Be Seen Without Meeting

This story originally appeared here in the August issue of Business Review Australia magazine.

In the modern business world, printing your CV on coloured paper or spritzing it with a sweet fragrance probably won’t make your work experience jump off the page and help you land that job interview.

This was the problem confronting Matthew Hughes who, at 24, had a CV lacking in sparkle but a personality that could win over just about any interviewer.

“My experience wasn’t jumping on paper,” said Hughes, now 28. “I knew that if I just got in front of people that they would see my drive and my passion to do the job.”

While YouTube features thousands of digital resumes and how-to videos, Hughes and his business partner, Patrick Flaherty, realised there wasn’t an easy-to-use platform that helped streamline the process. At the time, the pair was running a home grown recruitment agency in Sydney and finding it difficult to keep up with the number of candidates applying for available positions.

“We couldn’t meet with as many people as we wanted to in the city,” said Hughes. “What it came down to was, do we really need to meet them? Is it really necessary? Eighty per cent of the time, you’d be meeting people [you should have pre-screened] over the phone.”

To keep this time-consuming occurrence from happening repeatedly, and to help ease the job application and interview process, in 2011, Hughes and Flaherty launched the innovative online video platform known as infullview.

Individual Use

Using a profile created on the infullview website, an individualcan upload videos shot with their webcam that feature them discussing their qualifications and experience, or answering specific interview questions relevant to their desired industry. Links to their resume, social media accounts, portfolios and other relevant documents may also be uploaded to their profile to help strengthen their candidateship.

 “Our profiles provide hiring managers with a full review of a job applicant’s skills including the applicant’s appearance and communication style, which a CV simply can’t convey,” said infullview’s cofounder Patrick Flaherty. “This allows for a ‘right first time’ review process for businesses, while allowing the individual to truly standout by showing their personality on video.”

Business Use

On the corporate end, a business may create a profile that lists any vacant positions, interview questions they would like people to answer in their videos, and background information about the company.

Digitising the interview process is not a new concept: plenty of companies around Australia are utilising platforms such as Skype and Hirevue to interview candidates from other cities, states and even countries. Where infullview fills in the gap is in the beginning of the whole process by giving job candidates a free tool to help make it to the next step, as well as equipping interviewers with a better-rounded look at their prospective candidates.

“We’re revolutionising how individuals apply for a job in the very beginning of the process,” said Hughes. “Currently, our competitors have given businesses a platform to use once they’ve sorted through CVs and selected candidates. We’re giving businesses and individuals the ability to use video during the application process.”

It’s an idea that certainly would have come in handy for Hughes back when he felt that his CV failed to really show his personality and determination.

“Looking back, video would have been an awesome way to show it,” he said.