Recruitment is no longer a process confined to meeting rooms and phone calls. After COVID‑19, remote and hybrid work have become mainstream and the talent market has shifted accordingly.
LinkedIn reported that in the United States the number of employers offering remote work jumped by 357 % in 2021, and remote roles attract 2.5 times more applicants than office‑only jobs.
Candidates today want flexibility and safety and they expect recruiting solutions to offer a modern, video-first experience. This is where WebRTC comes in.
In this article, we will explore what the technology is, why it matters, and how platforms can use it effectively.
What is WebRTC?
WebRTC (Web Real‑Time Communication) is an open‑source project and web standard that enables real‑time audio, video and data transfer between browsers and native applications.
It works on top of peer‑to‑peer protocols and is implemented as simple JavaScript APIs in all modern browsers. WebRTC allows developers to access cameras, microphones and screens, build secure connections and send media streams directly between peers without plugins or downloads.
Because it is open source and supported by major vendors including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla, developers can use it freely in commercial applications. In fact, Google first released the library in 2011 and it became fully standardised around 2021.
At a technical level, WebRTC uses RTCPeerConnection to connect browsers. Signalling protocols such as Session Description Protocol (SDP) help peers agree on codecs, network ports and encryption keys. ICE, STUN, and TURN servers help with network traversal by letting people talk via firewalls or NATs. Once connected, media is sent using encrypted RTP (SRTP) packets, which safeguard audio and video from end to end.
This encryption, combined with peer‑to‑peer architecture, makes WebRTC particularly appealing for recruiting scenarios where candidate data must remain private.
Why Integrate WebRTC into Recruitment Platforms?
Bringing Back the Human Connection
Most recruitment platforms today either redirect candidates to Zoom/Meet or rely on clunky integrations. This means that candidates are put into a generic video room with no context or continuity, and recruiters lose control of the experience.
By integrating WebRTC natively -
- You don't have to swap contexts - The candidate is in the recruitment platform from the beginning to the end, therefore all signals go back to their profile.
- Adaptive bitrate and codecs like Opus/VP8 ensure a candidate on weak Wi-Fi in a Tier-2 city still appears real and doesn't freeze in the middle .
- You gain the ability to brand the environment making interviews feel like your product and not Google’s or Microsoft’s. This is a key branding advantage over redirection based workflows.
Flexible Interviewing Workflows
Traditional interviews take time to schedule and often result in drop‑offs. WebRTC enables both live and asynchronous workflows and teams can build custom virtual interview rooms where recruiters conduct multi‑person panels, share files or screens, and take private notes during the conversation.
Because the technology is browser‑based and cross‑platform, candidates can join from laptops, tablets or smartphones without installing anything. This reduces friction and increases attendance.
For early-stage screening, candidates can record responses to structured questions at their convenience and recruiters can review these recordings on their own schedule, allowing them to spend more time on meaningful conversations with qualified applicants.
Centralised Data and Automation
One of the biggest killers of recruiter productivity is fragmented data. A conversation on LinkedIn, a resume in email, an interview recording in Zoom Cloud and none of it speaks to each other.
A WebRTC-enabled recruitment platform changes this dynamic.
Every video, chat, and note is tied directly to the candidate profile. From there, you can layer automation - transcriptions feeding into ATS fields, AI sentiment scoring, even structured comparison reports across candidates. It transforms interviews from isolated conversations into data that can be searched, benchmarked, and acted upon - something traditional conferencing apps were never designed to deliver.
Cost and Time efficiency
At first glance, Zoom and Teams look inexpensive because they are bundled into enterprise packages. But, the hidden costs are real - per-seat licenses that sit unused, engineering time spent on brittle integrations, and recruiter hours lost in context switching. WebRTC removes these constraints.
It is open-source, license-free, and optimized for browser-based deployment. Development cycles shrink because the same codebase runs across web and mobile. And because usage costs scale with bandwidth and storage, you only pay in proportion to recruitment activity. This usage-based model aligns perfectly with the highs and lows of hiring cycles.
