#TBT: When Santa Used TalentRooster to Screen Elves

It's Throwback Thursday: Happy Holidays edition at TalentRooster.  The little elves in our office were just talking about that time Santa used our video interview technology to screen applicants for his elves.

Don't believe us?  Watch the video below.

From the TalentRooster family to yours, Happy Holidays!

Video Interviewing's Biggest Fan

One of the biggest fans of video interview technology is someone who you’d least suspect: someone who has been in the business of hiring people for over 45 years, and is very hesitant to adapt to changes in recruitment process and technology. 

Meet Phil Freeman, an administrative recruiter in Ohio.

One of his local clients had an office in Chicago, and was struggling to fill a position there.  With their track record of success using Phil as a recruiter, they asked for his help (even though the job was hundreds of miles away).

He used the traditional sourcing and searching methods: Posting a job ad, browsing for candidates on LinkedIn, and conducting traditional phone screens.  Knowing that he was up against a tight timeline as his client was conducting their own search, he knew he had to get his candidates in front of his client sooner.  That’s where video enters the equation.

After reviewing 26 resumes, Phil had narrowed his search down to two candidates.  Both recorded video interviews with their iPhones.  The hiring managers virtually met the candidates sooner, had an immediate connection, and made a hiring decision that day.

Now, Kathryn has a job.  And Phil has another happy customer – in another market.  All thanks to a little tool called TalentRooster.

Phil wrote us an email to say:

"I have heard that there are employers who have TalentRooster and – for whatever reason – don’t use it. To them I say "huge mistake...huge." I know from experience, it works like a charm."

BONUS: Tips Phil offers his candidates before recording their Video Interview (he won’t mind if you use them too):

•  Make sure there is a blank wall behind you.
• Make sure there are two lights on both sides of their web cam for good facial lighting.
• Start and end your video with a smile.
• Your answers can be short (20 seconds each is plenty).
• Record your video in a quiet area – you want to avoid any background noise (excess noise from your TV, radio, children, dogs barking, etc. distract from your video).
•  Ensure that your appearance is professional (remember, this is a different form of a first impression), and position the camera so it’s a shoulders-up shot.

Party in the USA

We’ve barely cleaned up the confetti and finished the cake from TalentRooster’s third birthday party last week, and here we are celebrating again.  This time, it’s our country’s birthday!

While we’ve got fireworks and parades on the brain, our fun and games department has been working on their Fourth of July party playlist.

So, take a break from watching video interviews to watch a couple of our picks for “Best Video – America Rocks Edition.”  Just make sure the TalentRooster Video Dashboard tab is easy to click in case the boss walks by.

Toby Keith – Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue

Because it’s always good to remind the party that America kicks – well, you know…

Miley Cyrus – Party in the USA

So, it’s a guilty pleasure.  We know you’re singing along too.

Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA

It wouldn’t be a patriotic party without The Boss.

Katy Perry – Firework

This is our personal favorite – because we think Ms. Perry gives great advice to your candidates before their video interview: 

“Baby you’re a firework, come on show them what you’re worth, make them go ‘oh, oh, oh.”

Now, get back to work!  Before you know it, you’ll be relaxing with family and friends as you watch sparks fly across the sky.

May all of our wishes come true..

It’s a big week here at TalentRooster--We’re blowing out all three candles on our birthday cake and celebrating the completion of over 55,000 video interviews!

What started as a revolutionary idea three years ago has become a “must have” tool for our clients. Our video recruitment technology literally transforms the way recruiters screen and hire talent. Back in 2010, our client list included a few recruitment agencies and small companies. Today, we are proud to support a diverse list of companies—at over 100 locations—including innovative recruitment firms, Fortune 500 companies, and leading international brands.

Just as we do in our personal lives, we look at our company’s birthday as the start of another great year, filled with excitement. Over the past year, we’ve put together a client “wish list” and—as our gift to you—we’ll soon be announcing some new product enhancements, features, and applications available late this summer.

Most important to us on our birthday is friends and partners like you. Thanks for coming to our party for the last three years. 

