Interviewing in the Age of the Jetsons???

As a small child, I watched the "Jetsons" cartoon with rapt attention. After all, this was going to be my future, and I was so excited to know I would have a phone that would project an actual image of the person I was speaking to. I would be able to see their face! And need I even mention the flying cars?

I could not wait.

Time and technology have progressed at light speed. Do you ever stop and consider how much technology has changed in your lifetime and wonder what the future holds? The days of robots and artificial intelligence are upon us. Sometimes I wish time could stop so we human beings could catch up emotionally and adapt to the non-human being aspects that some forms of technology have taken.

There are many methods to interview for a job. A relatively new method is to have a job interview using text message. A new company, Canvas, uses a platform that targets millennials. Canvas believes that millennials dislike phone calls, and that they prefer email and the popular app, Slack. As Canvas CEO Aman Brar says, "If every aspect of our life - booking a hotel, talking to colleagues, meeting a spouse - can be initiated with text-based conversation, why would talent be immune?"

A recruiter can utilize this text interview platform to screen and recruit. Recruiters can store custom screening questions and machine learning can suggest other items for them to ask or share with the applicant. Job information and benefits can be sent to the applicant with a simple click. The software analyzes the candidate’s responses and also creates shareable transcripts of the conversations for those who may need to see them. As a candidate progresses in the interview process, an actual phone call with a real human being may be required.

Instead of having to schedule thirty-minute phone screens and juggling time zones with candidates, text message screening protects the recruiters time and allows them to handle text conversations with multiple candidates at the same time. This could lead to more job placements for the recruiter.

One very interesting aspect of text interviewing is that immediate responses to questions are not needed or required. Both parties ask and answer questions at their own convenience. The candidate can take as much time as they need to consider a response. Some believe this is a fairer, less biased method because it decreases distractions of the phone screen or the time-honored face-to-face interview. The candidate’s actual voice, accent, or physical appearance doesn't come into play, which levels the playing field and reduces pressure.

As with anything that is new, text interviews come with a few snafus. The rules for text interviewing are still unknown. Some concerns include:

1. Texting is generally considered a very informal mode of communication.  Dealing with a stranger, should a candidate remain informal and casual or perhaps be a bit more professional?  Different people have different meanings of what exactly informal is, so how do they meet in the middle?

2. Texting doesn't necessarily have a standardized abbreviations list, so should the candidate use commonly accepted abbreviations? And what about regional or geographical abbreviations?

3. To emoji or not? In an attempt to express your individual personality, should emojis be used in text interviews? A sense of humor is a personal trait, and some of us may have a quirkier sense of humor than others. Maybe a happy face emoji or a thumbs up is the safest to use, while the poop emoji should be avoided.

4. A major decision to be made is whether or not to use the anger-implying, passive-aggressive, this-conversation-is-over solitary, simple period.  Should the no period rule be honored for a text message job interview? If the period is used, is it considered as bad as all caps or the exclamation mark? The candidate and recruiter do not know each other, so how to proceed?

Text message interviewing is a newer concept, and the kinks are being worked out in real time. What needs to be remembered is that it is still a job interview. Having time to reply to your interview questions means there is more time to thoughtfully consider your responses and sell yourself in the most persuasive manner so that you will be the chosen candidate for the next step –  the speak-to-a-real-person interview!

So even though technology is progressing faster than we can keep up, human contact in a job will eventually be the desired end result of the text message interview.  The multitude of tips and articles on job interview skills still apply to make our human qualities more valuable to employers and the businesses they run. Some learned aspects of studying with an interview coach can be translated into day-to-day skills that will enhance your new position.

Like George Jetson, I now have my phone that I can see a real-time image of the person with whom I am conversing. I'm thankful for the technology that provides this wonder that I first saw as a child. Now please, where is my flying car?