Video interviewing technology appears to be gaining traction. The percent of staffing firms automating the video interview process for buyers rose to 36% in 2021 from 25% in 2017, according to data in a new report by Staffing Industry Analysts, “Candidate Evaluation Tools: Interviewing Platforms.”

Interview tools provide more than just video interviewing functionality. Other functions can include chatbots, candidate analytics and interview scheduling.

Interviewing platforms most commonly serve professional occupations, with IT and engineering the most widely penetrated areas at 86% and 76%, respectively, according to the report. Yet, it noted the penetration rate was 71% in the office/clerical segment — pointing to opportunities for commercial staffing firms to put such technologies in place.

Also, “interviewing platforms” is this week’s Staffing Word of the Week. SIA’s Lexicon defines interviewing platforms as:

“Solutions that let employers connect with candidates via technology and perform ad-hoc or custom assessments. While companies offering psychometric and skills tests generally have developed a specific area of expertise, interviewing platforms are more holistic solutions that often come with a variety of pre-packaged assessments and the ability to design custom assessments. This category includes a number of job-focused applications like collaborative video interviewing software. Advanced tools for interviewing candidates use artificial intelligence to monitor ‘micro-expressions’ to determine mood, speech recognition and psychological traits.”

The full Lexicon is available free online. The report, “Candidate Evaluation Tools: Interviewing Platforms,” is available to corporate members of Staffing Industry Analysts.