How to maximise your video interview completion rate

Are you using video interviews but need help to maximise candidate completion rates? 

In this article, our experts will share some simple tricks you can employ to maximise completion rates in your video interviews.

Before we start, it's essential to recognise that there will always be some candidates that won't complete your video interview. These are the same candidates who don't pick up when you call them for their telephone screening or turn up for their job interviews.

If you accept that there will always be some indifferent candidates, typically 10-20%, it makes it much easier to focus on creating an engaging experience for candidates genuinely interested in your role and business.

So let's dive in and discover the best way of achieving this.

There are five main things you can do to help guarantee candidate engagement and boost overall interview completion:

1. Explain to candidates why you want them to take part in a video interview

2. Make the experience personal, engaging and fun to be a part of

3. Keep the interview short and objective

4. Maintain a regular flow of communication with candidates by sending them reminders and updates

5. Ensure that candidates have access to technical support and advice they need

To provide further guidance, we've broken these points down into more detailed sections on achieving them.

1. Explain to candidates why you want them to participate in a video interview.

If you merely send a quick email with a link to your interview or make an apply now button on your website, candidates are far less likely to participate or complete the interview.

Instead, you should explain what you intend to gain from the interview, why it's important, how it benefits them, and what they can expect when participating. Here are a few prompts to consider:

• Video interviews save candidates copious amounts of their own time
• It provides candidates with the flexibility to complete it at a time and location that best suits them
• Candidates will be provided with the chance to show you what their strengths are and the actual value they can bring
• They offer a unique opportunity for you to convey your company culture and values
• Completing the video interview helps to increase the speed of the recruitment process and overall time to hire

2. Make the experience personal, engaging and fun to be a part of

Completing a video interview shouldn't be boring. It's easy to understand how a candidate might feel this way, especially as, for the most part, they'll be talking to their laptop, tablet or mobile. Your video interview should be personal, offering an introduction to the role and what to expect, the chance to sell your company and get candidates really interested. You should use this opportunity to ask candidates engaging questions through the power of video. A member of your team can even record these questions, ideally, someone they'd be working with or someone in a similar role.

For example, one of our clients, Co-op Insurance, uses video introductions and questions exceptionally well. All the videos throughout their assessment are friendly and relaxed. They treat the interview as if it were a conversation. So, despite being a one-way interview, it helps the candidate experience to feel very personal and engaging to be a part of.

3. Keep the interview short and objective.

We all know that maintaining a laser-focused attention span for more than half an hour can be extremely difficult. Candidates are no different. You should aim to keep your video interview to below five or six questions. Any more than this, and the possibility of dropouts increases sharply. It is crucial that you be selective with these questions too. Think about what information you aim to gather from each of the questions to gain the deepest and most objective overview of the candidate.

4. Maintain a regular flow of communication with candidates by sending them reminders and updates.

Communication with candidates is crucial to improving your completion rates for video interviews and being a good practice for any recruitment. It's not uncommon for your invitation to interview to get lost in a candidate's inbox, so consider sending reminders. When you send these reminders is up to you and can vary on the completion deadline. As a minimum, you should remind candidates of their video interviews once a week and at least a day or two before the final deadline.

Doing so will help prevent situations in which a candidate must rush to complete the interview or if they have forgotten. These reminders can also help candidates plan for the interview around their other commitments. With Tazio's platform, you can schedule automatic prompt emails or text messages directly to candidates.

Besides these reminders, sending other communication emails to candidates can also be helpful. An email outlining confirmation of completion can go a long way in helping candidates feel at ease and understand when they can expect to hear from you next.

5. Ensure that candidates have access to the technical support and advice they need

Although most video interviews today will function with many different devices, operating systems and browsers, candidates can occasionally need help with technical problems. Before your video interview starting date, you should always make sure that your software company provides access to technical support and advice for candidates. If a candidate cannot connect their camera, they won't be able to complete your interview. Providing this support can save them unnecessary stress and make the whole process much easier. More often than not, a simple setting change can solve these problems. So, why not lend a helping hand?

In summary, if you follow these five simple steps, you will see interview your video completion rates increase, resulting in a greater candidate selection pool and the best chance of securing top-quality talent.

If you have any questions about maximising completion rates for your video interviews, contact one of our expert team to book a call.