However, there is hope.  Like all cycles in new “progressive” technology, there already have been several iterations of this type of candidate presentation tool, and the industry is moving toward a hybrid model of resume-plus-video interview-plus-references-plus-social network all in one digital representation of a job candidate.

Here is what is Good and Useful about tools in the future that will include Video Interviews with other pieces of candidate due diligence:

• • • Videos are only one piece of the total candidate due diligence in these new combination products, so the emphasis on the visual is downplayed a bit.
    • Video Interviews are quite easy to produce now and too widespread in marketing and media to ignore.
    • The younger generations are growing up on video, so the video CV is a logical extension for them.
    • The technology is easy to use, and the equipment is inexpensive.
    • It saves time to look at a 2-minute video interview rather than do a 20-minute phone screen
    • It saves time to look at a 5-minute all-inclusive candidate presentation rather than spend hours scheduling a first interview round to find out the fit.
    • It saves money to watch a 20-minute Interview rather than fly a candidate in and put him/her up in a hotel.
    • Having access to on-demand all-inclusive showcases of candidates allows hiring managers to choose when to interview, instead of tying them down to disruptive schedules during the work day.
    • More and more Employers are creating branding videos of their own on their own Career Pages to attract Candidates. It just follows that soon Employers will be accepting branding videos from candidates as well.
    • The industry needs some collaborative rules or accepted behaviors for Video Interviews. This can be easily accomplished by blogs such as this.
    • Technically, most corporations are now pretty savvy in regards to rich media viewing software, and Flash is an accepted program that is widely installed. Flash is cross-platform, meaning if it works on one computer, it will work on any other with Flash installed. Flash is small and lightweight, but carries a robust video control platform. You never have to leave your webpage to view the video. Flash can be embedded right into the page. http://blogs.zdnet.com/Stewart/?p=344
    • As technology marches on, rich media viewing will become cleaner and quicker.

The bottom line is that currently, yes, there are downsides to the tools out there labeled “Video Resumes” (or Video CVs), as discussed in a previous blog post. However, the Good News is that vendors such as InterviewStudio have now worked through the technology challenges to aggregate all of these disparate (but important) pieces into a single robust, time-saving information platform for screening, due diligence and selection.

Technorati Tags: candidate, digital representation, discrimination litigation, due diligence, Flash, job candidate, minute, progressive technology, Resumes, technology, video, video control, Video CV, video interview, video resume, Video resumes

These are all instances of “live” video or “real-time” video – coming to you as it happens.

There are several vendors in the employment market jumping into this product/service category, basically repackaging a video conferencing tool like Webex or copying the  newer Skype tool:  LiveHire, CareerCam, GreenJobInterview, to name a few.  You can use these services over your computer to talk with a remote person and/or see them on your screen with the use of a webcam in realtime.

By now, most everyone in the employment marketplace has heard the phrase “interview videos” or “video interviews”.   These are canned videos (or stored videos) that contain a job interview, wherein a candidate is usually answering questions they received earlier from an employer, and then the employer can go watch them anytime via online password.  These videos are available to view (securely) at any time since they are stored on a server that is available 24 hours a day.   A job seeker simply needs access to a computer with a webcam on it (or plugged into it).  Usually the built-in microphone on any computer will suffice for audio quality, but many people plug in a stand-alone microphone to enhance the sound when they are recording their videos for their interview.

In some instances, the potential employer will send their preferred interview questions to candidates via email ahead of time, or they will post their questions on their employment website.  In these cases, the job seeker simply uses his/her own computer/webcam  to videotape themselves answering these questions, and then “uploads” their video clips to YouTube or to a place on the employers website, so the employer can watch it later.   Job seekers have to know a bit about technology to do this all themselves.

There are other sites, like our own InterviewStudio.com site, which walk job seekers through this “videos for interview” process in an easy step-by-step tutorial.  Candidates get to choose their own interview questions from a list of 20 that are appropriate for their job function. When each question is answered, that video clip gets uploaded automatically to our site where all clips are stored securely behind passwords.  Job candidates who choose to do their video interviews this way are being proactive, and have a “marketing tool” to then email out to any employer or recruiter of their choice.  In this case, the job seeker owns his/her own showcase including the video interview, and can choose who can view it.   Candidates obtain a URL address for their InterviewStudio “showcase” from their account online and they can type this into an email they are sending or can even upload this URL into an applicant tracking system text field to be stored along with their other candidate information.

Videos for interview purposes are becoming more popular with employers, since it saves them several days or even weeks in the screening process.   The key is to make sure the videos they are viewing are professional, and useful as a compliant screening tool—meaning that videos for interview purposes will soon have rules and governing guidelines for both job seekers and employers to conform to – whether the video interviews are live or canned for viewing later.

Technorati Tags: computer, employer, employment market, employment marketplace, Europe, interview, interview videos, JOB, Job Interview Video, Job Interview Videos, traveling in europe, video, video conferencing facility, video conferencing tool, Videos Interview

InterviewStudio platform to power special section of WTIA website devoted to tech visionaries and entrepreneurs

SEATTLE, WASH. – July 15, 2009 – The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) <www.washingtontechnology.org> and InterviewStudio <http://www.interviewstudio.com/> have partnered to offer a special site to showcase Washington state technology executives who have contributed to the success of the local technology community over the last 10 years. Launched today, the “Profiles in Technology” project kicks off by spotlighting local technology innovators such as Ben Elowitz (CEO of Wetpaint and founder of Fatbrain and Blue Nile), Jonathan Sposato (CEO of Picnik), Jeremy Jaech (CEO of Verdiem, formerly with Adobe, Visio and Trumba) and Bill Baxter (CTO of Cozi.com, co-founder of Bsquare). The first profile can be seen on WTIA’s Web site at: <http://www.washingtontechnology.org/pages/resources/resources_profilesintechnology.asp>.

