[nicholasjbs]

I appreciate your skepticism :) We think there's actually a lot you can learn about someone by watching and listening to them speak, particularly when they're talking about what they're passionate about or why they want to work at your company.

Another advantage is that, for some people at least, it's a lot easier to just record yourself speaking for 60 seconds than to write a cover letter (which have become engineered to point of being pretty bland, IMHO).

[ktsmith]

There's also the exact opposite issue for some people. I don't really have a problem opening up or making a personal connection in person. I cringe hearing or seeing myself on video. I can't stand it, even if I'm seeing a video of my son and I playing which I love. A company requiring a video recording as part of the application process would be an instant pass for me since you wouldn't be getting me, you'd be getting the extremely uncomfortable self conscious version of me.

[orangecat]

Ditto. This strikes me as great for extroverts and terrible for introverts.

[nitrogen]

By nature I'm somewhat of an introvert, so I have to apply a conscious effort to speak out at parties and other social events. I see this as a great excuse for myself and others like me to keep practicing and improving. The fact that your personality type is "introverted" doesn't mean you actually have to remain an introvert.

[notahacker]

you don't need to be introverted to find the idea of trying to convey your personality to an unknown, unseen interviewer a little awkward.