For decades, job interviews were overwhelmingly an in-person endeavor. Then COVID hit in 2020, catalyzing the popularity (and necessity) of video interviews. But as the pandemic wanes and we enter the post-pandemic era, we wanted to know: how do candidates want to interview these days?
In our 2024 Candidate Experience Report, we set about to find out. We asked our survey respondents – a pool of over 2500 job seekers from around the globe and across industries – about their interview style preferences.
Did they want to return to the warmth and engagement of in-person interviews? Or had the convenience of video interviews won them over?
As it turns out, the greatest proportion of job seekers held no preference for whether their interviews were conducted face-to-face or over video, with 43% feeling indifferent (as long as the interview itself was fair).
This isn’t to say that preferences don’t exist. When we segmented the data by different demographics, we found some interesting trends that could be useful to your hiring process.
For example, the youngest (under 25) and oldest (over 55) age groups both preferred interviewing in person over video interviewing. For the 55 and over crowd, this is likely based on their comfort with the format, as it was how they have typically interviewed throughout their career. And after spending their high school and college days behind a screen, the under 25 demographic is eager to make connections in person.
Interestingly, women generally prefer video interviews more than men, with 37% of female respondents choosing virtual interviews compared to just 29% of men. While we’re not certain exactly why this preference exists, it may be related to perceived gender discrimination, or the greater accessibility video interviews offer women who may be having to juggle childcare on top of their job search.
We also found a difference in preference based on educational background. In general, a higher degree trended towards a preference for video interviews. Job seekers with bachelor’s degrees preferred video interviews (41%) over in-person (19%), while those with a high school diploma or less favored in-person interviewing (42%) over virtual (20%). For those with less education, this trend may be based on the belief that someone is better able to prove their value to a potential employer face-to-face, compared to relying on a thinner resume. Contrastingly, those with higher level degrees may feel their accomplishments are compelling on their own and the convenience of a video interview is too good to pass up.
Another set of preferences that stuck out when we compared preferences across industries. Those looking for work in the tech sector had a stronger preference for video interviews (44% for virtual, 14% for in-person), while those looking for a job in manufacturing greatly preferred in-person interviews (49% for in-person, 16% for virtual). These findings were unsurprising, as many tech workers are keen on remote work, while manufacturing jobs are overwhelmingly done onsite.
So in general, if you find that either in-person or virtual interviewing works better for your hiring process, don’t fret about turning off candidates with it. Most hold no preference for how their interview is conducted; they only want it to be conducted well and to be evaluated fairly. However, certain industries and ages do have some degree of preference, so if you’re able to accommodate it, you might see an improvement in your candidate experience.
To dive deeper into the findings, download your copy of the 2024 Candidate Experience Report today.
