Talking CV can give contractors a new online recruitment profile

With the possibility of tough times approaching as the state of the economy worsens, recruiters will be filtering potential new contractors looking to recruit only the best.

And recruiters won’t just be looking at technical skills – they will be looking for team players who can very quickly fit-in with the rest of the team with the minimum of learning curve.

TalkingCV has launched a service aimed at both contract candidates and contractor recruiters that, according to TalkingCV managing director Peter Griffin, could cut time consuming initial interviews completely from the recruitment process:

“Contractors can go online and for a small fee, using a basic PC with a webcam, create a 3-dimensional personal profile to promote their best abilities. The video presentation sits alongside the contractor’s CV providing the recruiter with a ‘real-life’ scenario as if they were physically in the same room as the candidate.”

Personal questions and dedicated web address

When recording their personal profile, contractors can choose the questions they want to answer in the virtual interview and once the profile is logged with TalkingCV, they will receive a dedicated web address that they can send to agencies and clients.

The online system does not allow ‘gimmicky’ presentations and the pre-set questions are clear and precise, to ensure a level playing field for all contractors.

An added benefit to contractors is that they can record their profile from any web enabled PC with a webcam from anywhere in the world, allowing total flexibility and the potential to apply for international contracts.

Time savings for recruiters

The technology can be licensed to specific recruitment agencies and end-user clients, providing a portal through which contractors must pass before being considered for new contracts.

Recruiters will be able to profile contractors regardless of their location, as Griffin explains: “The client or agency can have their own branded microsite where contractors can upload their personal profile and the questions they have to answer have been preset by the recruiter.”

Rather than interviewing many contractors for the position, the agency or client can view the personal profile and gauge the contractor’s personality, communication skills and other attributes.

If the contractor has stated on their cv that they are fluent in French, the online personal profile can be used to test this, so providing the recruiter with a genuine snapshot of what the contractor is really like.

Are TalkingCVs the future of recruitment?

Agencies and clients are always seeking new ways to add efficiencies to their business, so reducing the time and expense of the recruitment process will appeal to recruiters.

But is this new way forward a good thing for contractors? Griffin thinks it is: “By viewing personal profiles online, recruiters actually have the opportunity to gain deeper insights into more potential contractor recruits than through face-to-face interviews.

“And because agencies and clients can screen potential contractor recruits at such an early stage, there will be less time wasted by contractors attending fruitless interviews.”

Competitive edge

If online contractor personal profiles do become increasingly popular, as Griffin forecasts, contractors who do not embrace this new opportunity may find themselves missing contract opportunities to those who do.

“We have over one hundred recruiters using our service already and this is increasing every day,” says Griffin. “TalkingCVs will replace first round interviews as the primary method for agencies and clients to screen contractors.”

Published: Tuesday, July 29, 2008

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