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“Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

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Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#61

Post by rdl »

cglee wrote: post #57

The skeptical comments are interesting. But it doesn't seem like they are the primary market. At Active Interview, we've been doing video interviews for a while now. We've gotten good traction among organizations who have continuous hiring needs and/or those who need to process candidates who are geographically dispersed. For example, One Laptop per Child used Active Interview to screen a couple hundred applicants fr…

I see the value for some jobs, but audio seems like it is just as good as video, much cheaper, less intrusive, and vastly more accessible.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#62

Post by cglee »

rdl wrote: post #61
cglee wrote: post #57

The skeptical comments are interesting. But it doesn't seem like they are the primary market. At Active Interview, we've been doing video interviews for a while now. We've gotten good traction among organizations who have continuous hiring needs and/or those who need to process candidates who are geographically dispersed. For example, One Laptop per Child used Active Interview to screen a couple hundred applicants fr…

I see the value for some jobs, but audio seems like it is just as good as video, much cheaper, less intrusive, and vastly more accessible.

This is almost a thing you have to see to believe. Video just gives you so much more resolution and insight. Social science studies have told us many times that 90% of communication is non-verbal - audio only captures that 10%.

Of course, nothing beats face to face, but it also comes at a cost (time, money). We built Active Interview to help those who need to quickly process a large number of applicants at as high of a resolution as possible.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#63

Post by edanm »

kabuks wrote: post #49
pg wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you have very low expectations for humanity indeed if you think that will be the main way companies use something so useful.

imho we are past the point where that's the main way people will use this tool, but we're not past the point where it's not happening anymore. And we are clearly not past the point where people assume it will happen. Job boards are broken, and this is a good step in the right direction, and I wish them the best. I would caution though against not looking at the discrimination piece head on, and addressing it clearly.…

I also worried about this problem.

But as Bruce Schneier often says, technology makes it easier for the bad guys to be bad; that doesn't mean the technology itself is bad.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#64

Post by edanm »

nicholasjbs wrote: post #51
old-gregg wrote: post #37

I don't know either this is good for employers/customers but one thing for sure: this makes me feel even more terrified of failure, of becoming a "candidate" again. This company is making the world even more hostile for people who need jobs for reasons stated here by others. Let me explain: my wife is looking for a job now. She's not an engineer so the progress has been slow: hundreds of resumes emailed, no response,…

Our goal is exactly the opposite: We want to make the hiring process more human. The current job market is definitely a slog for non-engineers (somehow the market for engineers has remained strong). We'd like HireHive to be a way for people like your wife to be able to stand out from the crowd. I'm in contact with a good number of companies that are hiring. I'd be happy to pass her info along if there's a good fit. E…

But will this really help the good people stand out more? Or will there just be techniques for looking good in an interview video, like there are many techniques for looking "good on paper"?

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#65

Post by philwelch »

old-gregg wrote: post #45
shazow wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily hundreds of times. My understanding of HireHive's model is that you could film yourself answering a set of questions once and include it in multiple similar job applications (at least some day). I look at video as a substitute for phone screenings rather than a substitute for a resume. I hate phone screenings.

It is not: a phone screening involves a mutual time investment - there's a live person taking time to talk to you on the phone, so the "time complexity" for both parties is O(n). Posting a list of questions and requiring candidates to film themselves is free, so it is O(1) for the employer but still O(n) for a candidate. Don't be naive, if this service becomes popular, employers will recognize this advantage and expl…

Watching all the video responses is still O(n), even if it's asynchronous from when the questions are asked.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#66

Post by nitrogen »

rdl wrote: post #61
cglee wrote: post #57

The skeptical comments are interesting. But it doesn't seem like they are the primary market. At Active Interview, we've been doing video interviews for a while now. We've gotten good traction among organizations who have continuous hiring needs and/or those who need to process candidates who are geographically dispersed. For example, One Laptop per Child used Active Interview to screen a couple hundred applicants fr…

I see the value for some jobs, but audio seems like it is just as good as video, much cheaper, less intrusive, and vastly more accessible.

One problem with audio is that it lacks the facial microexpressions that would be visible to a keen interviewer in a live interview.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#67

Post by nitrogen »

orangecat wrote: post #52
ktsmith wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also the exact opposite issue for some people. I don't really have a problem opening up or making a personal connection in person. I cringe hearing or seeing myself on video. I can't stand it, even if I'm seeing a video of my son and I playing which I love. A company requiring a video recording as part of the application process would be an instant pass for me since you wouldn't be getting me, you'd be gettin…

Ditto. This strikes me as great for extroverts and terrible for introverts.

By nature I'm somewhat of an introvert, so I have to apply a conscious effort to speak out at parties and other social events. I see this as a great excuse for myself and others like me to keep practicing and improving. The fact that your personality type is "introverted" doesn't mean you actually have to remain an introvert.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#68

Post by Tichy »

pg wrote: post #58
old-gregg wrote: post #37

I don't know either this is good for employers/customers but one thing for sure: this makes me feel even more terrified of failure, of becoming a "candidate" again. This company is making the world even more hostile for people who need jobs for reasons stated here by others. Let me explain: my wife is looking for a job now. She's not an engineer so the progress has been slow: hundreds of resumes emailed, no response,…

In-person interviews have an even worse problem: if your wife is rejected after one of those, she has to worry not merely that she looks lame in a video, but seems lame in person. But you don't find the concept of interviews disgusting, presumably because it is already a familiar one. Which suggests that your real problem with this technology is its novelty.

Personally, I just don't like the way I look on videos. I think it is harder to make a good impression on video. I acknowledge that I might look as weird in RL as on video, but in RL I can decide not to think about it.

Anyway, I can imagine this video thing taking off, unless there are legal problems. Don't know why, but I think in the uk you are not supposed to include photograps with applications. Perhaps to prevent racism?

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#69

Post by rdl »

nitrogen wrote: post #66
rdl wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see the value for some jobs, but audio seems like it is just as good as video, much cheaper, less intrusive, and vastly more accessible.

One problem with audio is that it lacks the facial microexpressions that would be visible to a keen interviewer in a live interview.

Same problem with low-resolution webcam video.

I'm not arguing against the value of seeing someone in person (although depending on the context I would be happy to give up the extra data to get the whole thing done faster and more conveniently). I'm arguing against badly-lit, amateur video postage stamps.

Re: “Good On Video” Is The New “Good On Paper” With HireHive (YC S10)

#70

Post by notahacker »

Tichy wrote: post #68
pg wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In-person interviews have an even worse problem: if your wife is rejected after one of those, she has to worry not merely that she looks lame in a video, but seems lame in person. But you don't find the concept of interviews disgusting, presumably because it is already a familiar one. Which suggests that your real problem with this technology is its novelty.

Personally, I just don't like the way I look on videos. I think it is harder to make a good impression on video. I acknowledge that I might look as weird in RL as on video, but in RL I can decide not to think about it. Anyway, I can imagine this video thing taking off, unless there are legal problems. Don't know why, but I think in the uk you are not supposed to include photograps with applications. Perhaps to preven…

Photos are probably frowned on to discourage racism, ageism and the good old fashioned "we'll only invite the pretty ones in for interview". It's also common practice to remove date of birth from CVs.

It's more a case of being considered inappropriate than legal barriers...a friend of mine recruiting abroad found the idea of attached photos nearly as amusing as the adjacent salary demands.

I think that the video thing will suffer more from being considered a bit odd or time consuming compared with skimming through text, especially for large non-creative employers looking to fill a quota. On the other hand, webcam interviews could start to replace the first-stage phone interview.

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