Remote work was a rising trend even before the pandemic, growing by 159% from 2005 to 2017. If anything, COVID-19 has sped up the transition from in-office to remote work. A recent survey conducted by WorldAtWork and FlexJobs finds that 80% of company leaders have already or plan to offer flexible work arrangements.
But a fully remote workforce requires remote work tools. Video interviewing software is one such tool that has become necessary as in-person interviews take a backseat to safety. Not only does video interview software make the hiring process more efficient for recruiters , but it also has measurable positives for candidate experience.
However, small businesses who already took a hit from COVID-19 probably don’t have the overhead to purchase an expensive software solution. Luckily there are free video interviewing platforms available to allow smaller organizations to enhance remote hiring operations.
What do free video interview platforms offer?
Free video interviewing software has numerous features that make it even more useful than face-to-face interviews. There are built-in interview scheduling tools, collaboration tools, on-demand and live video interview functionality, integrations, interview question banks, automation, evaluation tools, and mobile apps.
The most valuable asset is on-demand interviewing. On-demand, or asynchronous, interviews are interviews that allow the candidate to record answers to predefined questions on their own time for the hiring team to review later.
Candidates don’t feel pressure to get everything right in a conversation, as they record their answers on their own time and have the option to re-record if something goes wrong. Hiring teams review the answers whenever they want to get a feel for the candidate before scheduling a live interview. Gone are the days of 30 minute phone screens!
How “free” is “free?”
Free can mean a few things when it comes to video interviewing software.
Some companies offer lengthy free trials, which allow a hiring manager to test out their software for a set amount of time before having to pay. Others are completely free, but offer limited functionality of their paid software.
For example, let’s say Software ABC is a well-known video interviewing platform. They have a 14-day free trial for you to try out, but have a hard stop at the end of 14 days where you must pay to use their software further. These trials are incredibly useful for companies looking to buy, but likely not the best option for a small business.
The better choice might be Software XYZ, which offers the free-forever option. These companies offer complete functionality of their product, but limit usage based on amount of users, videos per period, number of positions, or a combination of the three.
Video conferencing as another free solution
Even well before the pandemic, video interviewing was growing in popularity. Initially, much of it was done via video conferencing apps.
Video conferencing apps are another easy solution when cost is an issue. Zoom specifically exploded in usage at the beginning of work-from-home due to COVID and has become an integral part of many hiring operations. Skype is another free tried-and-true option that has been around for almost 20 years now.
Unfortunately, Zoom, Skype, and other video conferencing apps don’t have the heightened functionality that will truly benefit your recruiting efforts like asynchronous video interviewing, ATS integrations, and employer branding capabilities. However, video conferencing will work in a pinch for real-time interviewing.
Final thoughts and additional information
It’s safe to say that remote video interviewing is here to stay. Companies can leverage video interviewing tools to enhance their talent acquisition efforts and make the recruitment process easier for candidates.
For the best free solutions, check out our free video interviewing software guide. If your company is ready to upgrade to a paid solution, we also have a landscape of the best video interview platforms.
