Video interviews and HireVue
Canary Wharf at night, seen across the Thames from Wapping. Photograph: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
Usually five to eight questions, a few minutes each, recorded alone and watched later by an assessor. Set up the room, check the retake rules, shape each answer.
A one-way video interview has no interviewer on the call: questions appear on screen, you record your answers, and an assessor watches them later. This is one of the stories in Interviews.
Recorded alone, watched later by a person
The recorded interview is a screening stage, scored later by a person. Prospects (opens prospects.ac.uk) says employers often use video interviews for early screening.
Instead of having an interviewer, your answers will be recorded and reviewed afterwards by one of our assessors.
The large firms say so on their own pages, and name their platforms. HireVue is one; the advice here applies to the others too.
| Employer | What its page says |
|---|---|
| PwC UK (opens pwc.co.uk) | An on-demand video interview on the SHL platform |
| KPMG UK (opens kpmgcareers.co.uk) | A recorded interview at a time that suits you; allow 40 minutes |
More on live and recorded interviewsLess on live and recorded interviews
At the large firms, the recorded interview usually follows the online tests. In it, you see a question, written or on video, and record your answer, often to a time limit. You choose when to do it, up to a deadline.
A live video interview is a different thing: Prospects describes it as similar to a face-to-face interview, with an interviewer or panel on Teams or Zoom. Treat it as you would a meeting at the office. The set-up advice below applies to both kinds.
Someone decides from it whether to meet you. The Big 4 recruitment guide shows where it sits in each firm’s process.
Know the clock before you press record
Find out the timing before you start, because it is set per employer. HireVue’s candidate FAQ (opens hirevue.com) says you get several minutes per question, and most assessments include five to eight questions. Here is how one runs.
| Step | What happens | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Practice question | A trial run, not sent to the employer | The platform |
| Question appears | Written on screen, or as a short video | The employer |
| Thinking time | A pause before recording, if allowed | The employer |
| Your answer | Recorded, a few minutes at most | The employer |
| Retake | Allowed once, or not at all | The employer |
| Next question | Five to eight in most HireVue assessments | The employer |
Retakes vary most: some employers keep only your first recording, others allow one re-record. Check beforehand.
You’ll even have the opportunity to do a practice question.
Use the practice question every time, and book a slot for the time of day you feel sharpest: before the deadline, not on it.
More on practice and retakesLess on practice and retakes
HireVue’s tips say most on-demand interviews ask for an answer in just a few minutes, and suggest practising out loud how you will show your skills in that time.
A Bentley University careers note explains that some employers let candidates submit only their first recording, even after a mistake, while others allow one re-record.
Prospects suggests checking beforehand whether you can stop and restart. HireVue’s FAQ points out that you can do the assessment whenever you like, which is why the time you choose matters.
Set the room up before the day
Set up the room the day before. HireVue’s tips ask for a quiet spot, the strongest wifi you can get, and light in front of you.
your camera should be at eye level and you should look into it rather than at the screen.
| Check | What to do |
|---|---|
| Room | Quiet, door closed, phone silent |
| Light | In front of you, from a window or a lamp, so your face is not in shadow |
| Camera | Raised on books to eye level; look at the lens |
| Systems | Everything on and signed in half an hour before |
| Notes | Key facts only, placed just below the camera |
| Clothes | What you would wear to meet the employer in person |
| Phone, if that is what you have | Propped at eye level, plugged in, notifications off |
More on phones, notes and dressLess on phones, notes and dress
Prospects says many people use a phone, but warns that a small screen, an unsteady position, the battery and notifications can get in the way. Something steady to lean it on solves most of that.
Notes help if you use them sparingly. Prospects suggests keeping them near the camera so your eyes stay close to the lens, and keeping them to key facts and skills rather than scripts.
On dress, Prospects says to wear the outfit you would choose for a face-to-face meeting with the employer, from the waist down too if you might need to stand.
