Job applicants interviewed through video 'less likeable'

Job applicants, who give their interviews via video conferencing are less likely to come across as likeable, a new study has suggested.

The new study from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, conducted by Greg Sears and Haiyan Zhang when they were PhD students at DeGroote, showed that using video conferencing for job interviews disadvantages both employers and candidates.

In recent surveys 50 percent up to 65 percent of workers have reported using the technology for job interviews.

In simulated job interviews, candidates who were interviewed by video-conferencing were rated lower by interviewers and were less likely to be recommended for hiring.

On the other side of the webcam, candidates also rated their interviewers as less attractive, personable, trustworthy and competent.

Sears, now an associate professor at the Sprott School of Business, said that increasingly, video technology is being used in employment interviewing because companies feel it provides convenience and cost savings.

He said that despite their growing use, our study shows that video conference interviews are not equivalent to face-to-face interviews.

Study co-author Willi Wiesner, associate professor of human resources at DeGroote, said that these findings suggest that using video conferencing can adversely affect both applicant reactions and interviewer judgments. Video conferencing places technological barriers between applicants and interviewers.

Wiesner added that employers and applicants should work to reduce the barriers that arise through video conferencing and improve the interpersonal aspects of the interview process.

The study has been published in the journal Management Decision.