better Communication – It not only saves time and money,but also makes the communication a lot better,as there are various options of file sharing,media sharing,text board,interactive whiteboard sharing,and various other tools,to make the video conferencing interview interesting.#Productivity Increase – Since time and money are no more barriers and interviews can be held at any time of the day,it surely increases productivity. This makes the interviews shorter and more effective and are conducted as simply as possible,without unreasonable delays.#Better Carbon Footprints – Governments from all over the world are working for reducing carbon footprints,and your company apply video conferencing interviews helping reduce its carbon footprints and shows its green credentials.

Disadvantages of Video Conferencing Interviews

There are almost three major video conferencing interviews disadvantages. They are listed below:

#Technical Problems – This is one of the most important video conferencing interview disadvantages,since nobody knows when a technical fault may occur in hardware,or software or in the network. Certain environmental changes may lead to problems in the network.

#Time Zones – From certain points,it is considered as an advantage,but communicating internationally in a regular pattern may lead to a disadvantage,for the time of the availability is different,and it can be really difficult to maintain the business.

#Equipment and Training Costs – The cost of setting the video conferencing equipment is really high,and the staffs need to be trained properly to use it and also to get used to this technology. For small companies,the equipment setting budget can be too high,whereas for big companies,it is of no such problem.

There are various video conferencing solutions that allow to do video conferencing interviews,and keeping the advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing interviews in mind,ezTalks Meetings is one of the best video conferencing solutions to let you conduct an interview or a meeting online effortlessly. The host as well as the candidate needs to install ezTalks Meetings software or app in their individual system and then create an account and follow the details shared and they can easily get connected to each other in an atmosphere like a chat room,and can easily conduct conferencing interviews.

Video conferencing interviews have its own set of advantages and disadvantages,and yet with the advancement of technology,your companies,your employers are all looking towards to the positive side of it and using it for further development of business. Even the candidates,who are posing for the interviews,find it a lot easier than travelling to various places and giving interviews. Thus,the market for video conferencing interviews is increasing,as even after the various cons,it is really advantageous for both the employers and the employees or the candidates.

A third of hiring managers know within the first 90 seconds if they’ll hire a candidate. This shows just how important it is to meet the person behind that brilliant CV, but with advances in video technology it no longer means candidates must come to your office.

There are two types of virtual interview – one-way and two-way live. The first type allows an employer to send a list of questions to candidates, which they then record the answers to and send on. The second is conducted in real-time, making it very similar to an in-person interview.

This process is an efficient way of creating a short-list of suitable candidates to then invite to face-to-face interviews, but there are drawbacks. Let’s look at the pros and cons of virtual interviewing:

Pros

Saves time

The average time to hire is 38 days, and while this has decreased over the years what’s to say you can’t cut that down further? Arranging a suitable time to meet a candidate can be tricky, especially when there are busy schedules to coordinate between, but virtual interviewing streamlines this process. If you begin the first stage with a one-way video interview, this allows a quick filter-out stage and if you’re sitting on the fence with a candidate it lets you revisit the videos.

Reduces the bias

A one-way interview allows you to structure the interview the same for all candidates and ensures that you cannot discriminate with your questions. As a result, virtual interviewing can help you create a more diverse workforce.

Widens your talent pool

Virtual interviewing is a fairly new concept but it’s steadily becoming more popular – 63% of hiring managers have now used it. One reason is that the flexibility of remote interviewing widens your talent pool. Your office location can deter candidates who live far away from applying, but a virtual interview means that neither you nor the candidate need to travel for the meeting, and this opens up the possibility of hiring top talent from overseas. Also, applicants that are currently employed are more likely to find the time for a virtual interview, so this can boost the number of applications that you receive.

Great for limited office space

Do you find that meeting rooms get booked out quickly in your office? Virtual interviews remove the need for a formal space to meet with candidates, which also helps cut down the time-to-hire if you don’t have to wait for a room to become available.

Cons

Harder to read someone

Whilst virtual interviews are better than telephone interviews – where you can’t pick up on body language – it is not as natural as an in-person interview. Body language accounts for 55% of the message that deduce when communicating with someone. Many hiring managers can tell simply by the way that someone walks through the door whether they’re suitable for the role. Using video in your application process can make it more difficult for you to pick up on non-verbal cues that ultimately help you decide whether the candidate is a good hire.

Miss out on introducing candidates to the team

When an interview goes well it can be great to show the candidate around your office, let them get a feel for the environment and even introduce them to who they’d be working with. When hiring talent, in-person interviews are a chance to see whether the candidate is a good cultural fit and help them start to feel a part of the team. Therefore, if you do choose to use video interviewing in your hiring process, you’ll need to pay close attention to the onboarding process.

Relying on technology

As with video conference calls, there is a possibility that the technology can fail on you. This is not an impression that you want to make when showing a candidate why they should work for your company. Having said that, technology can help you recruit the best talent.

The legalities

GDPR means we must be careful about what personal information is stored. To prevent legal issues, you’ll need to find a technology vendor that distributes consent forms and disclosures to candidates, informing them what is being stored. This can mean more paperwork and training your employees so they know the procedure to ensure the video selection process is non-discriminatory.

BMS are here to help

Are you looking for talented candidates to build up your sales team? BMS will work with you as an extension of your business, delivering a smarter, faster and more effective recruitment experience. We’d love to hear from you, so get in touch with us today.

As a way of reducing hiring costs and reaching a wider variety of qualified candidates, many companies have turned to online recruitment as a resource for filling open positions. Online recruiting allows an employer to advertise a vacant position quickly, and often inexpensively. However, some disadvantages may also be associated with this recruiting method.

Because anybody in the world with internet access could potentially see your job posting, you may be inundated with responses, many of them from unqualified candidates. You'll have to take time that you may not really have to wade through each application. To avoid unwanted applications, you'll need to be careful as to how you word your job posting and be as specific as possible about the job duties and the qualifications you're seeking.

What if the best-qualified candidates for your opening live halfway around the world? If that's the case, you'll have to consider conducting screening interviews by telephone or email, which limits the expense of an in-person meeting. If the process moves forward, it poses the dilemma of whether it is really worth bringing the person in for an interview. If it turns out the candidate wasn't serious about relocating, you've wasted valuable time and possibly money.

If your hiring process involves filling out an application, you may miss out on qualified candidates who would rather send a resume. Some candidates may not want to take the time or may not be confident enough with the security of an online application, especially if they are attempting to complete a lengthy application with a mobile device. There's always the possibility that your application system may operate slowly or lose information during the submission process.

In many cases, candidates who see your job posting will be relying on you website to gain additional information about your company, its mission and method of operation. If your website is poorly designed or out of date, the candidate may not even bother to respond. There's also the possibility that the site won't have relevant information regarding the candidate's area of interest. You could even fall foul of discrimination legislation if your site isn't fully accessible.

Because much of the online recruiting process may involve emails and possibly telephone interviews, it can be viewed as somewhat impersonal. Without the opportunity for the employer to hold multiple in-person interviews, it can be difficult to determine if the candidate will be a good fit for the company and its culture. The candidate may also have a hard time gauging whether the company is the right place for her.