Ever since the pandemic hit, organizations are fulfilling their hiring process with video interviews instead of face-to-face meetings. In a one-way video interview, the applicants undergo pre-screening before being scheduled for an interview. Answering interview questions while on a recording video as opposed to physical interviews can be a different experience. With everyone getting used to remote working, one-way video interviews can soon become a common practice that companies use in their recruitment process.
According to Forbes, 47% of organizations (in a survey of 506 businesses) use video for interviewing to shorten the hiring process, and 22% prefer it for interviewing candidates that aren’t local.
Companies use this method of recruiting because it’s cost-effective, efficient, and practical.
What makes a video interview so seamless is that it doesn’t require the human resources(HR) or recruiter to reach out to a candidate directly. The linking of HR with technology in the hiring process has helped the recruitment sector choose the best candidates worldwide at a faster rate and at affordable costs.
What Is Video Interview?
A one-way interview is a pre-screening tool that most hiring managers and employers use for the recruitment process. The process entails asking three to five basic questions.
The following are some of the common questions you can expect in a video interview:
- Tell us about yourself.
- Why have you applied for the job?
- Tell us about your strengths and weaknesses.
- What are your expectations from this job?
- How do you think you can contribute to our company’s growth?
The video interview is a unique selection process, as you aren’t talking to a person. Instead, you’ll see written questions on your computer screen.
You can record and submit answers to the employer accordingly, just by using your mobile devices or computer.
In the last stage, your “interviewer” reviews your submission, and depending on your responses; they will determine whether to proceed to the next step of the interview process.
Why Do Employers Use One-Way Video Interviews?
The hiring process of new talents has become a challenge for every organization in recent times. Therefore, it is relevant to include a video interview in your recruitment process.
We have explained in details why video interview is a cost-effective method for every business enterprises.
Read on to know the primary motivations for a one-way video interview!
1. Scheduling
The video interview process enables the HR sector to operate at a faster rate.
For example, a company can screen twenty interviewees simultaneously without worrying about who is interviewing them. The HR department and other team members can look over the candidate submission according to their convenience.
2. Widens The Candidate Pool To Interview
Video interviews open doors for recruiters to select candidates beyond any geographical limitations. Candidates can now worry less about traveling to the primary office location as they can attend interviews from the comfort of their homes.
Finding and hiring the best candidates regardless of where they come from worldwide is one of the significant advantages of one-way video interviews.
What Are The Tips For One Way Video Interview?
The following are some tips you can follow while attending a one-way video question interview.
1. Instructions
While you prepare for a video interview, it’s significant to go through the instructions for the interview beforehand very carefully so that you save yourself from any last-minute preparation.
You should follow these instructions, or else you might get disqualified even before the interview even begins. Lastly, avoid making any assumptions about the process that could be misleading.
2. Meet Deadlines
Firstly, meeting deadlines is essential to keep in mind whenever you’re attending a video interview. After all, you should respect other’s time as well. It is best if you set aside a suitable time for the interview beforehand.
If you’re an employed person, you can do the interview after work or on weekends. Remember, the employer usually sets a “due date” regarding when the interview should end. It’s vital to know the date and meet that deadline before proceeding to the next stage.
It’s best if you practice answering the interview questions several days or hours ahead of the deadline. It will help you gain confidence and result in giving a good impression to the employer.
3. Information
The candidate will receive all the necessary details before the interview commences.
This information might include:
- URL for login
- employer’s or the interviewer’s name
- an identifier for the interview
- and possibly a password to participate in the interview process.
It’s part of the invitation process and has all the required information.
4. Availability Of Right Devices
You must assemble the right set of gadgets before you begin with the interview. Make sure you’re using a smartphone (with a camera) or a computer/laptop that is well connected to a webcam and a speaker.
To ensure that your devices are functioning well, we advise you to do a dry run by checking the connection, microphone, and camera before the interview day.
Things to keep prepared for a video interview are:
- Make sure your device is charged, it may be a catastrophe if your computer shuts down during the interview.
- Pre-record a dummy video on your computer or mobile phone to check your audio settings and if your voice is loud and clear.
- Download the necessary apps as per your recruiter’s suggestions. Some of the most common meeting applications are Microsoft Teams, Skype, Google Meet, and Zoom meetings.
Remember to make sure that you are ready to answer the questions because if they cannot hear or see you talk, it won’t make an impact!
5. Do Your Homework
It would be best to research the job descriptions to understand whether you meet or exceed their requirements. It’s best to know who they are by checking every detail about your employer on the internet.
We suggest you do your homework about the mission and vision of the company and other things such as:
- products
- company website
- services
- office locations
- employer size
- press releases, etc.
Lastly, be sure to align your answers with the job’s requirements and the employer’s goals and mission.
6. Keep Your Answers Ready
If you’re someone who feels nervous and stressed out while answering the interview questions, it’s best if you keep some common answers ready beforehand by doing a mock-up interview. You must be ready with your answers, whether they send the interview questions scripts in advance or not.
Once you’re done with the preparation, do not forget to tell clear and concise experiences that demonstrate your achievements well to the interviewer.
Also, have a copy of the job description and resume ready for reference during the interview.
7. Practice A Lot
Practice as many times as possible because you must know your answers well enough. It’s better to have clarity about what you’re answering. When you’re answering the questions, you need to sound natural and have a free-flowing conversation and full of information.
