Prevent Imposter Interviews with Video

June 8th, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Avvocato in Video Conferencing - (1 Comments)

You can pay people to do pretty much anything nowadays; from landscaping and housekeeping to filing your taxes and even interviewing.

Wait, interviewing?  How is that even possible?

Think about it, the first round of interviews are usually done over the telephone by the recruiting or HR team.  The whole purpose is to weed out candidates so it’s typically very difficult to differentiate yourself. But, candidates know they must find a way in order to land that elusive face-to-face interview where they can win the job with their stunning personality and great interpersonal skills.

To gain an initial advantage, some candidates are paying imposters to perform the preliminary phone interview.  These people answer initial questions and explain “their” background based on the candidate’s resume.  Since they typically have significant interview experience, they are extremely polished with their answers and know how to differentiate themselves.  Unfortunately, due to sheer volume, it is extremely difficult to determine if a second round candidate is the same candidate that was on the phone.

How can this be prevented?

Well for starters, companies can begin replacing the initial phone interview with video interviews; because let’s face it, it’s pretty obvious when the candidate who shows up looks completely different from the person originally interviewed.  Cloud technology and desktop video applications not only make it possible but extremely easy to interview candidates over video.  Interoperability is a thing of the past; organizations can connect with candidates anytime, anywhere, using any combination of devices.

If video simply isn’t possible, ask the interviewee a few questions that cannot be obtained by looking at their resume.  Questions should focus on specific instances; such as a time they used their technical skills to complete a difficult project.  Not only are specific situations more difficult to forge answers to; they can easily be referenced and validated during the second interview.

If all else fails, record each phone interview and then do a voice comparison when the candidate comes to interview in person.  Although, it’s hard to imagine that option would be simpler than switching to video…but hey crazier things have happened!

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Top Five Video Conferencing Blunders

May 29th, 2012 | Posted by Adam Kaiser in Tips & Tricks | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

Video conferencing has truly changed the way that people communicate throughout their business and the world. The technology brings people together while providing significant cost savings and productivity gains. But, like any other technology there are always some things to watch out for and some common mistakes or “blunders” that can be made that make you look, well, terrible.

Recently I was presenting to our sales team and quickly came face to face with some of the blunders I’ve experience in the past. While I am proud to say that I did not experience all of these in this single meeting, I came close!

Here they are, in no particular order:

1) The Powerful Forehead: Video conferencing is all about seeing the other participants. When you setup for a call, make sure you have your camera positioned well.  As lovely as it is, the other side is not particularly interested in your forehead. Focus on positioning the camera as if you were a newscaster.  Get your face in the middle of the frame; keep the upper part of your shoulders visible and make sure you don’t put too much space above your head.  You don’t want to cut off your hair, but you also do not want participants to be able to see the taxidermy moose you have hanging behind you.

2) The Background Joke: What’s going on behind you in a video conference can be just as important as your personal appearance. Make sure your background is as minimal as possible. A solid color wall or sheet is a great way to avoid an unsightly distraction. If you can’t have a totally clear background, make sure you do your best to keep background items to a minimal. If you have book shelves behind you, make sure your HD camera is not picking up book titles you wouldn’t want people to see!

3) Can You Hear Me Now?: Sometimes when you’re on the phone you need to mute to avoid others hearing background noise or other side conversations. Video is the same. But what is important to remember is that while you may mute audio, people can still see you. If you are muted, make sure you unmute before proceeding. Nothing is worse than waxing prophetic about the latest company initiative or introducing a great idea, only to have your colleagues see your mouth moving and nothing coming out!

4) Johnny Come Lately: With a video conference, you might be connecting from your house, your office, or other remote location. Make sure you are on time! In fact, get yourself setup in your meeting environment a few minutes before the beginning of the call. This will allow you enough time to make sure your camera is positioned, your background is clear, and you have all notes/materials you need to work through the meeting.

5) Keep Your Eyes On The Prize!: As we’ve mentioned in other articles, it is important to remember that a video call requires you to be fully engaged and ready to speak/participate. Don’t let yourself be distracted (like my 3 month old who is so fascinated with our ceiling fan that he stares at it and forgets he’s hungry) and make sure that you do not let yourself wander off into other activities such as checking your email on your phone or worse, grooming!

