How video interviewing boosted recruiter, candidate experience

Client

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments can share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. We work with governments to understand what drives economic, social, and environmental change. We measure productivity and global flows of trade and investment. We analyze and compare data to predict future trends. We set international standards on a wide range of things, from agriculture and tax to chemicals’ safety.

Solution

Employer Brand and Suitable for All Roles

According to Michèle Pagé, Head of Human Resources Management, OECD: “Using this tool enhances our employer brand.”

OECD’s usage of Modern Hire (now part of HireVue) is widespread, with video interviewing being used for all types of roles and at all levels in the organization. “We use Modern Hire (now part of HireVue) for all types of roles and all levels. It is very useful for entry-level positions to select which candidates to bring forward for an interview,” adds Pagé.

“I thought at the beginning automated video interviewing would not be as valuable for the high-level positions, but that wasn’t accurate. It is even more useful for higher-level positions – the video is a good first take at gauging candidates’ capacity to express themselves and if they can present ideas concisely and convincingly.” – Michèle Pagé, Head of Human Resources Management, OECD

Results

Better Candidate Selection

Pagé maintains that Video Interviewing is used “to get numbers down to a reasonable level for the next round. Not only does it help us cut by half the number of people to the final interview, but the result is a better group of finalists rather than just paper-based screening.”

While the OECD do not conduct less final interviews, they are experiencing “better conversions – the people we bring to the final interview now have different characteristics that suit the job well before we could also have several people who not quite fit the profile – we see a lot less of that now.” 

90% of the 12 OECD hiring managers and viewers surveyed said that Modern Hire (now part of HireVue) has resulted in better quality candidates coming forward to the next stage and better shortlisting emerging as their favorite benefit.

“We could see the difference in the interviews very quickly after introducing Modern Hire (now part of HireVue), it has increased the quality of candidates.” – Michèle Pagé

“The people we call in are better fit for the jobs. We’re avoiding casting errors – it is more a question of ‘fit’ that we can see earlier rather than seeing it in final interviews which are very time-consuming.” – Michèle Pagé 

“I feel that the selection of candidates is more thorough.” – Alette Wernberg, Head of the Central Management Unit

“In the past, we have based our decisions on the CV and a written test, but it was missing this personal dimension, which resulted in us seeing some people in person who we very quickly realized were not suitable.” – Karen Hill, Head of SIGMA Programme

“We can avoid seeing too many non-viable candidates in a panel interview (which is a very costly affair since we are 4-5 people per panel).” – Ylva Berling-Pesant, HR Client Services Group Lead & Recruitment Practice Lead

“It [Modern Hire (now part of HireVue)] enables more informed selection for the shortlist ” – Ekaterina Travkina, Policy Analyst

Pagé loves the flexibility and ease of use, “The candidates’ record when they have time. The flexibility of the tool allows us to involve more people. It’s hard to access other managers, but now we’re less constrained by time, we give them access, and they can review themselves. The adoption rate is high because our managers see it as a flexible solution. The tool is user-friendly regardless of how technically savvy you are, which is a big plus.“ 

“I enjoy the flexibility of the tool and the ease of navigating the platform and creating interviews.” – Sam Holland, HR Business Partner

“Brings efficiency and time savings to the selection process.”– Michèle Pagé

“The flexibility – being able to access videos anytime.” – Richard Barron, Principal Advisor, Sustainable Development

Candidate Feedback

The following is derived from the user data of the OECD’s interviews completed on the Modern Hire (now part of HireVue) system and the findings from over 130 respondents who volunteered to complete a survey made available to all OECD candidates.

• 92% completion rate on all interview campaigns
• 82% completed the video interview at home
• 86% would complete a video interview again
• 73% of OECD candidates surveyed found ‘Choosing the time / not having to take time off work’ (60%) and ‘Overall convenience’ (13%) as the key benefits to video interviewing

“It was a very positive first experience at different levels: cost saving (no travel expenses at this stage of the selection process); scheduling since the candidate decides when to do the interview; the tool is very user friendly: bravo!”

“I like the fact that you can do the interview wherever you want and at the time that suits you best.”

“It was my first asynchronous interview, and I really enjoyed it. It was easy and cool.” 

“Very positive. The whole procedure is straightforward to follow and nicely explained. The practice interviews are of great help.”

“Excellent service. Clear instructions but also very intuitive.”