Why Video? Getting Candidates and Recruiters Aligned
When it comes to the job search, everyone involved has their own experience – and opinion. Candidates have battle scars from jobs won and lost. Recruiters have scars, too, from interactions, interviews, and offers gone awry. Even so, both sides tend to think they know the others' perspective and purpose, but few things in life are that cut and dry, and the internet is full of horror stories. Heck, there's actually an entire sub-Reddit called "Recruiting Hell." Spend a little time browsing, and you'll quickly learn that when it comes to candidates understanding recruiters and vice versa, there's still some work that needs to get done – especially when it comes to technology and how it's used.
The general HR tech industry has known that there's a reticence on the part of recruiters to adopt some solutions, particularly those leveraging artificial intelligence. At first, many thought AI would replace them, but more recently, there's been debate about where AI fits into the process and how it supports hiring outcomes. What we didn't fully grasp was where candidates stood on these technologies, even video. It's true, what might seem innocuous to us, especially given the limitations put on in-person interviewing due to pandemic conditions, appears to be robot-driven to candidates. That's definitely NOT the case with Wedge. For those of us inside HR tech, this presents the opportunity to address misconceptions and offer a better understanding of why, where, and how our solutions operate. So, let's clear a few things up in the context of Wedge:
What's the point? We see Wedge as just that – a wedge – a simple machine used to initiate an action or development. In our case, we offer short, one-way video interviews that help recruiters screen candidates quickly. On the candidate-side, we give them the chance to respond to custom questions on their own time, from any device. It really is that straightforward.
Why video? As we've discussed in other posts, there are different types of video. We take an asynchronous approach to allow maximum flexibility as part of the candidate experience and incorporate rigor and standardization into the recruiter experience. We're not looking to remove the human element; we're looking to enhance it by helping both sides advance through the process.
What about the robots? There aren't any. Sure, we facilitate automation by streamlining things, but we don't supplant anyone. The candidate is the one doing the recording, and the recruiter is the one doing the reviewing. We're about easy, not artificial.
Why can't we just talk live? Wedge works as an alternative to live. Why would you want an alternative? Have you ever tried to coordinate multiple people's schedules across different calendaring systems? It's nearly impossible. Not to mention the pressure that live puts on both parties, personally, professionally, technologically. Relax.
What about my information? Wedge takes data privacy super seriously. We're SOC 2 Type II/SOC 3 compliant and meet HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SSAE-18 requirements. We're also device agnostic, offering a seamless mobile and desktop experience with no app or download required.
Is this the only interview opportunity? That depends. We know that candidates are more than their resumes, and while there are organizations that hire straight from Wedge, we fit into the "getting to know you" stage more often than not.
There you have it: a look at what's going on behind the screen. Oh, and one last tip, we believe in overcommunicating. Ask questions and be forthcoming. That's what recruiting is all about – no matter the medium.
Can asynchronous video interviewing reduce bias?
Cited: Workable Resources
Full disclosure, I own a video interviewing company. So let me at-least acknowledge my own bias towards the industry as it sits.
5 years ago I had the idea on a napkin to start a video interviewing company. Visions of grandeur to solve the “broken” hiring process. My previous lawn-care company experience was going to super charge my ability to solve any problem in the business world. Little did I know the world of HR (Human Resources), TA (Talent Acquisition), and HR/TA technology already had some pretty dang smart people before my 21-year old self entered into it.
As I started pitching my idea to people at my college, local business owners, national pitch contents, and more — I kept having the same question asked. Something along the lines of, “Ok, great idea — now tell me how this affects bias, discrimination, and people out of the majority.”
Of course, I thought I had all the answers — I would spin up some crap about how bias actually had nothing to do with video and ~180% of recruiters look at linkedin or facebook before they watch the video anyways, so all the “obvious” bias had already happened. At that point, it was up to whether the recruiter had any bias that would make or break the candidate from proceeding forward or not.
Fast forward 5 years I have realized the impact that video, and specifically asynchronous video can have to not only be an efficiency tool in the hiring process, but also a tool that can help reduce bias and discrimination.
Bias happens predominately in resume reviewal (name, age (based upon years of experience), college, etc), and then most prevalent in the actual interviewing process (both phone screens, live video interviews, and in-person interviews). We spend so much time thinking about where in the process bias happens, and don’t spend much time asking ourselves about the bias of the individual. Specifically, one individual often times reviews resumes, one individual often times conducts phone screens, and one individual often times is taking notes on a zoom interview or in person interview. There is often times, little to no collaboration in the interview, and merely a consultation of other stakeholders based upon the notes that that individual took while conducting an interview. Also known as, the interview is limited by the bottleneck of that individuals perspective (biases — good and bad) on the candidates that are moving through the process. Even in a perfect process, that is broken.
That is why I am such an advocate for asynchronous video in the hiring process. Asynchronous video is also known as on-demand, one-way, or recorded video interviewing. Essentially a hiring manager or recruiter sets up pre-recorded questions, and a candidate responds to those questions on her own time.
Asynchronous video, yes is a time saver. Yes, can help remove scheduling (I told you I owned a company in this space). But more importantly (and why I am on a mission), it’s a tool for collaboration of team members in the hiring process. By inviting a candidate to complete a brief video interview, that interview can be shared, that interview can be debriefed with team members (both inside and outside of HR), and that interview can have multiple people’s perspective on it before choosing to move the candidate through the hiring process. Bias happens with one person, although not a perfect process, bias can be significantly reduced by inviting multiple people to interpret the same piece of information. In this case, an asynchronous video interview. I may also add, an asynchronous video interview doesn’t require multiple team members to be on a call, video conference, or in person interviewing.