Better Candidate Experience and Employer Branding
Candidates judge employers by the smoothness of the process and being redirected to a Zoom link and at times signals that the company is making do with generic tools.
On the other hand, a WebRTC integration lets you have branded interview rooms, practice rooms, and even AI-based coaching tools. These little things show that the employer cares about the candidate's time and growth. The difference is small but important - a process that seems personalized and competent builds goodwill that lasts all the way to the offer acceptance rates.
Security and Compliance
Recruitment data is highly sensitive including personal histories, compensation details, and in some markets, government IDs.
When interviews are run through Zoom or Teams, much of that data - recordings, chat logs, metadata resides on third-party servers. WebRTC gives ability to set stricter boundaries.
Voice and video are encrypted end-to-end by default, while recordings can be stored in your own environment with your own access policies. This level of control is not just good to have but essential in the lights of compliances like the GDPR and India’s DPDP Act.
How WebRTC Works
Understanding the basics can helps founders make informed architectural decisions -
- Media capture – Your application uses WebRTC’s APIs to access the user’s camera, microphone or screen. Permissions are requested via the browser to maintain user trust.
- Signalling – WebRTC does not specify a signalling method. Your server (using WebSocket, HTTPS or another protocol) exchanges SDP offers and answers between peers. This negotiation selects codecs, bandwidth and encryption keys.
- Connection establishment – ICE gathers network candidates and uses STUN/TURN servers to traverse NATs. Once a path is found, peers establish a secure connection.
- Data and media transfer – Media flows directly between peers as encrypted RTP streams. If a direct connection is impossible, TURN relays keep latency low (typically 100–300 ms under normal conditions.
- Scalability – For one‑to‑one calls, a mesh topology is sufficient. Group calls may require an SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) to forward streams or an MCU (Multipoint Control Unit) to mix them. Selecting the right architecture ensures performance at scale.
Source - Link
To sum up, WebRTC is more than just a black box that makes video work. Every layer, from media capture to scalability, is a design choice that has an effect on the applicant experience, the recruiter's efficiency, and, in the end, the reliability of your platform.
Founders who know these building components choose the best architecture, find the perfect balance between cost and performance, and avoid the problems that come with using generic video tools.
WebRTC Features
Here is a quick look at some of the popular features that WebRTC makes possible and how they help recruitment platforms -
Feature | Value for recruitment |
Live multi‑participant interviews | Panel interviews with multiple recruiters, screen sharing and private chat enhance collaboration and reduce scheduling rounds |
Asynchronous video screening | Candidates record answers on their schedule; recruiters review at their convenience, reducing screening time by up to 50 % |
AI‑assisted analysis | Speech‑to‑text, sentiment analysis and keyword extraction automate scoring and summarisation |
Candidate preparation tools | Practice interviews with instant feedback improve candidate confidence and brand perception |
Virtual job fairs | Recruiters can meet hundreds of candidates via chat and video; supports quick shifts between group chats and one‑on‑one calls |
Employee testimonials and onboarding | Video testimonials increase engagement and pre‑recorded onboarding reduces training costs |
Strategic Considerations for Founders
Build vs. Buy
Because WebRTC is open source, you might be tempted to build everything from scratch. However, success depends on your priorities.
Building in-house makes sense if your top priority is having control over the user experience, branding, and data ownership. You own everything, from the interface in the interview room to where the recordings are kept. But, this method requires a lot of resources in terms of time and cost to make infrastructure reliable at scale.
On the other hand, Communication-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) providers reduces much of this complexity by giving you the APIs that just work and take care of scaling, uptime, and compliance. The trade-off however is less flexibility and a dependency on their pricing model.
Many successful teams usually take a hybrid approach - they use open source for the core media layer and layering CPaaS components for advanced analytics or features like transcription. This is where developer-friendly, usage-based platforms like Clan Meeting stand out - you avoid the lock-in of bundled licenses but still offload the hardest parts of scaling and compliance.
