This Unofficial Holiday Might Land You A Legit Job–Through Your Smartphone

Today is World Hiring Day, and hundreds of marquee employers are celebrating with a massive online hiring blitz.

The holiday, which was created by video recruiting and training platform HireVue, will put thousands of job candidates in front of their webcams in the hopes that they’ll land their next job digitally. On the other end, recruiters and hiring managers from major brands, including Netflix, Delta, Hilton Worldwide, Jet.com, Chipotle, Carnival Cruise Lines, and others will watch, rate, and share these videos in an effort to fill thousands of open positions.

“World Hiring Day is about injecting positivity into the process by giving both companies and candidates the opportunity to discover great fits—all from their mobile devices, all on their own time,” Mark Newman, the founder and chief customer officer for HireVue, said in a statement.

The Benefits Of Video Interviews

Boston Consulting Group and Recruit Works Institute surveyed 13,000 individuals from 13 countries and found that 35% of job seekers used a smartphone to look for jobs. As resumes and cover letters are increasingly considered antiquated and ineffective, and there’s increased competition for employers in certain sectors, more hiring managers are turning to video interviews as an alternative. While it has helped streamline the hiring process, it can leave many, and particularly those unfamiliar with video interviews, at a disadvantage.

“We’re seeing a dramatic increase in first-round video interviews, even over a year ago,” Adam Robinson, cofounder and CEO of Chicago-based Hireology, a hiring management software platform, told Fast Company.

When Jim Oddo was tasked with hiring 1,000 new employees at Frontier, he championed a “video-first” approach as the company’s vice president of HR, according to a previous report in Fast Company. This approach enabled the company to reach out to candidates that were often left out from traditional hiring practices, such as veterans. After incorporating digital interviewing, Frontier’s veteran hiring grew from 7% to 10.4%.

“Being comfortable with these tools and presenting a concise picture of your profile is going to be just as important as time spent on resume building,” Chris Brown, vice president of human resources at West Corporation, InterCall’s parent company told Fast Company, adding, “Candidates who are able to master the video interview process are going to be ahead of the curve in the hiring process.”

How To Nail A Video Interview

While many of the tactics are similar to in-person interviews, there are some additional considerations candidates should make before conducting a video interview.

Robinson suggests test driving the technology before the interview begins, and be connected to both a power adapter and broadband internet. Having a back-up device can also be a lifesaver in case of technical difficulties.

“It shows that you’re forward thinking about problems, and it will also ensure that you can at least finish out the interview by phone,” he says, adding that candidates should also set up their devices in a distraction-free environment. “If you’re doing the interview and you have kids running around and a dog barking, not only is it going to be distracting and make it hard for you to focus,” he explains, “but it’s going to affect the hiring manager’s opinion of you.”

Robinson also suggests making eye contact, even through a web cam, and being conscious of body language. Most importantly, however, is to remember to wear pants, which he says can provide a psychological advantage while eliminating the possibility of seeming unprofessional if there is a need to stand up during the interview.