Ziggeo’s Data Day: Multiple Videos from Candidates Perceived as Negative

We recently spoke with someone in charge of recruiting for a startup.  She mentioned she limits the time candidates have to record their videos to 5 minutes.  In a few cases, candidates who have more to say uploaded multiple videos. She remarked that her strongest candidates were able to make a strong case for themselves within the 5 minute limit. In fact, to date, she didn’t seriously consider any candidates who needed to upload multiple videos.

We thought it would be interesting to collect data from multiple sources on whether candidate who uploaded multiple videos were able to make a strong case for themselves.  We found that other interviewers had a similar reaction. It turns out that candidates who submit more than one video are less likely to have high ratings from interviewers.

Here’s the data:

• Rated 5: one video: 98.68% vs. more than one video: 1.32%
• Rated 4: one video: 97.65% vs. more than one video:  2.35%
• Rated 3: one video: 96.69% vs. more than one video: 3.31%
• Rated 2: one video: 94.42% vs. more than one video: 5.58%
• Rated 1: one video: 87.72% vs. more than one video: 12.28%

Interpreting the data: of all submissions that were rated 3, 96.69% of the candidates submitted exactly one video and 3.31% submitted more than one video.

Takeaway: the likelihood of receiving a lower rating is higher when you submit more than one video.

The moral of the story: Be concise - don’t record twice!