JOB INTERVIEWS Bosses using videos to hire

May 27, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

The Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO, Fla.

Tad Walgreen dressed in a suit and boasted to his Cisco Systems interviewer about his leadership qualities and passion for international business. But he’s not sure any of it made an impact.

The Rollins College international business student interviewed for a sales position last fall in front of the indifferent eye of his computer’s Web camera. The second part of the interview process, a two-minute video he had to upload to YouTube, also left him feeling “uncomfortable.”

“It’s definitely not for me,” said Walgreen, 23, who did not get the job. “Not only did it seem a bit theatrical, which is not my forte, but I couldn’t see the interviewer’s reaction. I didn’t like that.”

More employers are turning to video resumes and interviews on Skype, YouTube and similar videoconferencing services to gauge a candidate. They say the high-tech approach can save money and help sort through scores of candidates more quickly.

In the ideal video interview, both candidate and interviewer can see each other in real time or over a slight delay. Walgreen said in his case, Cisco Systems didn’t activate its end of the video transmission, and that could have soured his experience.

“I didn’t know if this person was actually engaged in the conversation,” Walgreen said.

Most modern computers have integrated Web cameras and microphones or the ability to connect to a relatively inexpensive external video camera. Skype software is free, and if candidates and employers own an account, the video calls are free. If not, there is a minimal charge.

GetHired.com, which launched in January, allows candidates to upload video resumes and sound bites to their profiles. Employers can sift through multimedia resumes, post jobs and schedule video interviews online. The service is free.

Other online job sites, including Sideskills.com and Purzue.com, offer similar services.

Though time-tested paper or digital resumes are the preferred initial step to measure a job seeker’s work experience, hobbies, education and community involvement, some companies find that video interviews help them sift hundreds or thousands of potential candidates.

“Skype interviews are being used more often by employers as a cost- and time-effective way to narrow down a large list of candidates,” said Workforce Central Florida spokeswoman Wendy Jo Moyer. “This is especially true for out-of-the-area interviews.”

Employers choosing video interviews save money by not flying in candidates and putting them up at hotels.

Laura Kern, associate director of marketing and communications at the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, used Skype to interview a potential intern from his home in Arizona.

Kern said using Skype saves money, but she also finds that video interviews are “refreshing” to both applicants and employers.

“It really helps to see how someone communicates with you over the camera by watching their social cues, instead of the silence encountered over a phone interview,” Kern said.

Still, Moyer, who works for the region’s jobs agency, warns that video resumes and interviews have drawbacks.

She said technical difficulties could cause poor connections and dropped calls.

“A job-seeker’s poor background or lighting could cause employer distractions,” Moyer said. “Job-seekers may treat the interview in a less- professional manner.”