One-Way Video Interview Tips
One-way video interviews, or asynchronous interviews, are used by employers as a pre-screening tool to identify whether a job seeker should advance to the next stage of hiring or not. The best video interview software can be a great help but you'll still need to implement these key tips to maximize the effectiveness of this type of assessment:
Key tips for leveraging one-way video interviews to recruit top talent include:
- Setting standardized questions
- Using practical submissions deadlines
- Providing detail to manage expectations
- Placing time limits on answers
- Showcasing your employer brand
- Adding a feedback form
- Setting clear assessment criteria
In this article, we'll explore these one-way interview tips in depth. Not all tips for conducting interviews apply to one-way interviews, so we'll also answer specific questions such as:
- Is there a right or a wrong way of doing one-way video interviews?
- What is the best way to go about it?
- What are the best one-way video interview questions to ask?
7 One-Way Video Interview Tips
These one-way video interview tips will help hiring managers and recruiters effectively separate the talent from the time-wasters and maximize the benefits of video interviewing:
Set Simple Standardized Questions
One-way video interview questions and answers can be divided into two categories to provide clarity to the candidate. Some questions that seek personal information can include:
- Tell us a little bit about yourself.
- What are your strengths, and why would you say that?
- Why would you like to work here?
- How do you manage a stressful situation?
- What motivates you?
Another category is technical interview questions. This can include:
- What are you looking for in a job?
- What are your career goals?
- What compensation are you looking for?
- Describe your current job responsibilities.
- What is your project management style?
- Why should we hire you?
Set a Practical Submission Deadline
When you invite a job seeker to conduct a one-way video interview, you should give them a set amount of time to submit their recording.
When setting this deadline, empathize with candidates who may be nervous before giving the interview. They may need time to practice with multiple recordings before submitting the final video.
Also consider that, if a candidate is currently employed, they may not immediately be available to create the recording. At least a day or two is adequate for interview preparation and execution.
Provide Details to Manage Expectations
Expectation management is an important part of providing a good candidate experience. Job seekers may feel awkward in conducting a one-way video interview, so any details and instructions you provide are sure to be appreciated.
In your communication, explain the video format you expect, the naming of the video (to easily classify files in your system), how to ensure decent audio and video quality, etc.
If your one-way interview platform allows for candidates to submit their recordings on a mobile device, point this out. It may be much easier for them.
Place a Time Limit on Answers
Don't forget why you chose a one-way video interview in the first place - to save time.
While you should provide ample time for candidates to submit videos, you don’t want your hiring team to spend hours watching them. Decide the amount of time you can spend assessing a candidate to maintain efficiency in your hiring process, and what time that allows for each answer in their interview.
Showcase Your Employer Brand
Use the interview as a chance to showcase your firm’s brand voice. Candidates are interviewing your firm as much as you are interviewing them.
Word your questions in a conversational way, and set up an automation that triggers a fun thank you email once they submit the recording. Use this as an opportunity to share information and showcase the company’s work culture, perks, and benefits.
Add a Feedback Form
Attach a feedback form at the end of your one-way video interview. Input from job seekers will help you understand the process from a candidate’s point of view, and improve it.
Establish Clear Assessment Criteria
Take your time in assessing video profiles. For a remote role, give high consideration to the candidates’ communication skills.
Look for use of key references and jargon that reflects their skill set, and any other markers you’d consider in a pre-screening on phone screen phase prior to scheduling an in-person interview.
Do’s and Don’ts for Hiring With One-Way Video Interviews
DO provide a feedback form to know the candidate’s interview experience. This will help you as a recruiter improve your candidate experience.
DON’T dismiss candidates from your hiring funnel without letting them know. Ghosting people who have applied to work at your company seriously diminishes your candidate experience and harms your employer brand.
DO keep your questionnaire as candidate friendly as possible. This is one of the simplest virtual interviewing tips for hiring managers. Your job is to hire the best person for the role, not to stress them out in the initial stages of the hiring process. Opening questions like “tell me about yourself” are good to assess communication skills and culture fit. You can ask some questions about their technical skills, but leave the real skills assessment to lower down in your hiring funnel.
DO collaborate with the team manager who will eventually oversee the new hire when setting your questions. This removes the need for follow-up questions or uncertainty about a candidate.
DO set clear assessment criteria for the specific role you are hiring for. When the candidate submits their one-way video interview, this allows for a quick, objective evaluation to see if they tick all your boxes and should move forward in your hiring process.
DON’T let a one-way video interview last more than 30-45 minutes. You don’t want to spend more time watching recordings than you would have spent on a real-time or in-person interview.
Statistics on Conducting One-Way Video Interviews
Recently, JP Morgan announced how they planned to cut down university campus placements after realizing the full potential and benefits of video interviewing.
An HFS Research also points to data with 68% of surveyed organizations found web-based video collaboration tools are very important to collaboration and efficiency.
Famous companies like Google and Twitter have started to use one-way video interviews in their core recruitment process. A recent report also stated a 30% rise in pre-recorded interviews between 2020-2022.
A Final Word on One-Way Video Interviews
One way video interviews can’t be the only interview you conduct. The tips in this article will help you filter out the best candidates, but you’ll have to speak to them in real-time or in person to get a real sense of how they interact and so they can ask you questions.
Even with their flaws one-way video interviews are an effective stage in the recruitment journey and one of the best options for hiring teams to automate and speed up the process.
