How Skype Is Changing the Job Interview

[bill]

Time has an interesting article about how some HR departments are saving time and money by doing Skype interviews. Anyone here using that yet?

How Skype Is Changing the Job Interview [time.com]

Get ready for a closeup: your next job interview might be on webcam. Looking to save time and money, companies are turning to video-chat software as a cheap, low-hassle way to vet job candidates. That means a growing number of people looking for work are meeting their prospective new bosses not at the office but in the comfort of their own home.

[piatkow]

Only cheap and low-hassle if you already have a PC, webcam and a decent broadband connection.

Major hassle if you live in a rural area or rely on a mobile connection and have to find a public connection with skype and webcam available.

[vincevincevince]

The very things that piatkow complains about make this even more attractive to an employer. Employers want employees who are able to solve problems themselves, and being able to get a decent environment and setup for the skype video-interview is a good mini-test to kick off with.

[Jack_Hughes]

If you are having to travel somewhere to get a decent Skype setup why not just go to the office for some face time?

[piatkow]

Employers want employees who are able to solve problems themselves, and being able to get a decent environment and setup for the skype video-interview is a good mini-test to kick off with.

To stack shelves in a supermarket? On line application is becoming mandatory for the most menial jobs these days.

[rocknbil]

Agrees w. J.H., if I were applying for a position, wherever it is, I'd rather show up at the door, even if it's a position on the other side of the globe. If they preferred a Skype interview over that, I fall back on:

"Beware of any enterprise requiring new clothes." - Thoreau

[bkeep]

If a company can't be bothered to meet you in person, what type of support enviorment will they have once you have the job ie other employees, infrastructure etc? I don't know if I agree with the "cost savings" statement only because the HR person is there 9-5 and getting paid no matter what. If you do a 15 minute interview over the internet, phone, Skype or whatever, it would be the same 15 minutes in person, wouldn't it?

If the recruiters are flying their applicants out for interviews then I could see the cost savings but, how many people are at that level?

One exception is a telecommute job, where their whole setup is for you to work from home and that is the primary source of communication.

Every job I have ever gotten was due to a face to face interview except one. You have to remember you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you.

The one time I took a job without meeting the company rep in person at their location was a total disaster. I think you have to be able to see their work environment and talk to other employees to find out if it is a sweatshop or bad workplace.

There are always exceptions but generally if they refuse to meet in person I would question what it is they are hiding.