Overcoming coronavirus disruption to recruitment with video

Video is now more important than ever. Learn how to maximise its effectiveness in your recruitment business.

Once again, proof of the value of video in business

Before the 2008 crash, video collaboration was widely promoted as a way to make our businesses greener. By supporting a reduction of the carbon footprint, video technologies helped create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business world.
And, as businesses sought greater efficiency trying to recover from the Great Recession, video platforms also demonstrated their value by eliminating non-essential travel to meetings, reducing costs and enabling employees to be more productive.
Now, with coronavirus uppermost in everyone’s thoughts and with government calls for everyone who can to ‘work at home’, the case for video as a business tool is newly refreshed and resurgent once again.
With face-to-face physical meetings off the table, video enables us to engage for business.
Supporting social distancing and preventing the higher risks of travelling on public transport and unnecessary exposure to others, these are priceless benefits that protect health and save lives.

Video as a recruitment industry tool

Whether it is FaceTime on an Apple hardware platform or Skype, Zoom or one of the hundreds of other hardware independent apps that support video, we are all aware of the capability, even if we do not make extensive use of it.
There are several ways for recruiters to utilise video:

• New business meetings
• Onboarding new clients
• Client meetings
• Video interviews
• Onboarding contractors and freelancers
• Career support meetings for candidates

Until now, many have adopted an ad-hoc approach, only using video occasionally. However, in this current time of lockdown, many have turned to video. It is a powerful tool that we can make greater use of, to facilitate the recruitment process, end-to-end.
Many recruiters regard a physical face-to-face as an essential, especially when interviewing for higher grade roles and executive selection, and there may be some hope that this can continue when the height of the crisis is over.
The fact is, the threat of coronavirus is still going to be around and it is unlikely that things will return to exactly the way they were. Wherever possible, agencies should look to limit face-to-face physical meetings to an absolute minimum and only when observing strict social distancing measures.

More successful video calling for recruiters with ETZ

Using video requires skill. Putting yourself across well means good presentation is everything, and it is important to avoid sloppy habits and poor video etiquette. These best practice tips help you to maximise the success of using video in your recruitment agency.

Technology

• Select a good software platform that meets your needs. Can you send invites from the software? Do you need more than two locations on any one call?
• Make sure you have the connectivity to support business-class internet video. In the age of fibre broadband, we take this for a granted, but problems in some places still persist, some 15 years after DSL broadband first became widely available.
• Learn the software interface so you don’t have to flounder around on a live call. Make sure you know how to mute sound, turn video on/off and end the call.

Set up meetings professionally

• Be timely and allow adequate time for others to prepare.
• For international calls, remember time zones! Don’t set up calls for inappropriate times and make sure you get the time correct so you don’t miss calls.
• Set the agenda and be clear on purpose, what you want to achieve and what you expect of others.

Watch out for environmental factors

• Choose neutral backgrounds, or carefully think about placing items that contribute to what you want to project. Branding; business awards; landmark project visuals. All may have a place but choose carefully.
• Light the room evenly and avoid bright points of light and spotlights. Don’t appear with a window and strong daylight behind you as this is likely set you in shadow.
• Avoid distractions such as camera line-of-sight obstacles.
• Position the camera to take in your chosen background and avoid casting you in shadow.

On camera and audio behaviour

• Dress appropriately for the occasion, especially first meetings, and consider whether it is formal, informal or ad-hoc.
• Avoid speaking over others!
• Don’t try to talk with your hand over your mouth.
• Look at the camera when you wish to address someone – generally on a call, act exactly as if other parties are in the same room.

Just like video platforms, ETZ leverages the cloud to provide benefits that fit very well with the way recruitment agencies need to work today. To find out more about how our technology platform enables remote working, enabling your back-office to remain fully functional during periods of serious disruption to business such as a public health emergency, simply contact us today. Call us on 0800 311 2266 or book a demo.