Video résumés show jobseekers in all their glory, but is discrimination also part of the picture? Here are the two views on the subject.
You’ve advertised for a spot in your organization, and now your e-mail inbox is bulging with résumés. As you work your way through the pile, one candidate has included a link that invites you to “See me talk about my background.” Do you click on it or not?
HR professionals and hiring managers increasingly face that decision, courtesy of the new phenomenon of video résumés.
Where once hiring was based on a playing field as level as a sheet of paper, with the only advantages in how jobseekers played out their credentials through choice of words, candidates can now project their total personalities, right at the outset. They no longer have to wait for when—or if—they get to the interview stage.
Is this good or bad? It depends on who you ask. Some recruiters like the idea. Some lawyers don’t. As for the government … Well, let’s give them the last word.
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Making the case against video résumés is the respected National Law Journal. Flatly declaring that “if a video résumé comes across your desk, hit the delete button,” the NLJ has major concerns about judging people based on an electronic self-portrait. Those concerns come down to multiple forms of possible discrimination:
–Discrimination based on appearance. Is the candidate visibly a member of a racial minority? Does he or she exhibit characteristics of a particular ethnic group or the “wrong” gender for the job? Are there signs of age over 40? Or a visible disability? If any of these factors are present, rejected candidates can later claim in court that you turned them down because of what you saw. And since you did look at their physical presence, how do you prove you didn’t?
–Economic discrimination. It can take a considerable investment to gather the camera, computer, and broadband Internet service needed to make and distribute a video résumé. Although there’s no law against rejecting jobseekers because they’re short on cash, (which, in fact, may make them more motivated to do a good job!), economics tend to rule out potential minority applicants, as minority groups generally have lower incomes. Anything that rules out a protected group is, by definition, discriminatory.
–Educational discrimination. Creating a video résumé also takes education and a measure of technical know-how. Again, minorities may be disadvantaged in this area.
Looking at the risks, attorney Cheryl Behymer of Fisher & Phillips in Atlanta, as reported on Legalblogwatch.com, advises employers to simply return video résumés without ever viewing them, with a request that they send a traditional version instead. “Just let them know ‘We don’t use video,’” she says on the website.
Many employers seem less than inclined to take her advice. In a poll sponsored by online job listing company, Vault, Inc., 17 percent said they’d already viewed video résumés and an overwhelming 89 percent said they’d be willing to doing so.
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Phillip Thune, CEO of HireMeNow.com, a site on which jobseekers can post video résumés, summarized the case for employing the technique.
“A video résumé allows a recruiter to assess a candidate’s communication skills, how the candidate presents him/herself, the level of enthusiasm – those are all qualities that a recruiter may legally use to make a hiring decision. Yes, the recruiter could also see the candidate’s age, sex, race, etc., but that is also true for the in-person interview, and nobody is suggesting we abolish those.”
Thune also says he’s consulted with “top employment lawyers, and they believe a video résumé is fine.”
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seems to be a bit on the fence over the issue. EEOC’s E-RACE website cautions against the résumés for the reasons listed above. But other statements from the agency on the issue are more qualified.
“The problem of video résumés potentially contributing to discrimination may always be a present issue,” said the EEOC’s Paula Bruner, in an interview with the SHRM publication, HR News, “unless there are some filters put in place.”
Incorporating Bruner’s advice and that of others, here are some “filters” you might want to utilize if you do consider video résumés in hiring:
–Never make submitting a video résumé a requirement for applying.
–If you allow video résumés, look at every one that meets your qualifications criteria. Random viewing can be a form of discrimination.
–Do your initial screening based on traditional résumés before viewing any video.
–Have a solid business reason for hiring one applicant over others, and keep notes on why you accepted or rejected each candidate considered.
At this writing, there hasn’t yet been a discrimination claims based on the use of video résumés. But stay tuned, because we’ll keep watching.
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