Consideration for the Video Interview

Consideration for the Video Interview

Avatar photo Jeff Gipson | April 2, 2020

As experienced recruiters for the insurance industry, it is our job to be effective and energetic communicators. The current state of the world has definitely put those skills to the test. But if we’ve learned anything from this industry, it’s that conditions are always changing and rarely ideal. When circumstances shift, it requires adapting your thinking to discover new methods you may not have had to consider before. 

For some of you, working from home is what you already did; for others, your offices were sanctuaries of stability and organization. Currently, both working environments are having to deploy new methods of contact, new ways to build relationships as efficiently as we possibly can. The video interview is a great way to get to know the potential candidates your company needs to be ready once the economy swings back bigger than ever. It is imperative that your organization has the leadership and talent to function at full strength—especially during this complicated time. 

Video interviewing helps us help you.

The video interview is one method that the present situation and the present technology have made a uniquely appropriate first choice, where once we might have relied on more traditional methods of connection. It may take time to get comfortable with live virtual interaction, but using the latest services, learning their appropriate functions and putting them into effective practice will open up just one more path to successful hires. 

There are outstanding options that just keep getting better.

Video calls and teleconferencing could be a seriously potent resource towards making successful hires—and one that has seen development to make it more reliable and, in turn, more viable. By testing out video conferencing applications such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting or Microsoft Teams during a time in which it is practical to do so, you can prepare yourself to enhance day-to-day business in the future without reliance on physical location. 

The traditional hiring process has its pitfalls.

The hiring process can take a toll on time and resources. Effectively engaging candidates from other states or countries is logistically difficult to plan and can be costly. While it can be effective, becoming a proficient over-the-phone communicator is a skill that takes still more time—which is in short supply—to learn. The learning curve is sharp and, during uncertain economic times, you want to make choices and employ methods that remove the guesswork and reduce factors that might contribute to a poor hiring choice. 

Get the most out of the conversation. 

Nonverbal communication is typically far more effective than verbal communication. Humans respond to things like body language without consciously recognizing the cues. It is not subject to context, definition or meaning. Video teleconferencing presents the interviewer with a living and breathing representation of the candidate to not only gauge interest in the job but also shows how an individual physically handles an intense, high risk and high-pressure situation. 

As human beings, the most effective communication occurs when we are in the same room; when verbal and non-verbal communication become one cohesive projection and we see the actual person—not just their voice or words free of context. Effective teleconferencing apps and the video interview are your next best options in a world of limited resources. Put this tech to use, take distance out of the equation and together we can be ready for the surge of business that is soon to follow. 

Being good on the phone is important, because sometimes it is the only option you have to get it done, but if we have opportunities and new ways to do more, to do the job even a little bit better, it’s our responsibility to ourselves and to the industry to try and learn. Video interviews and video conferencing are that newest options. Put a face to the voices on the other end of the line. It could be positive for everyone involved.


At The James Allen Companies, we are taking this time to grow, to add new tools and methodologies to our professional arsenals, and will be just as able and even better prepared to serve our current and future clients. 

About the Author

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Jeff Gipson
Jeff Gipson Sr. is a veteran of the staffing industry, with more than 30 years of experience. He got his start working for an international staffing organization where he focused on information technology placements across the country. In July 1992, Jeff continued his staffing career with a St. Louis based information technology staffing company. There, he was strategically involved in launching the organization’s first branch office — and subsequently three additional branch offices over the next several years. In July 2000 Jeff made another move — this time to launch his own staffing company, continuing his IT focus. In 2003 the organization was reinvented. Relying on his earlier sales career in the insurance industry, the company changed course and began building the firm around the insurance industry. The company continues to put all their energy in the insurance sector filling positions of all titles across the country. Jeff and his wife Carolyn have been married since 1980. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
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