Scalability and Quality
It is easy to design for one-to-one calls when you are small. But, as soon as you introduce panel interviews with multiple stakeholders, the bandwidth demands multiply. A mesh topology that works for two peers quickly chokes at four or five.
This is where SFUs (Selective Forwarding Units) come into play. They reduce the upload burden on each client by distributing streams intelligently. If you want to go even further, MCUs (Multipoint Control Units) can mix streams into one composite, though at the cost of more server resources.
These things has to be accounted at the planning stage itself else you risk running into quality issues as the hiring volume spikes. Whether that means integrating an SFU from day one, budgeting for server costs, or partnering with a provider like Clan Meeting that already handles these complexities - anticipating scale early helps you prevent any bottlenecks that might come later and ensure the candidate experience remains seamless even as your platform grows.
Security and Privacy
WebRTC has a built-in encryption but you are still in charge of keeping everything safe from end to end.
You need to ensure that the recordings are stored securely with clear role based access and also provide a clear consent policies on how stored data might be used.
If you use AI to grade tests, don't make important decisions based only on the scores it gives you. Instead, utilize AI to help you make decisions instead of replacing human judgment. Make sure you follow the rules for data protection (GDPR, DPDP, CCPA) and let candidates ask for their data to be deleted.
Integrations and Data Flow
A recruitment platform is rarely used in isolation.
The value multiplies when it plugs neatly into the rest of the HR tech stack which means your WebRTC integration should not just deliver a video call, it should also create structured data.
Transcriptions, notes, and metadata need to flow into the ATS, calendar syncs should update availability in real time and recordings should be stored in standard formats like MP4 or WebM so they can be replayed or analysed later. Even the data channel in WebRTC can be put to use - for example, sending coding test files or real-time assessments securely within the interview itself.
Platforms like Clan Meeting are already making it easier for founders to focus on what makes them different instead of having to start from scratch.
Looking Ahead
WebRTC is not only a technology but a base for new ideas and innovation. Here are some trends that you should watch out for -
- AI‑powered coaching and summarisation: Real‑time sentiment analysis, automatic note‑taking and behavioural insights will help recruiters make better decisions
- Interoperability with other tools: Integration with Slack, Teams or Notion will make interviews part of a broader workflow, allowing hiring teams to become more efficient
- Augmented reality and virtual offices: As AR/VR headsets become mainstream, immersive interviews could allow candidates to demonstrate skills in simulated environments.
- Edge computing for lower latency: Deploying SFUs closer to users reduces lag and improves call quality, which is very important for hiring people all around the world.
For founders, the key takeaway is this - building with WebRTC is not just about enabling video calls today but it's about positioning your platform for the next wave of hiring innovation. The companies that see video as more than just a tool with Zoom links will be able to give candidates better experiences, make recruiters' jobs easier, and have a competitive edge in a highly competitive HRTech market.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is WebRTC and why does it matter for recruitment platforms?
WebRTC lets candidates and recruiters connect over real-time video and audio directly in the browser. No plugins, no downloads — just seamless interviews built into the hiring flow.
2. How does WebRTC make video interviews possible in a browser?
It uses browser APIs to access the camera and microphone, then sets up a secure peer-to-peer connection. That means recruiters can send a link, and candidates can join instantly.
3. Does WebRTC work on all browsers and devices?
Yes. Modern browsers — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, even mobile — support WebRTC. The technology also standardizes codecs to keep call quality consistent.
4. Can WebRTC handle panel interviews or large hiring sessions?
Yes. One-to-one calls work peer-to-peer. For multi-person interviews, Selective Forwarding Units (SFUs) make it possible to connect multiple participants without overwhelming devices or bandwidth.
5. What are the main benefits of WebRTC for recruiters?
It improves reliability, reduces latency, ensures data security, and integrates easily with other tools in the hiring workflow.