These blunders can not only contribute to an unsuccessful call but can also negatively hurt your image with your colleagues. Don’t do that!

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The New Polycom Is Here!

May 25th, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Avvocato in Industry News | Polycom - (0 Comments)

“From Telemedicine to applications in government, entertainment, science and education, Polycom is fueling collaboration, knowledge and understanding around the world.”

We are very excited to hear that Polycom, a leader the visual collaboration space, launched its new brand!   Their history in developing innovative video collaboration products is impressive and an increased focus on UC and mobile technologies will continue to change the way people collaboration. 

In a mission to unite devises, operating systems and service provides; Polycom will make video ubiquitous through secure and easy to use technology that delivers a high quality experience to everyone, everywhere.  Watch their video below.

These are exciting times in the visual collaboration space and we cannot wait to see what Polycom comes up with next!

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Here Today, Here Tomorrow

May 21st, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Avvocato in Telepresence | Use Cases | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

Using Video to Improve Work/Life Balance on the Road

You’re sitting in your hotel room and sigh: another missed baseball game. You start thinking of all the defining moments you’ve missed in your child’s life.  From the first words, to the first day of school, to a straight A’s report card; you can’t help but feel you’re missing out. 

Even though travel has been reduced through visual collaboration solutions at work; you still travel frequently because, let’s face it, you can’t do everything over video. Sometimes a firm handshake is necessary to close a deal or unique technical expertise requires your presence.  How can you stay involved in your personal life without sacrificing your job? 

Video Conferencing. 

You use it frequently to conduct business with colleagues, clients and partners so why not use it to stay involved in your children’s lives? Instead of calling home every night, video home.  Read a bed time story, watch the baseball game in real time, or even express your disappointment on a bad choice, the possibilities are endless! With video, you no longer have to forfeit your personal life in the name of business or see the disappointed looks when you leave for yet another business trip. 

Face time is just as important in strengthening personal relationships as it is in developing business relationships. As the saying goes, eyes are the gateway to the soul.  It’s nearly impossible to establish an emotional connection or tell what someone is thinking without looking someone in the eyes. Phone calls and text messages while traveling just don’t cut it anymore; buy a webcam or an iPad and check in with family while on the road. 

Then, the next time you are traveling, you can sit around the dinner table, hear about your spouse’s day and even kiss your children goodnight…virtually.

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What’s My Motivation?

May 17th, 2012 | Posted by Adam Kaiser in Use Cases | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are several applications for video conferencing across different industries; manufacturing, healthcare and retail to name a few. There is one use case, however, that is universal throughout any organization, in any industry. 

The need to motivate your team. 

With so many pressures across the organization, it can be difficult to find the time to provide the motivation that your employees need.  A small initiative can help inspire a team to work through a tough project while a large, company-wide initiative can help build camaraderie.   Additionally, it can be difficult for organizations with several locations and remote workers to maintain team spirit and to motivate the business as one unit.

How can video help?  Think about these creative uses to help inspire your team:

  1. Happy Halloween! – Connect all of your remote sites via video and have a costume contest.  Each participant can “model” their costume and employees can vote for their favorite.  It’s a lot of fun and gives people the opportunity to poke fun at each other. What can be more motivating than a company that gives its employees the opportunity to have some fun at work?
  2. Kudos – At the end of a particularly successful quarter, the President/CEO can record a message to congratulate employees and update everyone on the latest developments across the organization.  A recorded message is a great practice for the end of each quarter as knowledge about how the company is doing can be motivating for employees.
  3. Virtual Water Cooler – It can be challenging for employees who do not work in the office to feel part of the team and company.  Setup a video system in the cafeteria near a water cooler and keep it connected to other locations.  Now people can have the same ad-hoc conversations about family, their weekends, etc. over video.  This type of office camaraderie can go a long way!
  4. Holiday Party – Many organizations have holiday parties around the winter season and, for the most part, this party occurs near headquarters.  But what about those who work in other locations and cannot attend?  Bring a video system to the party and keep it running the whole night.  Those on the remote side can chat with the party goers and even rock along to Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi!

Motivation cannot be measured.  However, utilizing video to make everyone feel a part of the team will result in a measurable gain in productivity and help your employees perform at the highest level possible.

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