For freshers, it would help if you memorize the answers before you practice them out loud (might be in front of a mirror or family or a close friend) until you have a better grasp of your speech.
8. Select a Good Location
Choose a bright location where you have control of your surroundings. It can be your own home, private space in a library or co-working space.
Ensure to keep the background as simple as possible. It could be a wall or bookcases. You don’t want any background mess that could create a distraction while attending the interview.
If you are not comfortable sharing your home background, you can choose to use virtual backgrounds all the common meeting application including:
- Microsoft teams
- Google meet
- and Zoom meetings
Check if the light is appropriately set as this will help your face be well lit, and the interviewer can focus on you well. Find the best position for the lamp so that it is slightly above your face and behind the camera such that your face is visible to the interviewer.
9. Dress for the Occasion
Dress as if you’re attending a face to face interview.
Just because it’s a video interview, do not question yourself about the importance of dressing well. Following a dress code can boost your confidence and self-esteem.
Try to stick to solid dark colors as they look neat and clean when you’re sitting for the interview, and avoid wearing bright colors because you want the hiring manager to focus on you, not on what you are wearing.
- Colors with shades of navy can be the best for video interviews.
- White, maybe the best color for a face-to-face interview. However, try to avoid it for video interviews as it may be too bright on the screen.
10. Maintain a Right Posture
Sitting upright and making eye contact reflect your self-confidence.
This is one of the main tips you can take away for a video interview as it’s imperative to:
- maintain a proper posture
- lean slightly forward
- show personality in your answers
- talk in a clear, well-modulated voice and remember to smile.
Ensure you avoid fidgeting, whispering, or mumbling because these could be distracting to the person beyond the camera.
Practice beforehand and, if possible, record yourself as this will help you correct the mistakes before the actual interview.
11. Attention To The Clock
Every interview has a time limit, and it’s vital to make the best use of that limited time wisely to convince the interviewer about why you’re suitable for the job.
12. Look Directly At The Camera
During the interview, remember to look directly at the camera rather than the computer screen. This ensures that you’re maintaining eye contact with the interviewer at the other end. You can do it by pretending that you’re talking to the person nearby.
Corporate Video Interview Questions
You’re all fired up to attend your video interview. Now, how do you go about answering the interview questions?
Well, worry, not! We have come up with a series of questions that will enable you to seize this opportunity within no time.
Make sure to follow these tips and get an idea about approaching corporate questions in a video interview round.
1. Interview Question: Tell me about yourself
It’s a typical standard interview question where the interviewer gets a glimpse into the candidate’s life, goals, and career trajectory from the information they select to share.
One of the best tips to answer this question is directly explaining your skills and accomplishments when attending a video interview. It saves time from sharing other typical details like hobbies and educational background.
2. Interview Question: Why should we hire you?
This question helps the hiring manager to evaluate a candidate’s confidence and skill set about the position. If, for instance, the candidate on video finds it challenging to answer this question, then maybe it’s because they aren’t suitable for the job.
So we would suggest you prepare an answer beforehand for this particular question.
3. Interview Question: What’s your most significant career accomplishment?
You want to make sure that you give a concise idea about your past accomplishments to the interviewer. In a video interview, following this particular tip will help the hiring manager get an insight about the candidate in the best possible way.
It’s a situational interview question that asks candidates to use real-life examples to showcase if they are fit for the job. It provides hiring managers with a better idea of how the candidate’s skills work in action.
4. Interview Question: Why do you want this job?
It’s another standard interview question that is very popular. The answer helps the hiring manager to know the candidate’s career aspirations. Please take this as an opportunity to showcase your past experiences and how it aligns with the job description.
A company needs someone who’s fully committed to the organizational goals irrespective of the paycheck. Based on your answer, the hiring manager will conclude whether to onboard you officially or not.
5. Interview Question: In five years, where do you see yourself?
This type of question objective evaluates the candidate’s career aspirations, and it doesn’t have one definite answer. The hiring manager will give the job to a person who is willing to stick around the organization for a long time as employee turnover is an expensive factor.
Also, every company desires someone engaged and motivated. So make sure to answer this question in such a way that it reflects your exact goals in the professional field.
Key Takeaways On One Way Video Interview
- The video interview is a remote onboarding process for hiring new talents beyond and geographical boundaries.
- It is a cost-effective and practical process used for hiring purposes in every company.
- Video interview provides flexibility to the candidates to attend the selection round within the comfort of their homes.
- Before attending a video interview, make sure your gadgets and devices are correctly set.
- Practice and prepare an answer for all the possible questions beforehand to avoid last-minute stress.
What are the main things to keep in mind for a video interview?
- Always research the company well before applying for the job interview.
- Keep practicing the above questions to experience a hassle-free interview.
- Dress well and never forget to talk confidently in the interview round.
- Also, do not forget to follow all the video interview tips mentioned above.
What should I do once the video interview ends?
Once the interview is over, do not forget to send a thank-you email to the company’s hiring team. It denotes that whatever the result might be, you’re grateful that you got this opportunity to attend the interview in the best possible way.
Here’s a sample email that you can send after the interview:
Hi,
Thank you for allowing me to showcase my skills today. It was a pleasure talking to you, and I look forward to learning and grow by helping your company thrive in different areas.
I hope to hear from you soon and discuss the next steps in the hiring process.
Best Regards
Your Name
