Don't Get Stuck in the F.U.D.
While at Taleo World (we are their first and only fully integrated video interviewing partner) last week we came across a number of fantastic articles about companies using video interviews. The articles always try to be balanced and so other competitors are included in them.
Inevitably we find quotes that read something like this:
“Unlike HireVue, we do not record video interviews. We want to steer clear of that — we don’t want anything leaked on YouTube.”
This is a classic sales technique, spreading FUD – fear, uncertainty and doubt – that is used by companies when their offering doesn’t stack up to the competition. The unfortunate result is that companies who could really benefit from video interviewing end up making decisions based on misinformation or spend unnecessary time and money cutting through the FUD. It’s no wonder video interviewing has taken so long to come into the mainstream – if I were championing the idea inside a company and had this to contend with, I might drop it too. Not worth the effort. I’d like to set the record straight so you can avoid all of that.
The fact is video interviewing without a candidate record (i.e., a recording of the interview) is nothing new – it’s called videoconferencing. If that’s all you need use Skype, it’s free. But you also lose the value of a record that can be used to make a smarter, faster hiring decision that’s EEOC and OFCCP compliant if done within a secure, proprietary environment. A recorded video interview can be reviewed, shared, socialized and most importantly it personalizes the hiring process in a way no other HR tool can today.
So why do some video interview providers pour on this particular brand of FUD? In sports, it’s called misdirection. By getting you to bite on the fake play, the hope is you won’t pay attention to the real one. For example, some of our competitors don’t own their own technology and therefore cannot offer secure recording from within the tool even if they wanted to. Others don’t have the collaboration tools needed to bring value to recording and therefore must play it down. Many take a risky tack by saying on the one hand video interviewing without recording is risk-free but then implying that recording video interviews is not EEOC or OFCCP compliant. Still others prey on companies’ fears that recording the interview will only expose them to undue liability.
To better understand the FUD let’s break each of these objections down.
1. The provider can’t record the interview or they say it’s not secure. Technically, it is possible to record a video interview using external software if you want to download a 400mb – or larger recording to your desktop. But that’s not very conducive to sharing and who knows where that file could end up – no wonder they’re concerned about it showing up on YouTube. Oh, and try getting IT or Security to authorize that – if they really understood the security holes inherent in such a solution, no IT or security team would give it a second thought.
With HireVue – none of this is an issue. Our system records automatically to our own servers, streams in, streams out, and has extremely low bandwidth requirements. And as for the security of the recorded HireVue interview:
- It’s encrypted using SSL as well as a few other tricks (proprietary).
- It only plays inside of HireVue and is only accessible to viewers with the proper permissions.
- Standard video ripping services like RealPlayer can’t rip HireVue. Guess what though? They can rip the others without any indication that they’re being recorded. So it’s a very real possibility any candidate with a little tech savvy could record some of our competitor’s interviews while in progress and post the recording before anyone inside the hiring company knows what happened.
2. The provider doesn’t have the tools to bring value to recording. Even if a provider can securely record and play back the interview, forcing HR professionals to jump through hoops to use it in a hiring decision means it probably won’t get used. It’s not the recording that brings value to the hiring process, it’s what you can do with it on the back-end to make better hiring decisions that makes the difference. I would downplay recording too if that were all I had to offer.
3. The provider says it’s not EEOC or OFCCP Compliant. This has nothing to do with recording but everything to do with your processes. Both the EEOC and OFCCP have already debunked this objection saying a recording is just like any other candidate record. You can see the EEOC’s opinion on the subject here. The truth of the matter is that seeing someone’s ethnicity via unrecorded video interview is no different than seeing it on a recording. Just as with any other candidate record, if you improperly use video interviewing in either form during the hiring process, you can get stung. To put it simply, follow the rules and treat the recording like a resume, assessment or any other record you might use to make a hiring decision and it won’t be a problem. In fact, by having recordings of every candidate available to compare against your hiring records, it’s easier to prove that you’re following the rules.
4. The provider says it opens companies up to liability. I can’t help but raise an eyebrow at this. Basically what they’re saying is “You know you haven’t trained your managers well enough to do the right thing, and even if you have, there’s always that one that just keeps breaking the rules. You don’t want a recording of that.” Let’s assume they’re right and you do have some rogue managers that aren’t following the rules. Don’t record the interview and they’re still going to break the rules. Recording the interview doesn’t stop that, in fact it might help to deter it if managers know they’re being recorded. Furthermore, if their indiscretion leads to litigation, by recording the interview you’ve got a record that shows what actually happened. It can either be the evidence you need to show the situation was blown out of proportion or be used in conjunction with other internal records and processes to show that your company conducted the proper training and followed the rules. That way if a manager doesn’t follow the rules then the recording might actually be the silver bullet you need to show where the blame should truly rest. HireVue is designed to offer a standardized and consistent approach to video interviewing as the EEOC recommends (see “Video Recordings: Just Another Employment Record”). We can even consult with you to design and implement the internal processes needed to take full advantage of these checks and balances.
The bottom line is this: We wouldn’t be in business for 5+ years now if we did not protect our customers; period. That’s why companies like Taleo are willing to put their reputation on the line by partnering with us and it’s unlikely a reputable publication like Human Resources Executive Magazine ® would have named us HR Product of the Year for our category if they thought HireVue put customers at risk. Here’s more information to compare video job interview providers.
Recorded interviews are an important part of the HireVue offering by design. They’re secure, they can’t be ripped and they’re compliant. But more importantly, paired with the right workflow and collaboration tools they can make the whole interview management and hiring process easier, less costly and in the end far more productive.
Mark Newman, HireVue CEO
