Ist Skype für Video Job Interviews geeignet?

Von Gerhard Kenk, Crosswater Job Guide.

Das zeitversetzte Job Interview ist eines der aktuellsten HR-Technologie-Themen, das derzeit einen wichtigen Einfluss auf das Recruiting ausübt. Die grundlegenden Vorteile liegen darin, dass die Abhängigkeit von Zeit und Ort des Jobinterviews aufgelöst wird. Marktführer in Deutschland ist das junge Berliner Start-up Unternehmen viasto GmbH, in den USA spielt Montage eine wichtige Rolle. Beide Unternehmen basieren ihre HR-Technologie-Strategie auf der Entwicklung spezifischer Video-Tools für Job Interviews und positionieren sich damit als Spezialist im Wettbewerb mit einem Generalisten wie Skype.

Skype wurde von den skandinavischen Unternehmern Niklas Zennström und Janus Friis gegründet, die Software wurde von den Esten Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu und Jaan Tallinn entwickelt. Der unternehmerische Erfolg von Skype basiert auf einem proprietäten Software-Service, der eine Kostenlos-IP-Telefonie und Peer-to-Peer-Vernetzung beinhaltet. Der rasante Erfolge von Skype blieb nicht ohne Folgen: 2005 wurde Skype von eBay zum Preis von rund 3 Milliarden US-Doller gekauft, 2011 übernahm Microsoft mit einem Gesamt-Kaufpreis von 8,5 Milliarden US-Dollar das Unternehmen.

Im Technologie-Wettbewerb spielt die Auseinandersetzung zwischen Generalisten und Spezialisten eine entscheidende Rolle: Für die Spezialisten gilt es, ihre eigenen proprietären und maßgeschneiderten Lösungen so zu positionieren, dass sie im Anbietervergleich gegenüber den Generalisten bestehen können. Im spezifischen Umfeld der HR-Technologie für videobasierte Jobinterviews spielen Verfügbarkeit der HR-Technologie, Benutzerfreundlichkeit auf Recruiter- als auch auf Kandidatenseite sowie die Vertraulichkeit und Datensicherheit eine entscheidende Rolle. Der US-Anbieter Montage (www.montagetalent.com) vergleicht nun in einem White Paper die Vor- und Nachteile von Skype und geht der Frage nach, ob Skype für den Einsatz von Video Job Interviews geeignet ist.

Die Studie:

With 250 million people using Skype each month, why do only 24 percent of active job seekers and 39 percent of recruiters agree that Skype is easy to use for a job interview? How hard is it to get started and connect with someone else over video? Remember the first time you used a chat tool?

 

Maybe you experimented with it until it you connected. Or, maybe a more experienced user walked you through the process. So why do three quarters of active job seekers say that Skype is NOT easy to use for a job interview? Because plainly stated, Skype and other chat tools are not purposebuilt for the business of hiring.

 

According to an August 2013 survey of active job seekers who were interviewed using Skype, a mere 24% agreed that Skype was easy to use for an interview. The findings of a follow-up survey of hiring managers and recruiters conducted in February 2014 support this conclusion; only 38.7 percent of hiring managers and recruiters found Skype’s technology easy to use for an interview.

 

What these candidates and recruiters have discovered the hard way is that chat tools do not lend themselves to the complexities of the hiring process. Whether you are a candidate or a hiring manager, conducting a job interview using a consumer-level video product quickly becomes problematic.

 

The first issue is typically technical support. The job candidates are left to their own devices to navigate the process. The hiring manager or recruiter, on the other hand, may turn to the IT team or their most tech-savvy colleagues to help set up their Skype accounts or walk them through the use of a webcam.

 

Inevitably, some of the most capable people in the organization become the de facto “internal Skype help desk” and as time goes on and video interviewing grows within your organization, this burden of support will only increase – requiring time, energy and resources that your team should be spending elsewhere.

 

The next challenge is the candidate experience. For hiring organizations this means that the positive candidate experience they’ve worked so hard to create is suddenly at the mercy of a piece of technology that is not within their control. For candidates, their stress levels are high enough without trying to compensate for technology hiccups – this isn’t grandma fading in and out, it’s your potential boss and you didn’t hear his last question. This leaves candidates feeling frustrated and unhappy about their interview experience, which then transfers to the organization.

 

TROUBLE WITH TECH SUPPORT

 

With 250 million people using Skype each month, why do only 24 percent of active job seekers and 39 percent of recruiters agree that Skype is easy to use for a job interview?

 

KILLING THE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

 

 

AGREEMENT ON SKYPE’S EASE OF USE

 

Finally, the problem that creates the most potential damage is what a Skype interview says about an organization’s brand. A Skype interview sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise well-branded, high-touch hiring process. Candidates who have experienced a high-tech, purpose-built video interviewing platform will immediately notice the absence of personalized support, branded screens, and welcome videos (to name just a few components that familiarize the candidate with the organization). This missed opportunity to create a great brand impression may be the highest price an organization pays for failing to integrate purpose-built video interviewing into  their hiring process.

 

According to the survey data, 100% of active job seekers in the $100K-$149K income bracket strongly disagreed that Skype was easy to use for interviews.

 

This finding raises a significant point: Should video chat tools be trusted for use in executive interviews? Acquisition of executive talent typically requires and deserves a greater investment. Few companies can afford a negative impression at that level, especially in fields with a small or tightly-knit group of professionals.

 

Another interesting finding in the survey data runs counterintuitive to our assumption that Millennials will be most comfortable with this medium for an interview. Of job seekers in the 18-24 age range, 66% disagree that Skype is easy to use for job interviews, results similar to the 45-and- older crowd with 63% disagreement on the same ease of use question. One possible explanation could be concerns over privacy. Though younger generations may share socially with friends, many are not willing to share their social network profiles, including Skype, with employers. Candidates and hiring professionals should be assured that private and confidential information will remain protected – that’s an essential element of a video interviewing solution purpose-built for hiring.

 

For job seekers, a video interviewing solution that is purpose-built for the business for hiring is all about the candidate experience. 24×7 live support is part of it, but it’s much more than that. A purpose-built solution helps candidates learn more about a potential employer; it enables them to present themselves as a strong contender; and  it leaves them with a positive impression about the interview experience. For recruiters and hiring managers, purpose-built means a complete suite of enterprise  strength technology that is scalable, able to be fully branded, and workflow enabled for ease of use and adoption.

Purpose-built does much more than make a video interview possible. It assists each side in maximizing the opportunity to engage and connect.

About Montage

Montage offers the most mature video interviewing solution available, purpose-built to transform the hiring experience one smile at a time. Applying an enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, Montage is the solution of choice for companies pursuing a hiring advantage. By extending talent reach, elevating employer brand, reducing travel, and minimizing costs, Montage engages candidates and hiring teams throughout the process, driving faster decisions and improving quality of hire.  Montage is a recipient of the 2014 HRO Today Tektonic Award for Talent Management. A privately held company, Montage is headquartered in Wisconsin and located on the Web at www.montagetalent.com.