Running the recruitment risk in the digital age

Statistics show that in the US four out of five employers are now receptive to receiving visual CVs. Influenced by digital age, advancements in personal recording technology and websites such as YouTube, the trend is now migrating over to the UK. However, this style of job application does come with possible complications, warn experts at Cobbetts LLP.

Employers, who are keen to streamline the recruitment process, already make use of online CV submission, which filters applicants according to key search terms, immediately excluding applicants who do not fulfil certain criteria. However, the digital age has led to a rise in the number of employers requesting candidates to submit video CVs, which takes this one step further.

Businesses recognise that there is a new generation of í20 somethingsí, for whom the Internet and websites such as YouTube are a major part of their lives. And although, currently, only 4% of British candidates have adopted the format, employers recognise that this generation is more likely to consider the technique as a way to stand out from the crowd, and are therefore responding by offering the opportunity for a modern method of selection.

Judith Watson, head of employment for Cobbetts said: ìAlthough the practice is still relatively uncommon, more and more businesses are requesting this form of job application. However, personal information, such as age, race, sex, appearance, religion and disability, should not be taken in to account when reviewing a candidateís suitability for a particular job role. As the video CV format could reveal some of this information, employers might open themselves up the risk of increased discrimination claims. By making themselves so visible, candidates could, if not offered the job, claim they had been treated unfairly.

ìThe video CV gives employers the opportunity to assess a candidateís compatibility straight away, which may lead to a faster and more efficient selection process. However, it is still possible – and even likely – that they will make stereotypical assumptions based upon what they see, leaving themselves wide open to discrimination claims.î