Video CV sender service puts agencies at the top

20-Feb-2008

Sue Weekes

Recruitment agencies can now send video CVs to clients, branded with a logo, via a service developed by the online job board Jobs2View.com.

Jonathan Glas, co-founder of Jobs2View, told Recruiter: "By allowing recruiters to email video CVs to their clients, fully branded with their company logo, we are enhancing the service they provide and giving them a unique selling point in a highly competitive market."

Arguably a recruiter could achieve the same effect by adding the URL of a candidate's page from one of the social networking sites which display video, but the Jobs2View service has a number of advantages.

It prevents the agency being 'backdoored' by an employer contacting the candidate direct and, importantly, it addresses one of the big fears associated with using video early in the recruitment process: the issue of potential discrimination.

"The viewer of a Jobs2View video CV must agree to take an unbiased view of the candidate, based purely on their ability to do the job, and agree to adhere to all anti-discrimination laws before they can view a video CV," explained Glas.

Recruiters email a candidate, asking them to record a video CV for a vacancy. The candidate follows a link in the email, taking them to the CV Builder section, which is branded with the agency's logo (although the builder resides on the Jobs2View.com site). Once they've completed the video CV, the Jobs2View video CV sender sends it to the client with a short message. The client clicks on a link and, after accepting the terms and conditions, can watch the CV in their own time.

Worcester-based agency Williams Recruitment has been using the service since the start of the year. Managing director Tom Leavesley told Recruiter that he believes the use of video brings another dimension to the recruiting process, allowing candidates to express themselves in their own words.

"A video CV is a memorable experience for the client and often puts the candidate at the top of the list," he said, adding: "Clients can even send a pre-defined list of questions for candidates to answer on the video."