“It’s the dreaded “C” word again but it has driven iFacts to establish another online service to enable our clients to conduct interviews online and not slow down the recruitment process with all the challenges that the Corona virus has brought to us during lockdown”, says Sonya Skipp of iFacts.
Online interviews not only allow you to continue your recruitment process while maintaining social distance but it can also be a far more cost effective way of conducting interviews and allowing your recruitment team to assess candidates in a conversational way and not only clinically assess the CV or job application. The system enables the recruitment team to send the candidate a link and once the interview is completed the team can all assess and rate the candidate and share these comments online with the rest of the recruitment team.
In addition to being able to verify information provided during the job application process, the online interview allows you to assess an individual’s communication skills, body language and gauge the fit to the culture of the organization.
In speaking to candidates they have said that they really enjoy the process, but more than anything they enjoy being able to “be heard”. With unemployment sitting at the levels it currently does in South Africa, many people feel that they are just not given a fair chance to present themselves because there are so many applications for any given position. They say that they feel quite relaxed in their own environment and have not had to worry about travelling to the company with the fear of being late, getting lost or unnecessarily exposing themselves publicly to the virus. They have however felt that their internet connection and reliability of electricity can present a challenge despite careful planning on their part.
Recruiters have said that whilst this is a huge help they are cautious in that they still have to verify the details of the candidate and acknowledge that it is possible for the candidate to have someone conduct their online interview for them.
Sonya Skipp, General Manager of iFacts, is thrilled with the new service but cautions recruiters to ensure it is part of a well thought out employee screening programme.