Spotlight for Employment and Recruiting Professionals, January 19, 2011 

With video interviewing becoming more popular, we are at a new frontier of communication for students and employers, says Matt Berndt, director of communication career services at the University of Texas, Austin.  

There are many reasons for this: Video interviewing technology is no longer location specific, newer laptops come with built-in webcams, and services, such as Skype and ooVoo, offer free options.   

“This technology has been around for years, but now it’s coming from the business side into the home,” Berndt says. “Meanwhile, free services like Skype and affordable technology, such as webcams, are building from the grassroots level up. At some point in time, these two worlds are going to intersect and new social dynamics will be defined.”  

Is your organization ready? Berndt recommends that employers have someone coordinating video interviewing because many employees have their own accounts through services like Skype and ooVoo.  

“In the same ways that companies are defining the standards and protocols for blogging, they must help their employees understand how to use these tools effectively in the professional setting, and how video interviewing fits into the company’s recruiting strategy,” he says.  

For example, employees should use video interviewing the same way to ensure consistency across the organization. Also, unlike common phone interviews, it’s not just what the recruiter says, but what is visible to the candidate that needs attention.  

“The recruiter and student are living by the same rules and sharing the same experience in separate environments with different things attacking their senses in background,” Berndt says. “For example, who might walk through the shot during the interview?”  

With this consideration in mind, this component of video interviewing also presents employers with the opportunity to build their brands visually by considering what they want students to see in the background. Some employer backdrops might include a vibrant area of the office or signage.   

“When you are conducting video interviews, you control your environment and the image you want to convey,” Berndt says. “What is the message you want to send to the student?” 

Berndt got a sense of the power of the interview environment last year when he was interviewing a student by Skype for an internship scholarship. The student was attempting to secure the scholarship for an internship in the music industry and, the day of the interview, was working in the production trailer at a music festival in California.  

“He explained that he would be wearing a headset so he wouldn’t be distracted by the noise in the background,” Berndt says. “Being able to see him in that environment and the way he handled potential distractions brought greater credibility to his abilities. In this situation, setting the context was a critical element.”  

The visibility offered through a video interview can be a benefit or a hindrance. As this technology is becoming more widely adopted, employers would be wise to develop and implement their organization’s standards to maximize the positive impact video interviewing can have on their college recruiting programs.  

Do you have any tips or best practices for video interviewing that you would like to share? If so, please e-mail Kevin Gray.