Conducting Behavioral Interviews with Pre-Recorded Video

It’s critical for a company’s HR department to make sure the right person gets hired for the job. The expenses that come along with a new hire aren’t cheap, but companies hope the investment pays off in the long-run. One way to avoid a bad hire is to make the most of the interview process. With new technological advances, hiring managers have many tools in their arsenal to make well informed decisions. One such tool is pre-recorded video interviewing. While the tool has many benefits, using it to conduct a behavioral interview can be beneficial.

Behavioral interviews are effective because they give recruiters an in-depth look at the candidate. Interviewers using this method believe past is the best predictor of the future, because behaviors don’t change overnight. A candidate who is able to provide specific and detailed examples of successful past behavior is more likely to be a successful future employee at his or her next company.

Instead of giving predictable answers, candidates will have to give in-depth answers on how they behave in certain situations. Behavioral interviews can be more beneficial, but also lengthier than traditional interviews. Using pre-recorded video interviewing can help save time, without sacrificing the quality of the responses. Pre-recorded video interviews allow for recruiters or hiring managers to record customized behavioral questions which can quickly and easily be given to every single applicant for the position.

Here are a few tips on how to best conduct a behavioral interview using pre-recorded video:

1. Identify the skill

Determine the skillsets the candidate must have according to the job description. Make sure the questions you ask forces the candidate to indirectly elaborate on the qualities you are looking for. If you need more insight on the type of skills necessary, don’t be afraid to talk to co-workers the new hire would potentially work with. New hires should be able to seamlessly integrate into cooperative work with your current employees.

2.     Be Specific

To get the best answers from a candidate, it’s important to create specific questions. This allows the candidate to give detailed examples and elaborate on their expertise. The more specific the question, the more specific the candidate’s answer. In addition to the specific questions, ask “how” and “what” questions that would not easily yield “yes” or “no” responses, and try using two-part questions when probing for critical qualities.

3.     Remember your company culture

If your company values volunteering and work with non-profits, ask the candidate to give an example about a time he or she volunteered. You also can ask about how certain situations made a person feel to find out about the candidate’s personality.

4.     Allow the candidate more time to answer

When using pre-recorded videos, most give a response time limit. Consider that answers are typically longer for behavioral interview questions, so give the interviewee enough time to answer, 2-5 minutes should suffice. Sometimes if the candidate has more time remaining, he or she may add additional information that may also be useful.

To learn more about pre-recorded video interviews and how YOU can benefit from using them within your organization, take a look at our infographic or contact one of our Video Technology Consultants today.