Video Interviewing: Our Key Usage Takeaways from 2019

As 2019 comes to an end, we’ve rounded up some of the key usage statistics from the Shine platform this year to give you a better insight on how and when video interviewing is popularly used. The following stats come from a full year of video interviewing across a variety of different sectors and industries, with candidates completing interviews in 105 different countries around the world.

Devices

Let’s start with what devices candidates used to complete their video interviews – they say that mobile is an important part of any recruitment strategy, right?

Well, 45% of candidates may be job searching from their phones, but the same isn’t true for their applications. More than three quarters of candidates are completing their video interviews from their desktops, and less than a quarter are using some form of mobile device (smartphones and tablets).

Optimising for mobile has long been a key part of any successful recruitment strategy, and while less than 25% may seem like a small portion, it’s important to remember that 24% of a large figure is still a significant number of candidates. More candidates are looking for jobs on the go than there are applying on the go, therefore the first priority is optimising your job descriptions and careers sites to be mobile friendly. Then you need to consider a mobile friendly application process to ensure you aren’t losing out on talent – the Shine mobile app ensures that candidates are able to access their interviews either from their mobile device or directly from their browser.

In-House Recruitment

For this one, we’re going to split the data from our in-house clients and our agency clients, starting with our in-house completion stats. One of the many concerns about video interviewing that we hear is: how high are completion rates? Are we losing candidates because they don’t want to do it? Our argument here is that if a candidate is serious about a role in your organisation and truly wants to grab the opportunity, they’ll complete a video interview. If they aren’t committed or have just applied because the role is available and they need something new – you’ll see this reflected in your completion rates. As we said, the commitment of your candidates will always be reflected in your completion rates. The table above shows that the average completion rate for in-house teams through 2019 has been 74% - meaning that 74% of candidates are eager to secure the role for they applied for. This is spread out over an average of 7 roles per month per account (taking into consideration that one client can have multiple sub-accounts!), backing up the argument that video interviewing is most suited to recruitment process that see a steady number of open positions, up to very high volume recruitment.

There are a number of things that you can do to improve your completion rates when using the Shine platform, and this all comes down to promoting your employer brand and improving your candidate engagement. From branding capabilities such as company and job overview videos, to using video to ask the questions, video interviewing platforms are full of features that allow you to engage your candidates and improve your completion rates.

Completion rates will never be perfect. Any active role will see applications that aren’t suited, and the candidate will know that too. The important part is ensuring that the right candidates are making it through your recruitment process – and with the right employer brand, they will.

Agency Recruitment

Now on to completion rates in an agency environment. We separated these out because they’re quite a different function – particularly when it comes to sourcing candidates. Agencies are typically more active when it comes to sourcing passive candidates on a regular basis, and because of some of the difficulties that come with sourcing passive candidates, completion rates are typically lower than in an in-house environment.

The average completion rate throughout 2019 for agencies was 67%, over an average of 9 roles per month per account (again, taking into consideration that clients can have multiple sub-accounts!). This again brings up the argument of how committed a candidate actually is to a role, and therefore how willing they are to participate in a video interview. In an agency environment, using video interviewing allows you to submit more visual and engaging shortlists to your clients, helping you to win more retained business. The same rules apply to using the features of the platform to boost engagement from your candidates. Using video also gives a massive boost to your candidate experience due to the flexibility that is offered – you’re allowing candidates to complete their interviews in their own time and then these can be showcased to clients when needed.

Our aim here is to be honest about completion rates, and be truthful about the fact that they'll never be perfect. But from experience, many of our clients state one of the main benefits of video interviewing is that you can ensure that the most suited candidates are making it to the final stages of the recruitment process, and that they aren't spending time in lengthy interviews with candidates who are the best match. So, our key takeaways from the above data are:

1. Optimise your candidate experience for mobile to ensure it's accessible for all candidates
2. Create an employer brand that truly represents your culture
3. Make the most of employer branding capabilities in your video interviewing platform to boost your candidate engagement