While the rise of social media and the proliferation of Facebook and YouTube video clips have revolutionized many sectors, some say the field of recruiting has at least one foot still planted in the pre-digital age.
But that could be changing.
Rising Tide Consultants president Bert Hick says it’s puzzling that more recruitment companies do not provide clients with video clips of job candidates answering pertinent questions.
“We’ve used a variety of recruitment companies over the years, and I’ve never had that opportunity,” Hick told Business in Vancouver.
His six-employee consultancy helps clients navigate liquor-licensing challenges across Canada, and the company has often needed new administrative workers.
“Given the age we’re in, if recruitment companies had a video clip where somebody’s talking and you could get a sense of their passion and their excitement and perhaps some sense of their personality when they respond to questions, it might help narrow down the search,” he said.
Recruiter Andrew d’Eca had similar thoughts in early 2013 when he became a partner at Recruiting in Motion (RIM) and opened the company’s Vancouver operations.
RIM differentiates itself from most recruitment companies by offering clients video clips and online portals.
“When a client logs in, they get to see all the candidates that we’re putting forward for each position,” d’Eca told BIV.
“They see a resumé, a professional summary that we’ve written up on the candidate and a 60- to 90-second video clip where the candidate answers some key questions.”
Candidates are usually asked first to say their name and then to address what they see as their top skills or strengths, how colleagues would describe their personality and where they see themselves in three to five years.
“What that does for the client is allow them to meet, hear and see the candidates without ever having to take up their time to come into the office,” he said. “We’ve reintroduced the human element. We’re now putting a face and personality to the resumé.”
One of RIM’s job candidates in Vancouver, Jasmin Sandhu, said the system gives her an opportunity to reveal her personality.
“With LinkedIn, all they can see is your photo and your skills on the resumé,” she said.
“With the video, you can capture your personality. You can capture how you talk, how you communicate – that kind of information. Employers are able to address your soft skills and, with the resumé, see your hard skills. So this is a bit of both.”
One criticism of having job candidates send photos of themselves to employers is that employers could discriminate on the basis of what they see.
Sandhu doubts that this is the case because photos on LinkedIn or other social media sites are often easily available with a quick web search.
D’Eca stressed that the alternative is for employers to have quick in-person interviews, and that if there were to be any discrimination it would arise during those interviews.
“The main reason why most recruiters wouldn’t do [short video-clip interviews] is because it’s extra work,” he said. “It takes more time and it means that they have to meet the candidate. Many recruiters just work over the phone. They never meet or see the candidate. Because we include a video clip, the client is assured that we’ve met the candidate in person.”
All of RIM’s video clips in B.C. are filmed at the company’s Howe Street office to ensure that they have the same video quality and lighting.
“I do like having the video clips for candidates we are considering,” said Tim Cramer, who has used RIM’s service and is regional director of Coverall, which provides office-cleaning services.
“The videos help me get a clear sense of the person’s personality and speaking ability ahead of time. It gives me more to go off of than just a plain resumé when deciding if I want to interview someone. I find it saves a lot of time and lets me interview only those who best match the position and the team culture.” •
