Ewwww..
I run a global Talent Acquisition team and tried this for junior applicants at another company. Not a fan. Super awkward for the interviewer and in the time it take to watch you could have had a short live chat with the candidate. It’s not valuable IMO.
Right? I don’t know who would want to watch these. The only time it saves is the time of setting up a mutually agreeable time to have an in person interview. But you still have to take the time to watch it and it doesn’t feel like a good way to get a feel for a candidate.
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My work does those and I’m not a fan. I had to do one too. Best I can tell the main purpose is to get a feel for whether you can communicate coherently (in English), seem professional and generally don’t come off like a sociopath. I feel like this type of video screening lends itself to potential discrimination based on factors that are only apparent on camera. I haven’t observed this result, I’m just saying it could be tempting for a reviewer. Anyway, ours are timed and take no more than 15 minutes or so. I suppose when you have a lot of applicants, it’s as good a way as any to narrow them down.
We have two MORE interviews after this as we narrow down the pool. The last interview is the one with the finalist and maybe a backup.
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I would also be concerned that they send that to 100 candidates, all of whom prepare as best they can, and then the company either uses them to 1) skim through fast without really considering them, or 2) provides an opportunity to discriminate easily against some candidates. Option 1 seems like the college application process all over again, and #2 is just plain wrong but would not be surprising.
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Seems like it’s quite discriminatory against those with any kind of speech impediment or jarring physical appearance like a bad scar, which are probably easier to overcome in an interview/conversation that flows back and forth than in a video where the entire focus is on how you look and speak.
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Definitely.
I also got kind of worried I’d be screened out because I am…old-“ish” … especially in the IT world.
I prefer the term “experienced” 
but my kids would just say old.
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Yep. Seems like sooner or later someone rejected after a video is going to claim discrimination of some sort.
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We live in an old house and have had mice occasionally. I started wrapping dental floss around the peanut butter on the snap traps. We have caught the mouse every time with this trick. I have also used the electric rat zapper traps with a few pieces of dog food as bait. They work great, as well! I hope you get the mouse asap!
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To blame parents for the mental health crisis in the US is narrow minded and unrealistic. Look at Europe, where families are more tight knit and they stay in proximity multiple generations and have to know and manage everything and everyone. No such mental health nor opioid epidemic as in the US- there are many factors that contribute to the declining health in US ( mental and physical) and the college admissions system, the cut throat competition in college, the cost of education supported by parents, the alienation of families, the overuse of technology ( which btw is awesome in moderate amounts), the lack of universal health care and social services, life insecurity in general that is ubiquitous in US, not just for the poor, but for the middle class families, will take a toll. As far as self confidence and self reliance in young generations, k-12 US education system had made this a thing of the past. Coming from a country where kids were micromanaged until well in their 20s, I can say that my confidence, resilience, and self reliance were always excellent- here you go no humble bragging here- immigrated as a professional here, and built a life from nothing- started with 100$ and 2 suitcases of clothes in my mid twenties, and yes the micromanaging taught me to navigate life in the most difficult circumstances, and absolutely did not strip me of my confidence that I’ll achieve what I want, if I work hard and do it right. Parents do their best in a dysfunctional system, that’s how I see it, and it’s up to future generations to make it better for themselves. BUT, as long as these forums revolve on an on around grades and gps in hs and college, there will be a toll on these kids. When we’ll understand that one can get a 60% in linear algebra or calculus 3 or organic chemistry in highschool and still become a professional and make a life for themselves, maybe the weight will be lifted- college is not the destination to happiness nor success, but learning for the sake of learning, that’s what should matter.
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Again, NOT blaming parents here for the entire mental health crisis in the US. I know this topic triggers many but for those it does, step back and think why.
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I’m mystified by this. One of the complaints often leveled at today’s child rearing in the US is that parents do far too much micromanagement and scheduling of their kids, and remain as helicopter parents in college and even in the workplace, which supposedly leads to a lack of confidence, resilience and self-reliance.
