Recruiters, This is what candidates REALLY think about video interviews

“This is an easy way to meet more people than it is physically possible and the interviewee can easily record the things that he/she finds important to bring to the table.”

- A candidate

We have already discussed how candidates perceive video interviews in an earlier blog post, and this time we will dive into the practicalities of answering video questions from the candidate’s perspective using data from Candidate Survey 2020.  We have been running candidate surveys since 2015 where we asked feedback directly from the candidates. And this year, over 30 000 candidates across the world responded to our survey! This survey was conducted between January - December 2019. You can find this and previous candidate survey reports on our Resources page.

When we talk to recruiters, one of the biggest concerns many of them seem to have is that video interviews might drive away their candidates. Spoiler alert: no, they don’t. The reality is quite the opposite. Reply rates to video interview questions have been over 90%, and generally, candidates are excited about the opportunity to show themselves one more time before the final shortlisting for a face-to-face interview. Even the shiest of the shy can perform well in a video interview thanks to the option of retakes. Here is what candidates had to say about that (Original spelling and punctuation have been preserved) :

“Video recording saves time and sometimes gives the shy people a bit confidence during the interview”

“It was surprising, at the beginning I was afraid because it was something new but at the end I felt really comfortable.”

“I have faced first time such innovative interview style; I was little nervous in first attempt but retake made me comfortable.”

Overall, according to our 2020 candidate survey, 82.4% of candidates are satisfied with their video interview experience, and 84% recommend incorporating videos in hiring processes.

Moreover, using modern recruitment methods like video interviews has contributed to positive employer branding:

“I recommend it (video interview as a recruitment method)as it saves time for both, the recruiter and the candidate. Also, it gives an impression that the company is innovative which will make the company looks attractive to the candidates.”

How much time do candidates spend on video interview?

According to our findings, more than half of the candidates spend 40 minutes or less, and over20% spend less than 20 minutes recording answers to the interview questions. Survey results say that 75% of the candidates record less than five takes per video question before they are happy with the result. This goes to show that participating in a video interview doesn’t take much from a candidate and at the same time gives them a chance to shine!

Of course, these figures vastly vary based on the number and type of questions asked and the given time limit. Some questions might be as simple as “Tell me about yourself in one minute” or as hard and demanding as “How would you develop our current marketing to enter the Chinese market?”. We recommend asking candidates a maximum of 5 questions, and so does the majority of recruiters. If you are new to video interviewing, read our tips and get some interview question ideas to get started!

The candidate survey answers other questions regarding candidate experience, including how they wish to be informed about the progress of the recruitment process and how satisfied they are with the tool used. Download it below!