Video Interviews vs. Traditional Interviews - Which One is Right for You?

Recruitment Strategies

5 minutes

May 23, 2025

Written by Hirex

In our quick-moving hiring landscape, how we chat up job-seekers keeps changing. Remember when old-school sit-downs were your only choice to find someone for the job? Those days are behind us now. Video chats are a big deal in the hiring game thanks to tech advancements.

But what's the actual score between the two? Which one nails it when you're looking to add to your team? Let's weigh the good and the bad of face-to-face and video chats, peek at what sets them apart, and figure out which one's the perfect fit for your crew.

Getting the Hang of Face-to-Face Job Interviews

What's the Deal with Face-to-Face Job Interviews?

Interviews done the old-fashioned way involve face-to-face meetings between the interviewer and the job hopeful. These sit-downs might happen at a workplace or somewhere that does not take sides. The interviewer is looking to see if the person has the right skills and abilities, and whether they'd fit in with the company culture just by talking.

Perks of Old-School Interviews

1. Making a Connection: Top of the list for why classic interviews rock is they let you make a real bond. Chillin' in the same room helps both sides get a better vibe, building up that good old trust and getting each other.
2. Checking Out the Unspoken Stuff: When you're right there with someone, you get to notice all the silent hints. Stuff like how they move, the looks on their face, and those quiet signals that let you in on whether they've got nerves of steel or if they're shaking in their boots.
3. Immediate Feedback: In traditional interviews, a dynamic idea swap happens. Interviewers toss out extra questions and clear up answers right then and there leading to a solid assessment.

Downsides of Old-School Interviews

1. Time-Sucks: Trying to sync up times for face-to-face chats can turn into a real headache, with lots of waiting around and stretched-out hiring processes.
2. Small Candidate Circle: Old-timey interviews often give the local crowd an edge, which could prevent companies from accessing a wider circle of whiz kids. Companies might pass on top-notch folks living in other places.
3. Bias Risks: When you chat face-to-face, it's easy to let things like looks and someone's background mess with your fair judgment. This can change how fair you are when picking who to hire.

Getting to Know Video Chats for Interviews

So, What's a Video Interview?

Video interviews are when you use tech to have a chat with job hopefuls who aren't in the same room as you. You either do these live, where everyone talks in real-time or record them. For the recorded ones, people answer questions whenever they find some time.

Why Video Chats for Interviews Are Pretty Cool

1. Being Super Flexible: Video interviews are a win-win because candidates and the people who need to be hired can do the interview from wherever they want. This means no one has to bother with traveling and all the money stuff that comes with it.
2. Bigger Pool of Talent: By overcoming geographic barriers, businesses can tap into various prospects. This can help places that need people to work from afar or those seeking niche skills.
3. Saves Money: Holding interviews on video slashes hiring expenses big time. It cuts down on money for travel and saves lots of effort to set up face-to-face meetings.
4. Smoothing Things Out: Many video interview tools integrate with systems for tracking applicants, making it easy to monitor all the information and feedback about candidates.

Cons to Video Interviews

1. A glitch in the Matrix: Counting on tech can throw a wrench in the works. Things like dodgy Wi-Fi buggy software, or not getting to use the video service can mess with the flow of talking to potential hires.
2. Missing a Personal Vibe: Video talks let us chat, okay, but they sort of miss that vibe you get chatting face-to-face. Some people might not feel so comfortable or into it when talking to a screen.
3. There are not Many Nonverbal Clues. Sure, video chats show some body language, but it's not like the real deal, where you can understand what someone's saying through their gestures.

Picking the Right Approach for Your Needs

Deciding between in-person and video interviews depends on what your company needs and what's happening. Check out these situations:

• Hiring Loads of People Fast: If you need to fill lots of jobs quickly, video interviews can help speed up the process, allowing you to interview more people in less time.

• Jobs You Do from Anywhere: When the gig requires working from anywhere, video interviews make sense because you can chat with people no matter where they are.

• Bigwig Jobs: Now, for top-dog roles where you gotta vibe with the person face-to-face is the way to go if you wanna build trust and get that connection going.

Ace Ways to Handle Video Q&A Sessions

Gearing Up to Nail It

Do a Tech Check: Make sure your gear (camera, mic, and internet) works well before the face-to-face. You don't want any tech hiccups to mess things up when it's go-time.

Set Up a Pro Scene: Find a spot that's quiet, has good lighting, and has no distractions. A slick backdrop can make you look top-notch and get the Q&A rolling on the right note.

Lay out the Deets: Before D-day, let candidates know how things will go down and give them any need-to-knows. This will keep them in the loop and reduce the jitters.

Making a Real Connection with Contenders

Come up with a Fixed Set of Questions: To keep the evaluation consistent, it's handy to make a list of uniform questions. This tactic is nifty because it can reduce bias and give a much clearer side-by-side look at the candidates you're considering for the job.

Promote Chit-Chat: You want to create a space about the back-and-forth. So ask the candidates to toss their questions into the mix. It's chill, and it gives you a peek at how much they want to be a part of what you're doing.

Keep an Eye on the Quiet Stuff: When chatting over the video, don't just listen; watch, too. A person's gestures or expression can reveal how pumped or confident they are.

Tips for Old-School Face-to-Face Chats

Getting Ready to Have that Sit-Down

Make the Space Welcoming: You must ensure that the spot where you're interviewing someone is super chill and free of pesky distractions. When folks feel comfy, they perform better.

Check Out Their Stuff: Before you even start the interview, you should read their resume and everything they sent in. That way, you can ask intelligent questions and let 'em know you're into what they've done.

Running the Show

Kick off with Chit Chat: Okay,, so start the conversation with some easy,, breezy talk to loosen things up. This will help people chill out and create a good vibe for what's coming next.

Inquire with Open-Ended Queries: Use open-ended queries to get candidates to share more. This method often unveils deeper insights into their skills.

Jot Down Important Stuff: Remember to write down major points while chatting with them. This helps when you gotta think back on it. Plus, it tells folks you’re hearing them out.

Making a Smart Pick for Your Team

Figuring Out What You Need

Choosing between face-to-face and video interviews, ponder stuff like:

Workplace Vibe: Is hanging out in person key in your place, or do you lean towards being quick and all about changing things up?

What You Need in the Role: Are the gigs you're trying to fill needing folks with solid people skills, or are you after some serious tech smarts where a video chat would do the trick?

What Candidates Dig: Consider what those you aim to hire are into. Do they dig the ease of a video call, or are they more into the vibe of face-to-face sit-downs?

Striking the Right Mix

Loads of companies are getting the hang of mixing it up, throwing both face-to-face and video calls into their hiring process. For example, you might want to kick things off with a video screening but then bring candidates in for that in-person chat when it comes down to the wire.

Kicking it to the End

In the end, both face-to-face and video meet-ups have their upsides and downsides. It's crucial to evaluate what your organization requires and the job roles you're trying to fill. Grasping the advantages of both kinds and applying top-notch strategies can improve how you snag top folks for your squad.

Choose between the adaptability of video chats and the warmth of in-person get-togethers. The end goal is to connect with ace players and build a winning team.