Inside JobTarget: A Conversation with Ingrid Wang, Senior Product Manager, Candidate Manager and Video Screener

Dear reader,

Welcome to Inside JobTarget — a new blog series where we sit down with the people behind our products to share the stories, ideas, and insights that shape them.

In this eighth conversation, we’re diving into Video Screener — what it is, why we built it, who it’s for, and how it’s helping recruiters and hiring teams solve today’s biggest hiring challenges.

Interview with Ingrid Wang, Senior Product Manager, Candidate Manager and Video Screener.

Who is this product built for? 

Ingrid: We built Video Screener for recruiters and hiring managers who are overwhelmed with applications but don’t have enough real insight into candidates to make hiring decisions faster.

Right now, the typical process is: you post a job, get flooded with applicants, and then spend hours scheduling and doing phone screens, only to realize pretty quickly that a lot of those candidates aren’t actually a fit or aren’t that interested. And with AI making it easier to mass-apply, that problem is only getting worse.

So this is especially for smaller or mid-sized teams that don’t have a big recruiting function. A lot of these teams are being asked to do more with fewer people, and they just don’t have time to screen everyone manually.

At the same time, we thought a lot about the candidate experience too. This gives job seekers a low-pressure way to introduce themselves, all on their own time, with the ability to re-record if they want, so they can strategically make their own first impression, beyond just a resume.

What problem does it solve?

Ingrid: At a high level, Video Screener is meant to replace the traditional phone screen, which is one of the most time-consuming and hardest-to-scale parts of hiring.

Instead of scheduling calls, recruiters can set up a short list of questions and candidates respond with video or audio, whenever it works for them.

The idea is simple: before I spend 30 minutes on a call, can I spend a couple of minutes getting a feel for this person? It helps recruiters get a much more personal sense of candidates earlier in the process and decide how to move forward.

What does it help recruiters do?

Ingrid: It helps in three main ways.

First, it saves a huge amount of time. Recruiters spend way too much of their day just coordinating schedules and doing initial screens. This cuts all of that out. You can review responses whenever you want, much faster.

Second, it gives you better insight earlier. A resume tells you what someone has done, but a video shows you how they communicate, their energy, and how interested they are in the role itself.

And third, it surfaces things you just can’t get from a resume like how someone thinks through a question, how clearly they explain themselves, things like that. Those are often the signals that actually tell you whether someone will be successful.

Why should companies invest in it? Even during hiring slowdowns?

Ingrid: Honestly, the bigger cost isn’t the tool. It’s a slow hiring process.

Every open role costs money, especially revenue-generating roles. And every bad hire is expensive when you factor in training, lost productivity, and having to hire again.

On top of that, every minute a recruiter spends on the wrong candidate is time they’re not spending on the right one. And that same candidate may accept another offer in the meantime.

What makes Video Screener more valuable is that it’s part of a bigger system. It’s not just a standalone tool — it fits into the full JobTarget 360 plan, where you’re attracting candidates, managing them, communicating with them, and screening them all in one place.

So it helps make sure that all that applicant volume actually turns into quality hires, not just more noise.

During hiring slowdowns is actually when it becomes even more useful.

When budgets are tight, recruiting teams usually get smaller, but hiring doesn’t completely stop. You still need to fill key roles, just with fewer resources.

And at the same time, there’s more pressure to make the right hire. You can’t afford wasted interviews or bad decisions.

Video Screener helps by giving you better signals earlier, so you can move faster and be more confident in who you’re advancing.

There’s also a competitive angle. Strong candidates still have options, even in a slower market. Companies that move faster and offer a smoother experience tend to win them.

How has the product gotten better since its launch?

Ingrid: A lot of the improvements have come directly from customer feedback.

One big one is the ability to invite anyone to complete a screener, not just people who applied through JobTarget. So if you meet someone at an event or get a referral, you can just send them a link.

We also added default questionnaires and templates, so now you can get a screener up and running instantly.

Another big improvement is automatic follow-ups. The system sends reminders via email and SMS, so recruiters don’t have to chase candidates.

And finally, transcription and sharing, so you can read responses in addition to watching the interviews, and easily pass candidates along to hiring managers without being a bottleneck.

How does this product connect with others within the JobTarget ecosystem?

It’s part of the JobTarget 360 plan.

Everything is connected. You start with tools that help you create better job posts, then distribute them widely to attract candidates. From there, Video Screener helps you quickly evaluate those applicants.

All of that flows into Candidate Manager, where you review and move candidates through the process, and Messaging to communicate with them.

We also have sourcing tools (Sourcer) for finding candidates proactively.

The big advantage is that everything happens in one place. You’re not jumping between different tools for posting jobs, screening candidates, and managing the pipeline. It’s all connected.

If you had to sum up this product in one phrase, what would it be?

Ingrid: Better candidates, faster.

You’re getting the right signals earlier, so you can make decisions faster.

Interview concluded.

Want to learn more about our Video Screener solution? 

Find more Video Screener content here. 

Learn more about Ingrid Wang here.