Over the last decade, video recruitment software has emerged as a hiring game-changer. Originally invented in the early 2000s with tools like Skype, HireVue, and Montage, recruitment software for video interviews has become one of the fastest-growing market segments while actively transforming the way organizations identify and onboard top talent.

Before we get into the topic, let's talk about what video recruitment software is, and how it integrates into a well-crafted hiring process. Video interview software is a subset within the overarching category of HR recruitment software and solutions. This type of software is designed to assist HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers in streamlining candidate evaluation by allowing them to conduct interviews remotely and efficiently.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, video recruitment software went from being a "nice to have" on many teams to a "must." "Stay-at-home" orders forced organizations to move their recruiting processes online, and video interview software was the only way they could interview and assess candidates. As the world began to open up, and talent became accessible globally, hiring teams saw the value of video interviews, and kept using the method.

Today, many recruitment software and systems are offering the option of, or integration with, video recruitment tools. The advantages of this are the time and efficiency they return to their users - not to mention the lower costs involved with using them. Reducing geographical barriers, increasing reach, and delivering a better candidate experience are also considered benefits of using these tools.

Video Recruitment Software Impact on Hiring

One of the most powerful outcomes of using video interview software is fairness and objectivity. Many recruitment tools are turning to structured interviews to create equality in hiring processes. Structured interviews are a way for hiring teams to ask consistent, job-relevant questions and score candidate responses in a standardized manner. When using video recruitment software, these structured interview questions can be recorded and sent to candidates, allowing them to respond at their convenience before being assessed. This eliminates interviewer bias and creates a fairer evaluation process. If you'd like to create a comprehensive structured interview guide for your next interview, click here, put your job description into the text field, and in a few minutes we'll email you a free guide.

Finally, let's give some examples of how these recruitment tools are changing hiring. Interview intelligence, using AI-driven analysis during video interviews, helps companies like Unilever hire more inclusively and cost-effectively. It removes unconscious bias by focusing on data-driven insights, reduces travel and accommodation costs, and provides actionable analytics to streamline recruitment. This approach also improves employee retention by better matching candidates to roles, ultimately transforming the recruitment process to be more inclusive, efficient, and effective.

Video Interview Software

As we mentioned briefly in the last section, video interview software is integrated into almost every hiring process today. This offers unparalleled flexibility and convenience for both employers and candidates. However, there are several types of video interviews, and deciding which one is the best for your organization can be challenging.

SaaS recruitment software like Pillar usually includes two different video options:

1. Pre-recorded Video Interviews (Asynchronous Interviews)
2. Live In-person Video Interviews (Synchronous Interviews)

There are pros and cons to each type, and most organizations choose to use a mix of the two depending on their hiring needs.

Pre-recorded Video Interviews (Asynchronous)

Pre-recorded video interviews allow candidates to record their answers to pre-set questions at their convenience. These recordings are then sent to hiring teams for review. This option saves time and resources, as it eliminates the need for scheduling and conducting live interviews. However, it also means that there is no real-time interaction between the candidate and the interviewer, which can be a disadvantage for some roles and organizations.

Live In-person Video Interviews (Synchronous)

Live video interviews are conducted in real time using video conferencing tools. This option allows for more natural conversation and immediate feedback from both sides. It also provides a sense of familiarity and human connection, which can be important for some positions. However, scheduling and coordinating these interviews can be time-consuming, and technical difficulties may arise during the interview.

Choosing the Best Video Interview Software

When it comes to choosing the best video interview software for your organization, it's essential to consider your specific hiring needs and goals. Pre-recorded interviews are excellent for the initial screening of candidates, as they can be easily reviewed and compared. On the other hand, live interviews may be better suited for panel interviews and final-round interviews or maybe even positions that require strong face-to-face communication skills.

In either case, these tools will allow increased flexibility and reduce scheduling conflicts, ultimately speeding up the recruitment process and improving efficiency. But what impact do these tools have on hiring overall?

According to customer research, interview intelligence has helped our customers hire 42% more diverse candidates. It's also helped lower attrition by more than 50% over the last year and save hiring professionals more than 14 hours per role with automation and scheduling functions that AI can run without human involvement.

This is just one example, there are many others today that showcase similar results. Strategic hiring decisions are critical for businesses to thrive, and with the help of video recruitment software, hiring teams can now make more informed choices that support diversity and inclusivity goals. This is one of the many benefits!

Recruitment Software Comparison

One of the biggest challenges you'll face while choosing which video interview software is choosing from the hundreds of options. Literally, G2, TrustPilot, and other review sites list 150- 200 different recruitment solutions and video interview software. The market is flooded with them.

That's why the best way to choose is by taking a step back, doing a thorough needs analysis, and understanding their varied capabilities and how they solve your most pressing hiring challenges. A great place to start is a recruitment software comparison. The best comparisons in my opinion are on G2, but there are other sites that are helpful as well. What I personally prefer about G2's comparisons is that they offer recruitment software reviews from actual users. They measure each tool on its ease of use, market presence, and user satisfaction, as well as a list of features.

Once you've looked at the reviews, you'll have a far better idea of each solution's customization options, scalability, integration with other tools, ease of use, and performance in relation to your needs. You'll find that some of the best recruitment software tools have great features you haven't even considered. So which recruitment video interview software stands out?

The right one for your business depends on how much you're willing to invest, what industry you're hiring in, the size of your organization, and the features that are "needle movers" for you. For instance, if your business is small with a limited hiring budget and needs fast hiring, you may be more concerned with candidate skills assessments than pre-recorded video interviews. In this case, a quick screening call with a recruiter could be more efficient than implementing other tools into your stack.

One thing we haven't talked about much is how virtual recruitment, video interview software, and AI-hiring solutions streamline workflows and improve team collaboration. This is one massive benefit of utilizing these hiring options. Imagine for a moment, you have 5 open roles listed at the moment, and you'll see an average of 100 applicants for each one. This number is not only realistic, but it's also on the low end. That amounts to 500 applications that you and your team will need to sift through, evaluate, respond to, schedule interviews with, interview, and eventually make a hiring decision on. Imagine how much time you'd save if you never scheduled an interview, made an email introduction, had to score an applicant after the interview, or crafted interview questions?

This is the power of using recruitment tools like Pillar's interview intelligence software. Our suite of tools includes AI-generated interview guides with interview questions. These guides populate structured interview questions based on your job descriptions and decrease interview prep times to just a few moments. We also automate interview scheduling, introductions, and many other functions to help you save time and eliminate tasks.

Our solutions highlight the power of modern recruitment tools. The recruitment landscape is rapidly evolving with video interview software and AI-driven solutions leading the way. These tools streamline hiring, enhance diversity, improve candidate experience, and boost efficiency. By leveraging advanced recruitment software, organizations can make strategic hiring decisions aligned with their goals, transforming their recruitment strategy to build a capable and diverse workforce.

If you'd like to see how interview intelligence software can streamline your hiring, book a demo of Pillar today!