Now, go have a piece of cake. You deserve it.

Why Tweet When You Can Crow

Last month the Wall Street Journal published an article entitled “The New Resume: It’s 140 Characters”. You guessed it:  Twitter is becoming the “new job board”. Rather than debate the validity of Twitter as part of the recruiting process, I’d like to share with you  a couple of reasons why video interviewing is quickly becoming a staple of the recruiting industry:

First, video provides a more comprehensive view of your candidate. Viewing a candidate’s social media interaction may provide hints at what is interesting and important to them, but if you’re looking for a real glimpse into your candidate’s mindset, video is the way to go.  It provides your candidates with the opportunity to more thoroughly present their unique skills and previous experiences—in the same time it takes for you to read a tweet or two on your feed.

Secondly, personality and professionalism aren’t always evident through tweets. Sure, the ability to be concise and deliver a message in 140 characters may be representative of a good communicator, but what about other important attributes like professionalism, communication and image? All three can be readily identified in a 60-second video before a recruiter/HR professional invests any of their valuable time in a face-to-face interview.

For some, posting jobs on Twitter has proven to be a great recruiting tool. For others, it has created a bombardment of unwanted resumes. Rather than miss out on great talent, we recommend using video interviewing—either include a link to your TalentRooster account or issue invites only to those candidates who pass your initial screening process.

No Excuse for Not Using Video

I recently read an article by Mark Finn through TLNT called “6 Reasons Why Video Interviewing Will Soon Go Mainstream”. It was a great article with valid points to which many HR professionals can relate so I wanted to address my thoughts on the issues as well.

Culture Fit

Sourcing for job seekers-at a time where unemployment levels have left highly qualified candidates looking for new opportunities-is no longer the issue. The issues of today’s rebounding economy now lie in the selection process and which candidates appear to be the best cultural fit at your company. Social media has enabled hiring managers a glimpse into who these candidates might be, but then again, would you want someone judging you for a new position based off of your social media outlets? Video interviewing provides a fair look at a candidate’s personality that cannot be achieved by social media.

Affordable Out of State Options

Video interviewing technology also provides the opportunity for you to cast a wider net and reach out of state candidates that may be a fit for your company. Many candidates looking for jobs are willing to relocate so don’t limit your candidates to the x-mile radius surrounding your company because there are no travel fees with video! 

Video is the New Norm

Employers should also take notice to the evolving job seeker. This shift towards video also stems from the new generations’ comfort ability with video. Apps such as Facetime, Youtube, and Skype have made the millennials accustomed to being in front of a camera. As the workforce switches to a younger demographic, the use of this technology that doesn’t shock new job seekers only creates a more efficient hiring process.

Effortless Candidate Tracking

Don’t make it hard on yourself to remember every interviewee!  Video interviewing allows documentation of interviews so when you’re trying to remember which face goes to which resume, all you have to do is check the video!

As spring hiring begins and a new batch of recent college grads become job seekers, make your process easier on yourself by embracing TalentRooster technology, an efficient way to help you find the best talent for your company. No excuses!  

What's in a Name?

TalentRooster… We may have picked an unconventional name for our company, but it fits our unconventional technology and how we are trying to transform the hiring process.  Our name may be tricky to remember but our message is quite clear: A better return on talent.

The truth behind the name is that our technology allows candidates to “crow” louder than the rest. When a piece of paper determines a future, who wouldn’t want to be able to stand out among everyone else? There are only so many different ways to describe being a hard worker so our technology allows a candidate’s personality to be seen, something which can’t be transcribed onto paper.

As hiring managers, receiving resumes via job postings leads to a large stack of papers with scribbled notes like “good work history” or “seems personable on the phone” but after a week or two has passed, you’re left unable to distinguish your candidates from one another. Letting your talent “crow” leaves you with an online database of videos to help you put a face to the name and insures that you interview the candidates that would be the best fit for your company. Not everyone can have a name as unique as TalentRooster that stands out in your mind but each candidate is indeed unique.