Watching an inside sales manager from an NBA team speaking via Zoom to a class of college students about to enter the job market, longtime recruiter Buffy Filippell was stunned by what unfolded.
As the students asked questions, the guest repeatedly asked them to turn on their video cameras. When they did, they often revealed an image that was less than professional.
“There needs to be a protocol on how you should present yourself,” said Filippell, founder of recruiting firm TeamWork Consulting and the job site TeamWork Online. “You should not have your messy bed in the background of the call. You shouldn’t be looking like you’re lying in bed with your hoodie on. I’m watching these when we’re presenting employers to college kids. The presenters are saying, ‘Could you please turn on your video so I can see you?’
“This is their chance to make an impression, and some of them are blowing it.”
The emergence of video conferencing as a communication vehicle has forever altered the way employers approach the hiring process. Many already were encouraging or requiring short prerecorded videos from candidates. Now, it’s likely that many interviews will be conducted by video. Some may never meet a manager face-to-face until their first day on the job.
“For a student, the first thing they’re going to need is to know how to interview on video,” Filippell said. “My concern is that in watching some of these Zoom calls that I’ve been doing — many of them do not. That’s part of your branding also. You have to be able to video present.”
At the University of Massachusetts, graduate students now include video practice sessions through the school’s career center when prepping for the interview process. While meeting online may be a necessity for many during COVID, the likelihood that it may hang around as a convenient, and less expensive, way of making hires worries the program’s director, Steve McKelvey — not from the perspective of the employer as much as that of the candidate.
“How do you get a feel for the culture of the company when you’re not there?” McKelvey asked. “It’s a challenge. And it’s going to be a balancing act. Like, ‘Screw the culture, I just need a job.’”
