LinkedIn’s ‘video intro’ feature, which is being tested globally, helps recruiters to evaluate a candidate’s communication and soft skills before the first interview.
Once talent professionals start receiving applications for a job posting, they can invite the most qualified candidates to answer up to two questions from a list of options, such as, “Tell me about yourself?”, “What is your greatest strength?” and “Describe your most challenging project?”. Candidates can choose to submit answers via a quick video recording or written response.
Janine Chamberlin, Director, LinkedIn Talent Solutions UK, says: “The global pandemic is challenging the hiring process from both a recruiter and candidate perspective. LinkedIn’s new candidate experience feature offers recruiters the chance to get a more rounded view of candidates, their motivations and communication styles, which is difficult to get from an application alone. By inviting candidates to complete a quick recorded video or respond to written questions, recruiters can get a better sense of candidates’ soft skills earlier in the hiring process.”
LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report highlights that 92% of UK talent professionals say that soft skills are as equally or more important than hard skills when hiring talent, but they are very difficult to assess. Emotional Intelligence is one of the top soft skills to learn in 2020, but it is near impossible to assess based on a job application alone. LinkedIn’s video intro helps uncover soft skills faster so that talent professionals can spend more time on the most qualified candidates.
Talent professionals can start using the feature by adding video intro to their job postings and inviting individual applicants to submit a video or written response.
LinkedIn has also launched another new feature to its interview preparation tools that enables candidates to get instant AI-powered feedback on their practice interviews. LinkedIn members can privately record their practice interviews and respond to today’s most common interview questions. Candidates will then receive instant feedback to help refine their pacing, cut down on filler words and take note of sensitive phrases to avoid.