VoIP and video are starting to revolutionise recruitment, but what are the implications for encouraging diversity in the UK workplace? Jason Atkinson, director of sales and marketing at Russam GMS examines the pros and cons.

With the rise in online job boards, specialist recruitment consultancies and even social networking sites, it should be easier than ever for job seekers in the UK to land their dream job.

The economy is booming and a deepening skills shortage means that talented candidates should have their pick of jobs.

But with more choices available, many candidates are finding it tough to make their CVs stand out. At the same time, HR directors are struggling to distinguish between candidates and sift through identikit CVs to find talent.

One trend that is on the rise in recruitment is the use of video CVs – with candidates recording short films about themselves, which are similar to show reels, to convey why they are the best person for a role.

We have been receiving these video CVs for a couple of years now, and they are definitely increasing in their regularity. They often appear in different formats, for example, some will be speaking directly to the camera and others will show a mock-up interview with another person involved.

Skype is also being used more by candidates who urge us to speak to them directly through the internet and review their CVs at the same time. Some innovative candidates are even using both – grabbing our attention with a video and then encouraging us to talk to them directly using Skype.

Immediate impression

There are some major benefits in this method of recruiting. We can immediately gauge an impression of our candidates and how they would present themselves to our clients and fare in an interview situation.

We can also use VoIP technology to have first interviews with candidates who are based overseas or in the far flung corners of the UK without having to travel obviously with the associated time and financial savings.

One of our interim managers, Bill Chubb, has been using Skype and video conferencing to recruit on an international level and has found the process less time consuming, cheaper and highly effective.

He was recently tasked with recruiting on behalf of a major vehicle manufacturer in the Middle East and a Virgin Oil producer in Italy. He used a combination of VoIP and video conferencing to secure the right candidates for the jobs, conducting 23 first interviews with applicants from all over the world. One contender from New Zealand was even remotely guided through the process of making, and sending electronically, a short video. This processes enabled Bill to cut down the number of candidates, who were then put forward for face-to-face interviews.

The process was cost-effective and his only real purchase was a webcam, which start at less than £10 for video only, or about £20 incorporating a microphone, and go up to £100.

A novel way to recruit

So there are definite benefits and cost savings to be gained and undoubtedly until this method of recruitment becomes the norm, it is novel.

Candidates really do stand out. But is this a good thing? We all know that first impressions count, but that they can be positive or negative.

These mixed views are shared by Jan Smith, one of our interim sales and marketing directors has encountered the use of video CVs several times. In several marketing director assignments, Jan was responsible for recruitment and was sent video CVs.

Jan believes that video is just another tool that candidates and employers can use. Videos might make a candidate standout, but it doesn’t necessarily equate to them having a better chance of winning the job over someone else. She feels that other factors are more important – the candidate’s skills and experience, their suitability for the role, their personality fit and of course, there is an entire interview process for them to get through.

Like me, she worries about the drawbacks. It is human nature to be influenced by the presentation of a candidate. We unwittingly judge people by their looks or their accent and video can serve to compound this problem and could eliminate good candidates unfairly.

This way of recruiting is becoming more acceptable in the USA, according to recent research from Vault.com, with four out of five companies stating that it would be acceptable to receive video CVs.

Diverse workforce

But things are a little less straightforward in the UK. We do have to question whether or not this way of recruitment could really become the norm in light of the government’s drive towards creating a more diverse workplace that is more reflective of today’s modern world.

In October 2006, changes to the age discrimination laws recommended that recruitment consultants should remove the date of birth of candidates from their CVs to combat potential discrimination.

In addition, the recently published government report ‘Fairness and Freedom’ highlighted that women with children, disabled people and women from Bangladesh all faced major discrimination in the workplace.

In October this year, a new commission is being set up focusing on equality and diversity, which will instigate wide spread changes to diversity laws, and may raise the question as to whether or not video CVs can really thrive in this climate. We will just have to wait and see.