Interviewing Applicants

Telephone and Video Interviews

Of course, a face-to-face interview is not the only way of interviewing candidates. It is possible to arrange for this to take place over the telephone, either with internal staff or external consultants. Clearly there is an administrative overhead in doing so, as times for these interviews have to be arranged in the same way as face-to-face interviews, but there are obvious advantages in terms of staff time, travel and accommodation costs.

Telephone interviews are usually carefully constructed, competency-based interviews and designed to allow a series of filters in the questioning technique. Only those candidates who pass at one level need to be asked questions which demand a higher degree of the characteristic or skill being measured, thus saving time and cost.

Video interviewing is occasionally used as a recruitment interview method, and works well as a visual extension of the telephone interview. This technology – together with the more common video-conferencing – is quite widely used in industry, and this use is increasing in Australia and New Zealand particularly for first round interviews. Although video-conferencing is seen as a slightly inferior alternative to face-to-face interviews, its use nevertheless means that the cost of flights and accommodation for interstate candidates is defrayed, important at a time when the mobility of graduates and their willingness to relocate for work is increasing.

One disadvantage of this method of interviewing is that the appropriate equipment is required both in the organisation’s office and in the Careers Service space. While many graduate employers already have this equipment, it is only gradually finding its way into Careers Services as the price of the technology falls. Time will tell whether or not these disadvantages are outweighed by the cost benefits and the fact that many employers take the opportunity of campus visits to renew relationships in the Careers Service and university departments.

Additionally, face-to-face contact is considered important to graduates and recruiters alike, and with the availability of cheap airfares, recruiters often fly geographically isolated candidates to a branch office for an interview. Besides, performing well in front of a camera is an art. Very few interviewers or interviewees have enough training or experience to provide a comfortable and competent performance.

• The First Meeting
• Reserve Lists
• On-Campus Interviews
• Telephone and Video Interviews