According to Talent Board candidate experience research, the use of live and on-demand video interviews rose by 129% in 2020. Here’s why on-demand interviews have become an essential tool for recruiting teams doing virtual hiring.
What is an on-demand interview?
On-demand interviews are interviews done asynchronously. Recruiting teams use a virtual hiring platform to create the interview questions, then invite candidates to complete it when it is convenient for them. Candidates access the virtual hiring platform on mobile, desktop, or tablet to record their responses, and it often takes less than 30 minutes. On-demand interviews are ready for recruiter review immediately after candidates complete them.
Why do recruiting teams like on-demand interviews?
This type of interview is a one-to-many approach that allows recruiters to engage with a high volume of candidates simultaneously and advance qualified talent to the next hiring step faster. With a virtual hiring platform, recruiters can invite dozens or thousands of candidates to participate in an on-demand interview with a single email, and all candidates have a consistent experience. Recruiters can also post positions on social networks and invite candidates to self-register and complete an on-demand interview, getting them immediately into the hiring process. On-demand interviews give recruiters a way to balance process efficiency with a personalized, engaging hiring experience for candidates.
Another reason is the deep level of candidate insight recruiters gain efficiently with on-demand interviews. In the time it takes a recruiter to consider a resume or schedule a phone screen, they can instead get richer insight by reviewing an on-demand video interview. Recruiters can also review other interviews if it becomes clear early on the candidate is not a good fit, saving time.
Where do on-demand interviews fit in the hiring workflow?
On-demand interviews are typically used for screening near the beginning of the hiring process but can be used at any hiring stage. Many organizations have replaced traditional phone interviews with on-demand interviews to engage candidates faster. Recruiters can invite candidates to complete an on-demand interview and receive responses the same or next day, cutting days or even weeks out of hiring and reducing candidate wait times. According to Modern Hire, 75% of on-demand interviews are submitted by candidates within the first 26 hours.
Are on-demand interviews flexible?
The configurability of on-demand interviews depends on the hiring platform. Many platforms enable recruiting teams to tailor on-demand interviews at the job level with content about the job and choice of video, audio, or written delivery of questions and responses. For instance, for call center positions, recruiting teams often ask candidates to demonstrate how they’d problem-solve with a difficult customer. With on-demand interviews, the recruiter can present the customer service scenario via video and invite candidates to respond via audio as they would on the job.
Re-record is another type of configurability. Some platforms give recruiters a wide range of options, from allowing candidates to re-record answers as often as they’d like to not letting a re-recording. Another option is to give candidates a limited amount of time to answer. Use of these options can depend on the question: does it require a complex answer, in which case candidates will feel more comfortable being able to re-record, or is it a question designed to evaluate how candidates think on their feet? Advanced virtual hiring platforms enable all of these options at the question level so that recruiters can create the proper on-demand interview and hiring experience for the role. Also, advanced virtual hiring platforms include interview guides to help hiring teams make an initial determination of skills, abilities, and fit using dynamically generated job- and competency-specific questions.
How are on-demand interviews evaluated?
Some virtual hiring platforms offer rating options so that all reviewers can use the same evaluation system consistently. Options can range from a simple thumbs up/thumbs down to star ratings to weighted multiple choice. Ratings are captured in the virtual platform.
Modern Hire’s science-based virtual hiring platform features Automated Interview Scoring for on-demand video interviews. Recruiting teams have the option to use artificial intelligence (AI) to auto-score candidate responses to interview questions to remove bias and ensure a fairer interview process. Recruiters can prioritize high-scoring candidates or use scores as part of an overall measurement of fit for hire.
Are on-demand interviews the same as one-way interviews?
Though on-demand interviews are often called one-way interviews, they are anything but! Recruiters can use on-demand interviews to give candidates more comprehensive insight into the job and organizational culture through customized content. They may ask the hiring manager to record the interview questions from their mobile using the virtual hiring platform. Welcome videos from company leadership can be included, and so can day-in-the-life videos of employees in similar roles or the same department. Many organizations that have earned the Talent Board CandE Award for their exceptional candidate experience use on-demand interviews.
What are some of the other advantages of on-demand interviews?
For candidates, on-demand interviews’ convenience makes it easier to search for a job without taking time away from work. On-demand interviews are also a way for passive candidates to test the waters with a company or position that interests them without committing to travel.
One of the most significant advantages of on-demand interviews for hiring managers is a substantial reduction in interviews per hire. Recruiters get insight sooner into the small yet critical details that help hiring teams decide whether candidates are a fit. They can be more selective in forwarding the recorded on-demand interview responses to hiring managers. They can also share the responses with hiring teams to become more familiar with the candidates’ backgrounds before scheduling live interviews. In short, on-demand interviews help hiring teams collaborate more efficiently and successfully.
Also, on-demand interviews can be integrated with pre-hire assessments. Modern Hire integrates interviews and predictive talent assessments to streamline the hiring process and create seamless hiring experiences for candidates.
To learn more about using on-demand interviews, check out Modern Hire’s Hiring Blueprints. Hiring Blueprints are ready-to-go hiring templates that recommend hiring workflows for more than 40 specific roles. On-demand interviews are integrated for optimal hiring advantage in each Hiring Blueprint.