Wepow interview best practices

New to video interviewing?

Not to worry. Here are a few helpful hints to get you started:

• Look directly into the webcam, so the candidate feels you are looking at them. 
• Make sure your light source is behind the camera, not you! 
• Get comfortable.
• We recommend setting aside an hour of recording time; that way you won't need to record new videos every time. 

Video interviews piling up? 

Then get busy tagging! Organization is easy when utilizing Wepow. Interview's "Tag" feature. You'll be able to find what you are looking for quickly with our preset tags that you can attach to your videos and your interviews. You can even create custom tags to fit your business needs, matching your tags with the roles you are hiring for! 

Suggested length of Promo Videos.

Here is your opportunity to wow your candidates by introducing your brand with a great promotional video! These videos play automatically and are the first thing candidates see, so get creative.  We recommend promo videos be no more than 3 minutes in length.

Greet your candidates with an excellent Transition Video.

"Transition Videos" are an excellent way for you to communicate with your candidates without requesting a response from them. "Transition Videos" are perfect for greeting the candidate, introducing yourself, and/or talking a bit about your company culture before adding any "Question Videos."

Smile! You are the face of your company.

When recording videos, remember these tips:

• Eye contact is key. We know it may seem a bit awkward but constantly looking at the camera while recording your greetings and/or questions will help ease candidate's anxiety.
• Smile! Give your videos some personality; this sets the stage for your candidates to reciprocate.
• Slow Down. Our platform allows you to practice recording as many times as you need, so take your time and speak clearly, ensuring your candidates can follow your line of questioning.
• Body Language shows. Be open, don't cross your arms or appear to be closed off.  Practice a bit, so your smile is genuine, your voice is clear, and you show candidates you're not afraid to communicate through this platform, they will follow your lead! 

Using Wepow video interviewing for high volume recruitment?

Great! Wepow's video interviewing platform allows you to manage your high volume roles efficiently with imported list invitations and the ability to share your candidates with hiring managers in groups. Using Wepow. Screen (pre-recorded video interviewing) for high volume roles is where you will see most of your time saved.

Need to refresh your candidate pool?

Then, by all means, utilize our "Public Link" feature. You can share your interview via social media, career page, postings or by bulk emailing your network. Let your "Public Link" work for you and enjoy sourcing quality candidates when it is convenient for you.

When posting to a job forum, we recommend you include the following statement:

"You're one click away from a truly amazing interviewing experience. Click the button below to begin and share your story with us. Relax… it's easy. All you'll need is a webcam, mic, and a positive attitude! And remember, you can take the interview at any time from anywhere… even on your phone!"

Suggested length of time-to-think and time-to-answer.

You will have the option to assign a specific time-to-think and time-to-answer each question. What exactly does that mean, read on… 

Time to Think: The time you select here will be given to each of your candidates, they will have the option to use all the available time or move on to answering the question. You can give the candidates from 0 to 60 seconds to think.

• Recommendation: If you are asking general screening questions like: "Why would you like to work with us?" you won't need to give your candidates more than 20 seconds.

Time to Answer: The time you select here will be given to each of your candidates, they will have the option to use all the available time or complete their answer as needed. You can give candidates form 30 seconds up to 5 minutes to answer.

• Recommendation: It you are asking a general screening question, 90 seconds should be sufficient. If your question requires more analysis like "What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in the past 6 months and how did you accomplish it?" we advise you to give your candidates 60 seconds to think and no more than 3 minutes to respond. By giving them more time-to-think, you can help them organize their ideas so they can give you a briefer but richer response.

Get your Hiring Managers involved early.

Ask your Hiring Manager(s) to give you 2 or 3 non-negotiable or technical questions that candidates will need to know to be considered a viable candidate.

• Record yourself asking these questions and add them to your video interview.
• Review applicant responses and filter your non-negotiable questions, sharing only the candidate’s interviews with Hiring Manager(s) that meet your criteria.

Give your candidates the floor by adding a free-time question at the end of your interview (before your Thank You "Transition Video"). 

Example: "Please use this time to tell us more about yourself or complete one of your previous answers if you need to. We would love to learn more about you."

Recommendation: Give your candidate all the time to think and to answer this question to optimize their experience.

Everything you need to know about evaluation forms.

Evaluations forms are optional. You can create different forms and assign them to your interviews prior to reviewing your candidate’s responses.

To create an evaluation form, go to your "Resources" tab and click on Evaluations. From there, follow these simple steps:

• Click "Create Evaluation Form" and name it. Then you can add criteria. (Example: Evaluation name: German Level, Criterion 1. Business vocabulary, Criterion 2. Fluency)
• We recommend evaluating the criteria using the 1–5 point scale

To assign an evaluation form to an existing interview go to:

• Interview List and select the desired interview
• Three tabs will appear in the upper right corner (Candidates, Settings, and Statistics), select the "Settings" Tab
• Inside the "Assign the Evaluation Form" section, choose the evaluation form from the drop-down list and the changes will be automatically saved.