The Washington Technology Industry Association chose InterviewStudio for this project for several reasons, including its relationship with long-standing WTIA member Colleen Aylward, founder of InterviewStudio and the recruiting firm, Devon James Associates. Creator of one of the country’s first vendor recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) services, Aylward has assisted many WTIA member start-up companies with progressive solutions for their recruitment needs over the last 15 years, utilizing her “Onsite Recruiting War Room” methodology, that is still in use today.

“We chose InterviewStudio because its combination of video and other information brings subjects to life like no other platform,” said Ken Myer, president and CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association. “We see this as a great way to highlight some of the technology and business people who are so important to the success of not only the WTIA, but to the entire technology industry in the Northwest. InterviewStudio is a terrific example of the creativity and innovation that our members are known for.”

Originally designed to create a comprehensive showcase of Devon James’ executive candidates to send to employers, the InterviewStudio showcase can combine any mixture of data, media, text, icons and links in an elegant presentation format displayed all on one screen, in one place and can be emailed via URL link.  In an employment application, a showcase may display a candidate’s resume, video interview, reference checks, professional assessment test results, Web page and portfolio, colleague endorsements and other data from Internet search engines and social networking sites like LinkedIn. This process allows hiring managers to view all pertinent data about a candidate in one place on one screen at one time – saving weeks of time and money in the initial candidate screening process.

For the Washington Technology Industry Association project, InterviewStudio combines executive bios, video interviews, company overviews, press releases and other links in one presentation format that can be easily displayed and viewed in a Web 2.0-type “showcase.”

“InterviewStudio is really a mash-up that combines several of the most advanced technologies in multi-media and presentation tools with your product or service highlight info,” Aylward said.  “As video technology and man-on-the-street interviewing becomes the more popular way to present bios, we’ll see more of this type of media combined with clickable icons for product and service information that replace the paper brochure. As the globe shrinks, large and small vendors alike need to get their story out, and an InterviewStudio showcase is a faster, easier way to create a marketing deliverable than a traditional Web site or brochure. Additionally, you’re able to simply email your showcase link around the world immediately to promote yourself or your product and or company.”

About InterviewStudio

InterviewStudio.com is a ground-breaking technology platform that can be used to display multiple forms of data all at once on one screen:  videos, data, text, images, icons, links – that appear instantly when clicked by the viewer.  This is the NEXT STEP in programs that allow anyone to showcase themselves and their accomplishments, products, services, to a vast market instantly and elegantly.  Visit http://www.interviewstudio.com. And follow their blog about this technology here: http://www.interviewstudioblog.co.

About the WTIA

Washington Technology Industry Association is the largest state-wide association of technology companies and executives in the world. With more than 1,000 member companies representing more than 100,000 technology sector employees in Washington State, Washington Technology Industry Association is a catalyst for setting new industry directions, sharing expertise, fostering collaboration, delivering key business services, and advancing the economic value and global impact of technology companies doing business in Washington: http://www.washingtontechnology.org

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Technorati Tags: Association, Ben Elowitz, Bill Baxter, Candidate Screening, Colleen Aylward, Devon, devon james, Endorsements, executive candidates, Industry, Interviews On Video, InterviewStudio, Jeremy Jaech, Jonathan Sposato, Ken Myer, mash-up, mashup, member colleen, Nile, Onsite Recruiting War Room, Press Release, Profiles in Technology, recruitment, room methodology, saving time and money, Seattle, Showcase, showcase washington, technology, technology executives, technology industry association, Video interviews, video technology, Washington, Washington Technology Industry Association, WTIA

Match.com for Employers? Edited by ROBIN GOLDWYN BLUMENTHAL BARONS – April 28, 2008 JOBLESS CLAIMS ARE STILL SHOWING SIGNS OF A LACKLUSTER economy, but there's now an electronic way for people to put themselves in front of potential employers — the InterviewStudio.com. The brainchild of Colleen Aylward, founder of Devon James, a Seattle recruiting firm that spent a year helping Amazon find employees, the software package lets job seekers showcase their talents on the site with their résumés, a video interview, recommendations and other helpful items for $150 a year. Companies pay Aylward $1,200 to $5,000 a month to keep an InterviewStudio link on their Websites for hiring purposes, enabling them to more efficiently screen potential candidates, without hiring a high-priced executive recruiting firm or being constantly spammed by them. "Management search savings could be in the tens of thousands of dollars," says Aylward. Consider that an $85/hour internal recruiter might screen 15 candidates at two hours each, for approximately $2,500. Calculate a six-hour round of interviews in one day with six to eight highly paid employees, at, say, $134 an hour. "That's approximately $6,500 for each day that is wasted on a round of interviews with a candidate that isn't the right fit," says Aylward. She adds that generally at least two of these exercises in futility take place in a large organization each month. Add flight, hotel and cab expenses and, well, you get the picture. (The site has a return-on-investment calculator built into the employer page.) So far, InterviewStudio is gaining fans. Recently, Gartner Group dubbed it as one of 2008's four "Cool Vendors for Human Capital Management Software." — Leslie P. Norton So, as Barons and Gartner both agree, there is a future for Interviews on Video done correctly, especially in this recent economy where saving time and money is paramount.    "Cool Technology" aside,  it's even cooler to get greater return on every recruiting dollar spent.

Technorati Tags: Barons, capital management software, Colleen Aylward, com, Devon, devon james, executive recruiting firm, gartner group, human capital management, Interviews On Video, InterviewStudio, P. Norton, return on investment calculator, Seattle, video, year