If you're drowning in CVs or tired of endless first-round interviews, this one's for you. Recruiters and talent teams—especially in agencies or fast-moving in-house settings—know the pain of manual screening. Enter Odro, a video interview platform that promises to take some of the grunt work out of early-stage candidate review. But is it all it's cracked up to be, and how do you actually use it to save real time? Let's get into the nuts and bolts.
1. Get Clear About What You Want to Automate
Before you start shoving candidates into a new workflow, stop and ask: What part of your screening is actually slowing you down? Odro can help with:
- Screening video introductions (so you don’t have to schedule every “quick call”)
- Asking knockout questions up front
- Sharing candidate clips with hiring managers (and getting faster feedback)
It won’t magically fix a broken hiring process or make bad candidates good. If you’re still fighting for clear job specs or battling overcomplicated scorecards, fix that first.
Pro tip: Write down the one thing that eats up most of your screening time. Focus your Odro setup on solving that.
2. Set Up Your Knockout Questions—But Don’t Go Overboard
Odro lets you create structured video or text questions candidates answer asynchronously. This is your chance to screen out people who just aren’t a fit, without eating up your own calendar.
- Start with 2–4 questions. More than that and you’ll lose good candidates who smell a time-waster.
- Make at least one question practical (“Tell us about a time you…” beats “What are your strengths?”).
- Use close-ended questions for must-haves (“Are you eligible to work in the UK?”).
- Avoid “gotcha” questions or anything that feels overly clever. You want honest answers, not rehearsed performances.
Skeptical take: Some recruiters try to automate all screening. That rarely works. Use these questions to filter out obvious non-fits, not to make a final hiring decision.
3. Build a Candidate-Friendly Workflow
Candidates aren’t robots. If your video process feels like a chore, they’ll bail—or worse, tell their friends.
- Keep instructions short and clear.
- Let candidates re-record answers (unless you’re specifically testing for on-the-spot thinking).
- Set reasonable deadlines—24–48 hours is fair for most.
- Don’t force everyone through the same hoops. If someone’s already been referred or is a top prospect, maybe they skip the video stage.
What to skip: Don’t use every bell and whistle just because it’s there. Animations, long-winded intros, or “fun” features are usually more annoying than engaging.
4. Use Odro’s Shortlisting Tools (But Don’t Be Lazy About It)
Odro’s platform lets you review responses quickly and shortlist candidates for next steps. Here’s how to actually move faster:
- Use the rating system, but don’t trust it blindly. A quick “thumbs up” or “down” can help, but always check the context.
- Tag or comment on candidate videos so you remember why you liked—or passed on—someone.
- Share clips with hiring managers using Odro’s “Highlight Reel” feature. It’s faster than sending full interviews, but get managers to focus on substance, not just how confident someone is on camera.
Honest truth: Video is a filter, not a crystal ball. Some great candidates are awkward on camera but ace the job. Don’t let “polished” equal “qualified” in your own mind—or your client’s.
5. Integrate With Your Existing Tools (Or Don’t Bother)
Odro plays pretty well with most Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), but integrations always sound smoother than they actually are.
- If you sync with your ATS, check that candidate status, notes, and video links flow both ways.
- Test the integration with a few dummy candidates before rolling it out.
- Don’t feel pressured to integrate everything day one. Sometimes a simple export or copy-paste does the job, especially if your volume isn’t huge.
Pro tip: If you find yourself troubleshooting more than screening, step back. The point is to save time, not add a new admin headache.
6. Communicate With Candidates—Don’t Leave Them Hanging
Automation is great, but radio silence kills your reputation.
- Set up auto-responses to confirm submission, but personalize follow-ups when you move candidates forward or reject them.
- If you’re using Odro for the first time, tell candidates what to expect and why you’re using video. Transparency builds trust.
- Watch for drop-off rates. If lots of candidates abandon mid-process, your questions or instructions might be the problem.
What to ignore: Don’t rely on a generic “thank you” email or hope the platform’s default messages are good enough. Spend 10 minutes making these sound like a human wrote them.
7. Review and Refine—Don’t “Set and Forget”
You’ll get the most from Odro if you treat it like a living part of your process, not a one-time install.
- After a month, check: Are you actually saving time? Are the right candidates making it through?
- Ask for feedback from both candidates and hiring managers. What annoyed them? What worked?
- Tweak your questions, deadlines, and process based on real data—not just gut feel.
Keep it simple: If something isn’t working, cut it. Don’t be precious about your setup.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Here’s the straight talk:
What works: - Asynchronous video saves you from endless “first interviews” that go nowhere. - Candidates who are serious will take the time to respond thoughtfully. - Hiring managers can see and hear candidates early, which can speed up decision-making.
What doesn’t: - Overly complex workflows just create new bottlenecks. - Relying solely on video screening can bias you toward confident speakers, not just qualified people. - Automating every single step kills the human touch (and the candidate experience).
What to ignore: - Flashy features you don’t need - Promises of “AI-powered hiring perfection” - Advice that says you can set it and forget it
Keep It Simple—and Keep Tweaking
Odro can save you a serious chunk of time on candidate screening, but only if you use it thoughtfully. Focus on what actually slows you down and build your process around that. Don’t get seduced by features you’ll never use. Start small, watch what happens, and adjust as you go. Simple wins, every time.