My experience in what was presumably a different European country is that parents were (and to some extent still are) much more hands off, not least because kids have access to public transport and are trusted to travel on their own. There’s no concern about middle school kids getting on the bus or the tube in London on their own, unlike in New York where some adults think it should result in the parents being reported to the authorities and prosecuted.
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Guys, I feel reasonably confident that none of us are trying to blame anyone else for anything, nor is anyone saying anyone is doing anything wrong or badly. I think we’ve discussed some sensitive issues, there may have been some inartful wording or some reading in meaning that no one intended.
But I love this group! We are such a lovely supportive group of parents, with all of our diverse interests and backgrounds and kids. Let’s try to assume the best of each other, I don’t want to see feelings hurt on either end of any conversations.
There are so many potential land mines in the things we are talking about here. Some people will have kids get into schools where someone else’s kid gets rejected; some people’s kids will fall in love with a school only to find that the aid they receive isn’t enough to afford it and for other people cost may be no object. Some of our kids will want big athletics or big Greek life and others will want smaller and quirkier and more artsy or cerebral. None of those things are wrong, just different.
If we’re going to be able to talk about all of these potentially charged topics, we need to remember to extend grace to each other when we can.
What else can we talk about today? Anyone watching football playoffs? I signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime yesterday because I was so annoyed that I couldn’t watch the Ravens game.
And yes, that means I don’t have prime. We’re practically luddites, we have no streaming services either. Before S22 went to college friends were all “you’ll have to have prime so you can send stuff to kid at college”. Nope, 2.5 years in and still no prime. I don’t pay for shipping either, I just add random stuff whenever I send him something.
Case in point - he took the train back to school yesterday and just had no room to carry shampoo and body wash (and was out at school). So I sent those via amazon, but those are cheap, so to get the free shipping minimum I also sent snacks - his favorite fancy granola bars and some nuts. Sometimes I add a silly thing - like an “extreme” dot to dot book, or a goofy stuffed animal.
Am I spending more than I would on prime, maybe. But I love the idea of him opening these weird care packages and knowing I’m thinking of him and also laughing at whatever quirky thing I’ve sent.
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I love your post! It perfectly captures how supportive this thread has been. No football here today, but I think we will go see a movie. Either the vampire one, a heist one or the showgirl one.
My son, who should be practicing for a guitar audition, is banging away in the garage on a recently acquired hand-me-down drum set. The whole house thumps. I will never complain about the electric guitar again!
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Agreed! We survived the election with minimal arguments so we can navigate this. I am grateful for this space and the feedback/support. Let’s move on!
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It is times like these that I am glad my kids weren’t interested in music. I often joke the my sister must hate me. One year for Christmas she gave one kid a keyboard and the other kid an electric guitar… and she included amps for both. (A friend was selling off music equipment to make some money so she thought the instruments would be good for my kids. Because of course a seven year old needs an electric guitar AND AMP.)
The guitar and keyboard have since gone to other homes along with one amp.
The other amp is part of my S22’s music system. Last winter break he called to me all excited because he had found “some kind of music playing device” and he could hook up the amp and blast music.
Friends, this “music playing device” was the stereo that I saved all my pennies to buy in 1992. I didn’t even know it was still in the house and, apparently, my kids had never seen A STEREO. He seriously thought it was some kind of funky technology. He was so stoked to find he could hook his iPhone into the input jack (for a microphone maybe?) and blast music through the stereo and amp. My whole house was shaking.
That amp goes to 11.
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I went primeless for years but eventually I caved to get something I needed in time. 95% of the time the non prime speed was fine so I’m kind of annoyed. Oh, and go Ravens!
We live in NYC and my son started going to school by himself on public transportation in 7th grade (in 6th grade he had the school bus), and so did most of his middle school friends. I’ve never seen “moral panic” around kids getting themselves to school in middle school from anyone who actually lives in NYC.
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I think what @Twoin18 is referring to is what led to the Free Range Kids movement. Lenore Skenazy let her nine year old take the subway in NYC and people freaked out. Yes, nine is less than “middle school age” but the point remains the same.
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Yes I should have been clearer about the age range. I took the tube in London on my own from age 7 and commuted solo to school for 1.5 hours each way every day from the age of 10.
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