Bias, discrimination, and inclusion are topics that are incredibly important, and the science and data have proved that the more diversified the workforce is, the better off the company is from a culture and bottom line perspective. I believe asynchronous video interviewing can be a tool that can help that discussion, help reduce bias, help teams collaborate, and help companies bring the right talent into their organizations. Most importantly, I think asynchronous video can give candidates an opportunity to shine without being written off by the perspective of a single recruiter. Let’s change the way we think about video and bias.
Judge’s Dilemma
There are always those famous quotes or one-liners that dad or grandpa uses that you never really knew where they came from. One in particular that has stood out to me was the question about “what the judge had for breakfast.” This one in particular is talking about judges in a courtroom.
The idea behind this funny quote is speaking about how a judge may or may not be in a better mood based upon what they had for breakfast. A nice fruit cup and an omelet may result in softer sentences for criminals than say, a bowl of porridge (no judgement if you are into that). So, with this idea, if you were an individual on trial before a judge, your hope is that they had a hearty meal before sending an individual to jail or setting them free.
There actually was a study done on this (here). The study suggests that there is a lot of truth to this “wives’ tale.” Judges are more likely to give the most generous sentences after a lunch break, and specifically on Thursdays. You may have committed the same crime as your neighbor, but a Monday morning hearing may have an altogether different result than Thursday after a fish and chips lunch. Of course, very few judges are willing to admit to this. Per usual human instinct, it’s never our fault, always someone else who creates the problem.
As somebody who is in the Human Resource and Talent Acquisition space, I often am thinking about this idea. How many recruiters are in a different mood on a Monday morning phone screen rather than a Thursday after lunch with coworkers? Is there any truth that overlaps here? I think about performance reviews, specifically. If a HR generalist just was chewed out by their boss and then expected to review a candidate in a live interview or phone screen, I would suggest the same idea applies. They may, unfairly, be harsher on the candidate based upon their own mood, rather than the candidates potential fit with the organization. It may have nothing to do with race, gender, age, weight, but simply the current derivative of that person’s mood.
Take this a step further — how often am I, or challenge to the readers, in a meeting, talking with someone, on a call, etc. that is not appropriate for the current environment? Am I letting my mood bleed into my day-to-day decision making? Am I letting my mood bleed into big strategic decisions? As a leader if I am not able to compartmentalize my stress while an employee needs to be shown empathy, listening, presence, and more, how can I lead effectively? Next time you are angry, stressed, or upset about something, ask yourself if you are capable of dealing with the very next thing you need to deal with. Same applies with positive attributes. If you are in a happy, excited, encouraged mood, are you able to make a tough decision?
I don’t know the answer to all this, but what I do know is that if you need to chat, call me Thursday afternoon, not Monday morning.
What every Entrepreneur could learn from a Farmer
A few weeks ago, I was in the upper peninsula of Michigan with my father, stepmom, and her family. The UP is absolutely beautiful, extremely rural (usually one or two restaurants at most per small town), and all the open road you can imagine. We usually head up there late September for a bear hunting trip, and a lovely get away with the fall colors changing.
My step grandpa, Tom, is a true farmer. He used to milk 150 head of cattle during the hay day of his business. Due to some health issues he had to sell the farm, but still holds a lot of the land. After spending time with him, and talking to my dad, I realized truly how much knowledge a guy like him holds onto. It got me thinking how much I could learn from him, not just as a young man, but also as an entrepreneur.
It’s incredible the skills that a farmer has to possess to keep his or her farm surviving and thriving…similar to a start-up founder.
Tom is a botanist. He had incredible knowledge of plants and soils. From the crops he was planting, to the soil he was using and tilling, to the vegetables he had to grow in his garden.
Tom is a mechanic. While not only milking heads of cattle, he also farmed massive hay, soybeans, and other crops during the peak season. When I say massive, I mean at least hundreds of acres of farmable fields that he would use these crops to sell. With all that acreage, he would need tractors, attachments, trucks, combines, and more running all the time to keep the farm growing. When a tractor breaks down in the field, he either would have to call a mechanic and pay an arm & a leg or fix it himself. Not only did that include basic knowledge, it included extremely long nights to make sure his equipment was running for the next day.
Tom is a veterinarian. He had to take care of all his livestock. He did an amazing job at allowing cattle to roam his fields, but that also meant keeping them healthy, safe from wolves, and just dealing with the quirky personalities of livestock. He had to know the type of food they ate, the medicine they needed, the nonstop demand of feeding, milking, and caring for. The job never ended.
Tom is a business owner. He had to keep the finances of the farm in check, the crops to be sold, the milk to be distributed, the land taxes to be paid, the gas to fill up the trucks. There was no such thing as a day off for a farmer.
The list goes on. Tom was a generalist for sure, he didn’t necessarily specialize in any given field of expertise, and he occasionally enjoyed a homemade beer or cocktail from fresh ingredients — in his words “a bump.”
As an entrepreneur I often find myself juggling with the same level of skills. There are no two days in a row as an entrepreneur. And rarely, do you wear the same hat two hours in a row. In no way shape or form can I compare my hard working day of sending emails, meeting for happy hours, and raising capital on the golf course to the work load of a UP farmer, but I firmly believe there is a lot of overlap between the constant juggling of all the hats you have to wear. The funny thing is, when you spend time with Tom, he doesn’t talk about it. He just goes to work and does the job needed. I hope to have that attitude every day of my life too.
From the skills needed of business planning, having a vision, being an accountant, manager, product advocate, salesman, again, the list goes on, farmers and entrepreneurs are not all that different. Not only do I find a little time in the dirt to be healthy, a breath of fresh air, and a fantastic get away from the constant fast pace…I think every entrepreneur can learn from a farmer.