It’s not just about what they can use the video for. This also lets them screen for a lot of protected classes without actually asking about them. Your name and resume don’t convey your skin color, your accent doesn’t come out in your work history, nobody can make guesses about your sexuality based on your work email address, but these all become much more easy to discriminate against with a video. All under the pretext of “We didn’t like their answer to the question.”
And you don’t even get the context of an interview to defend yourself.
In the US, it certainly isn’t. It’s viewed as a red flag for a US company to ask for a photo unless the job is something where appearance is an important quality like actor or model. I think the US grapples with this kind of discrimination more than many of the countries where it’s the norm.
It’s not just about what they can use the video for. This also lets them screen for a lot of protected classes without actually asking about them. Your name and resume don’t convey your skin color, your accent doesn’t come out in your work history, nobody can make guesses about your sexuality based on your work email address, but these all become much more easy to discriminate against with a video. All under the pretext of “We didn’t like their answer to the question.”
And you don’t even get the context of an interview to defend yourself.
All excellent points.
I understand others, but your sexuality? If you’re not literally wearing a pride flag, how could they work that one out just from a video of you?
Stereotypes. A few that come to mind:
An affectation like a lisp
A buzzcut
An androgynous appearance
Your name is (usually) a pretty big giveaway for your ethnicity, and in most countries it’s the norm to have a picture of yourself on your resume
In the US, it certainly isn’t. It’s viewed as a red flag for a US company to ask for a photo unless the job is something where appearance is an important quality like actor or model. I think the US grapples with this kind of discrimination more than many of the countries where it’s the norm.
If you want to know what I look like, bring me in for an in person interview.