Should interviews be held online?
September 16, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Online recruiting
The Internet’s become the primary way companies recruit job candidates — is it time to interview them online, too?
A new Web site known as LiveHire.com thinks it is. Here’s a rundown of how the service works:
- Employers post jobs or search through a resume database to find candidates they’re interested in hiring
- The candidate is e-mailed with a suggested time for a virtual interview
- Once the schedule is worked out, the employer interviews the candidate via webcam
Also, if a company comes across a resume somewhere other than LiveHire, they can invite the candidate to join for the purpose of being interviewed (candidates can sign up for free — for employers, there’s a free 15-day trial available).
One big drawback, of course, is that the candidate needs a webcam. But it could be an effective way to get a first round interview with someone who lives far away but would be willing to relocate if hired (the site seems to be going after college students, in particular).
What do you think? Would you be willing to trade a face-to-face meeting with the convenience of an online interview? Let us know by leaving a comment.
Tags: job board, LiveHire, virtual interview, webcam
September 24th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
If a candidate is not located in the same city where we are located, we frequently do a phone interview to get a better feel for the candidate, so a webcam interview would certainly be a viable alternative. I think at some point, you would still want that person to come in, but initially, the webcam interview would be quite adequate, assuming the employer fee for the service is reasonable.