Resumes give employers a limited understanding of the character of a candidate. While an individual may meet the requirements of the job and have incredible work experience under their belt, the reality is, they may not fit the work culture. When staff don’t mesh well together this drastically impacts employee satisfaction and productivity. This is why we screen candidates face-to-face, just to make sure.

TeloInterview Founders George and Martin and one of SPARK Deakin’s 2017 Accelerator winners, have found a way to make this process easier through tech. Birthed only 6 months ago, but committed full time, TeloInterview has something valuable to offer recruiters and employers.

This is how it works:

You are a recruiter looking for a candidate to fill a Project Management position in a company you represent. You put out your ad on LinkedIn and Seek and within a week or two you’re flooded with over 50 applications. As a recruiter, you’re also looking for candidates for a number of other positions, so it’s easy to get an overloaded inbox. One Wednesday morning, you sit down to make a shortlist of the 10 best applicants. You’d love to meet all of them, but you simply don’t have the time. Instead you them an email, congratulate them on making the shortlist and send them a link to TeloInterview.

On TeloInterview’s platform, you will input a number of questions you would ask in an interview, and each candidate with the link will have to answer them in real time over video. The following Wednesday, when it’s time to figure out which candidates make it to round 2, all you’ll do is sit down and watch 10 videos. No need to set up a time and place and reschedule and buy coffee and waste 10 minutes if they’re late or caught in traffic. No need to block out time to see each person only to have them not show up or bail last minute… simply watch in the in-between moments or on a quiet Thursday (if they exist). From here you can shortlist 3-5 and make time to meet them face-to-face. Excellent.

George and Martin say that they “don’t want recruiters or employers to feel like it’s another thing they have to learn. It’s all about saving time and making the process easier”. It sounds like TeloInterview will do just that.

So, let’s talk business.

What have been some of the challenges you have encountered over the last 6 months?

Reflecting on the challenges and the way that businesses overcome them is an incredible way to learn and implement those takeaways in our own entrepreneurial journeys. George and Martin both addressed similar challenges on their journey with TeloInterview.

“Trying to keep the product as simple as possible while making it as useful as possible was the initial challenge…. And making sure that when talking to those who are going to be using it, we communicate correctly that it’s not designed to replace the interview process, rather a tool you can use to enhance it, or make it easier.”

‘How do we get in front of more people?’ is something that many business owners question on a regular basis, no matter the size and George and Martin spoke of a similar challenge.

How good is hindsight?

One of our favourite questions to ask our Accelerators is “what piece of advice would you give yourself when you began this journey?”. For Martin and George, it’s only been 6 months, but they weren’t hesitant when we asked this question.

“Make the most of the time you have available, time progresses very quickly. It feels like we came up with the idea yesterday!” In the scheme of things, they certainly have, but it’s amazing how quickly you can look back on time and question exactly what you’ve managed to achieve. It’s only through undertaking the journey, especially in tech, do you realise just how many steps it will take to get you to your end point.

“Make sure you prioritise the direct path. There is always going to be a million ideas and a million ways to get things done.”

How has the SPARK program been beneficial?

SPARK Deakin’s Accelerators have access to a number of incredible opportunities and support such as: $10, 000, $7, 500 Amazon Web Credits, free co-working space, free legal advice, mentoring and a bunch of great workshops. However, each team will find a different element of the Accelerator valuable. For TeloInterview the co-working space took “the intensity off by giving us a consistent place to work.” The legal advice was also helpful, despite both George and Martin having studied law. “We could not have done what they have helped us with… we wouldn’t even know where to start because we don’t have experience. The advice we’ve received has been incredibly valuable”.

They also said that by being supported by SPARK Deakin was great for TeloInterview’s credibility. “You do get a lot more attention and interest when you’re backed by Deakin. It’s a good namedrop”.

Where can we find you?

Martin and George are heeding their own advice and by prioritising their time, are not focusing on social channels just yet. Obviously, you can check out their website here, otherwise feel free to check out their LinkedIn company profile. 

If you’re a Deakin student, alumni or staff member and are interested in SPARK Deakin’s Accelerator Program, click here! Successful applicants will receive a $10,000 grant, access to mentors, comprehensive workshops, legal advice and more. Keep an eye on the important dates and pop them in your diaries when they’re live!