How would you feel about a potential employer if the first interaction you had with them was a recorded AI interview? Would you feel like this company cares about you as a person and professional? I doubt it.
This just happened to a client of mine interviewing for a VP-level position! This is an epic fail.
If you haven’t experienced one of these, here is what it looks like. My client had to answer 5 of the standard phone screen questions on camera with a 3-minute timer counting down. Some of these systems give the candidate a trial run and some of them let you re-record until you are happy with it. But some of them just give you one take and that’s it.
Please note: Talking to the green dot on your laptop’s camera is a specialized skill and most professionals have not been trained to do this well. The countdown timer on the screen is distracting, making it more difficult to concentrate and present your information coherently.
In short, the information the organization gets from the candidate may or may not accurately represent the candidate.
I always tell my career transition clients that the recruiting process at most companies is stupid and broken. Often, the recruiting process is the company’s worst process. Very few companies have gotten this one right.
The pros of AI video interviewing software
Putting this barrier in place will dramatically decrease the number of applications a company gets. A video interview requirement will put some people off, but they will do it anyway. Many times, it will scare people off and they will not do it. And while that will generate fewer applications, the company may miss out on some great candidates.
Companies who use this technology get access to a text transcript, scoring, summaries, and other data. Recruiters say it can help them wade through the enormous amount of applications they are getting.
But here is the real problem: Companies are hiring humans who will have to interact with other humans in their role. Companies are not getting visceral feedback from a human with this technology – and it is critical information.
The cons of AI video interviewing software
This technology is extremely impersonal and, quite frankly, it feels disrespectful to candidates. As your first experience with a company, it will tell you a lot about their corporate culture. In my professional opinion, it indicates that you will just be a number and you will be infinitely replaceable.
Distant and indifferent doesn’t give a candidate the warm fuzzies. The recruiting process should be building trust and connection on both sides. This technology does none of that.
Photo by Francis Ledger on Unsplash