Thank You "Transition Video" at the end of your interview is a great way to notify candidates of next steps and timeline.

Sample Script: Thank you for your time today. We appreciate your interest in our Company. This is the first step of the recruitment process; in the next two weeks, you will receive an email regarding next steps. Thank you again and good luck!

Tips for increasing low response rates.

1. Before sending the interview, call the candidate, introduce yourself and let them know you are inviting them to participate in the interview process. Alert them that they will receive an email from your company with a video interview and if they are interested in moving forward in the process, they should answer it as soon as possible.
2. Check the interview email template you are sending; you might want to add specifications of options to answer the interview (mobile, tablet, computer) or more information about how to best position themselves when completing their video interview.

• Add the recruiter's Name and contact details (if possible), so the candidate feels confident that it is a reliable interview.
• The Wepow platform will automatically send reminder emails to those that have yet to complete an interview, but we also suggest following up via phone as well. 
• Send an email from your corporate email reminding them about the interview.

Recommendations to get the most out of "Transition Videos."

To make more dynamic "Transition Videos" that allow candidates to know about the people in your company, you might include Area Managers, Directors, your CEO or other personalities to give a short (no more than 2 minutes) welcome message introducing candidates to your culture, vision, or the mission of the company.

Example: For a sales opening, you could ask your VP of Sales to record a transition video welcoming the candidates to the company and thanking them for their interest. How often do candidates meet the head of sales during their first interview?

Have one candidate with multiple Wepow video interviews?

No problem! Search for your candidates with the "Candidates" Tab. Get a comprehensive view of your applicant’s history, find uploaded docs and old interviews in a flash!

Get to know your talent pool better.

Add a document request to your interview and give your candidates the ability to upload their resumes, references, LinkedIn profiles, and other important documents for you and your managers to review.

Analytics tell the story. 

PRO and ENTERPRISE accounts benefit from the use of account analytics. Knowing how your candidates are reacting to their Wepow interviews can shape how you build upon the solution.

• Invitations being "Bounced"? Maybe it's time to refresh the old candidate pool.
• See a drop-off in "Completed" interviews? Maybe your interview is a bit long. A useful interview should give you at least a 65% response rate.
• Track the number of "Approved" candidates, begin making this the foundation for successful hires.
• Receive feedback from your candidates. We commonly see candidate satisfaction ratings hit 90%!

Save time by connecting directly with your candidates without exiting out of your account.

• By Email: When working within your Wepow. Interview account, clicking a candidate's email address will pull up your configured email client to send them a direct email.
• With A Candidates Interview Link: Using the Pinwheel Drop down, you can send candidates the direct URL Link to their video interview; spam concerns avoided!

Stay organized with the "Approved" and "Dismiss" Tabs. 

Approving your rockstar candidates adds another level of evaluation in your Wepow. Interview account. You can simply track them within the "Approved" field, or go deeper and compare the talent on a question level. Want to notify a large group of approved candidates they made it to the next level? You can do that through your editable email templates!

Add Custom Questions to your Feedback Survey.

PROFESSIONAL and ENTERPRISE accounts can learn even more about how candidates view their brand and video interviewing anonymously. Customization of your candidate experience surveys is both insightful and easy to administer. You can add up to three (3) multiple-choice questions to your interview feedback surveys to optimize your recruitment efforts. 

Check your system.

Check out https://system-test.wepowapp.com/ before signing into record videos, and host Wepow live video interviews. You can check your Bandwidth, Network, and Equipment in no time.  Didn't get all green checks? No worries! Copy and submit the generated report to our world-class support team at support@wepow.com, and we will respond in no time. 

Sharing is caring… Direct your candidates to Wepow Support.

It's going to happen. Candidates will contact you with technical issues. When that happens be sure to direct them to our world-class support team immediately through our built in chat service or by email at support@wepow.com. Our team will follow up to troubleshoot any technical issues that may come up.

Take fewer notes. Record your live interviews. 

No need to worry about feverishly writing to catch important information during an interview. ENTERPRISE accounts can record their live video interviews gaining the freedom to focus on their interactions with their candidates and not their yellow writing pad.

Test your equipment early when using Wepow. Live. 

ENTERPRISE accounts have the option for live or panel video interviewing. When you receive a notification to attend a live interview, we recommend you click the link as early as possible in the location where you will be connecting. Going through the setup step prior to the scheduled interview is a great way to make sure you can connect when it matters most.

Live interviewing and the possible "Echo" effect. 

ENTERPRISE accounts have the option for live or panel video interviewing. Both live and panel features utilize your speakers and microphone to connect. When connecting with candidates, we recommend plugging in your earbuds or headset to reduce the chances of an echo coming through your audio feed.

 Control your volume while meeting with a live or panel video interview. 

ENTERPRISE accounts have the option for live or panel video interviewing. You can control your volume by hovering over your picture while in the meeting room. This will bring up your controls where you can adjust your microphone and speaker volume to acceptable levels.