Would You Hire Someone You’ve Never Met?
As an early(ish) adopter of video and live digital interviewing, implementing it via Odro (thanks guys!) a few years back, I’m a big advocate. There’s no doubting the value that it can add to both candidates and clients but I won’t list them as I’m not here to sell the benefits of it, I’m simply pondering whether in the current climate, it can and will actually negate the need for the standard ‘face to face’ interview stage and help ensure recruitment processes don’t stall, or not. So my question is this; how many clients have ever actually made a decision to hire based on remote or video interviews alone, and how many candidates have accepted such an offer, without ever meeting in person?

I’ve of course heard many stories of global and pan-european businesses hiring in this way for international hires; conducting business in this way is second nature to many employees in such businesses, with the need to liaise with colleagues and suppliers from across the globe on a daily basis and video conferencing a standard part of the working day. However, in my 17 years in marketing recruitment I must admit I have never seen it happen; not on any recruitment process I’ve managed, nor in any of the teams I’ve lead.

Maybe that’s because I work primarily with UK based SMEs, that it’s simply not in their DNA to recruit in this way and it’ll take a big leap of faith for them to embrace it to that degree. Absolutely, such businesses appreciate it’s value at an earlier stages of the process, or conversely at the final decision stage if, but only if, a face to face has already taken place and logistics mean that it’s been impossible to get candidate and the required decision makers together in one place. Maybe if I was transacting with more London centric, technology driven organisations I’d think very differently. Not suggesting it can’t, shouldn’t or isn’t done, but I believe many of businesses out their will struggle to adapt and move away from the need to complete, at some point in the process, a ‘traditional’ face to face interview. Likewise, many of candidates I work with want to see and experience a business, to get a feel for it’s culture, atmosphere and general vibe, as well as the team they’d be part of, before they make the decision to accept an offer.
Would love hear your thoughts, as candidate or a client, and if you have ever offered or accepted a position, what industry it was for.

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