A new survey by Bayt.com, the Middle East's #1 job site, is highlighting how MENA organisations are incorporating new virtual technology to interview candidates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Video Job Interviews in the MENA Poll’ revealed that in the past year84% of respondents observed a rise in video job interviews and58% have participated in them.
The current coronavirus crisis has pushed businesses to implement more large-scale virtual recruiting and interviewing efforts. Virtual interviews that last for less than30 minutes on average according to55% of those surveyed were deemed a positive experience by60% of respondents. The main advantages of video interviews were that they are more comfortable and convenient (50%), enable candidates to apply for remote jobs (7%), save on transportation costs (4%), reduce time to hire candidates (3%) and all of the aforementioned benefits (37%).
The virtual interview trend has also seen companies successfully utilize new technology to create a positive candidate experience and onboard employees –68% of respondents say that their company use a video interviewing software/ platform. In fact, virtual interviewing may become the new standard for recruiting long after social distancing guidelines are lifted. The survey found that89% of respondents expect a rise in video job interviews over the next few months.
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: “The hiring process for both job seekers and recruiters alike has transformed within the past year. It is crucial that employers have seamless hiring experiences that allow them to find talent in the right place, and at the right time. Our findings reveal that virtual hiring can play a key role in making a quality hire quickly whilst making the interview process easier and more convenient for many job seekers.”
The survey reveals that job seekers champion virtual interviews through thoughtful preparation. Key steps include conducting a tech-check (camera, microphone, laptop charging, etc.) (49%), choosing a quiet and clean place (3%), logging in10 minutes before the scheduled time (2%), dressing professionally (2%), and all of the aforementioned (45%).
The most successful video interviews provide candidates with the same level of information and feeling of connection with the organization as they would have with an in-person interview or onboarding experience. Respondents say that the most commonly asked question in video job interviews include verification questions (i.e. GPA and study major) (56%), competency questions (testing certain skills) (18%), behavioural questions (11%), and opinion and personality questions (i.e. leadership style) (9%).
On the other hand,54% of survey respondents prefer face-to-face interviews. The candidates feel that video interviews have drawbacks as they limit showcasing candidates’ full potential (69%), might face technical difficulties (5%), lack human interaction (5%), difficulties of preparing a suitable physical environment (lighting, camera, background, etc.) (3%) and all of the aforementioned (17%).
Data for the Video Job Interviews in the MENA Poll2021 was collected online from August3 to October5,2021. Results are based on a sample of5,495 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, among others.