Give every answer a shape an assessor can follow
Nobody can ask you to clarify a recording, so give each answer a clear shape. PwC’s questions ask you to describe your experience.
Glasgow’s careers service (opens gla.ac.uk) teaches STAR for that. On a timed answer, the proportions matter most:
| Part | What it covers | Share of your time |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Where and when | A sentence |
| Task | What you had to do | A sentence |
| Action | What you did, said with “I”, not “we” | Most of it |
| Result | What happened | The last part; move to it with a minute left |
More on a fictional timed answerLess on a fictional timed answer
A fictional example, for the question “Tell us about a time you worked to a tight deadline”. Situation: a group project with two weeks left and one member gone. Task: finish the analysis section alone. Action: split the work into daily targets, asked the tutor which parts mattered most, and drafted the weakest part first. Result: submitted on time, with the highest mark of the three projects I led. Spoken at a steady pace, that fits comfortably in two minutes.
Speak to the lens as if a person were there, as Prospects suggests; it is harder alone than in a room.
For the questions themselves, and the “tell me about yourself” opener that often comes first, see the unwritten rules of British interviews.
More on what the assessor hearsLess on what the assessor hears
Glasgow describes the action as the main body of the answer, and warns against overusing “we”, because the assessor wants to know what you did. The same holds on video, where you cannot see the assessor’s face to tell whether a point landed. One example, told in order and finished with its result, is easier to mark than two examples half told.
If the connection drops, pick up again
Technical trouble is usually recoverable. HireVue’s FAQ says a dropped connection does not end the assessment.
you’ll be able to pick up where you left off with the same link you used to begin the interview previously.
| What goes wrong | What to do |
|---|---|
| Connection drops in a recording | Rejoin with the same link |
| Something the link cannot fix, such as a power cut | Email the graduate recruitment team the same day, with a screenshot of any error |
| Bad sound in a live interview | Say so at once; the interviewer may redial |
| You stumble, with no retake | Keep going and finish on the result |
An answer that recovers still gives the assessor something to mark; a stopped one does not.
More on problems in a live interviewLess on problems in a live interview
Prospects advises mentioning a problem in a live interview straight away: it may be easily fixed, or the interviewer may end the call and redial. Struggling on through bad sound helps nobody, and saying so plainly is the professional thing to do.
For a recording, say plainly what happened when you write to the employer, and when. Keep the message short and factual.
After the video interview, the next stage at many large employers is a day with people in the room. Inside a UK assessment centre sets out how that day runs, exercise by exercise.
This week
- Record two practice answers on your phone and watch them back
- Set your camera at eye level, with light in front of you
- Check whether your employer allows a re-record before you start
- Book your recording for the time of day you think most clearly
Sources
- PwC UK: Assessment and selection process (Early Careers) The penultimate stage of our assessment and selection process is a virtual immersive assessment centre. ... The final stage of our assessment and selection process is an interview with a senior leader from the business area you’re matched to.The next stage of our assessment and selection process is an on-demand video interview which will be conducted virtually via the SHL platform. You’ll be presented with a series of questions on the screen and asked to describe your experience. Instead of having an interviewer, your answers will be recorded and reviewed afterwards by one of our assessors. Read
- KPMG UK: Application process (graduate) After submitting your application, you will be automatically invited to complete two online assessments. ... If you are successful at Stage 2, you may be invited to our Video Interview. ... If you are successful at Stage 3, you will be invited to attend the final stage of the recruitment process: Launch Pad, an in-person, half day event.As this is a recorded interview, you will be able to complete this stage at a time that suits you and you should allow 40 minutes to complete. Read
- Prospects (Jisc): Video interview tips Saving both money and time for you and the company, video interviews are often used as an early screening method.You'll be presented with pre-recorded or even written questions on screen, and then you'll have to record your answer on video, often to a time limit. ... On the plus side, you will be able to do the interview at a time of your choosing up to a set deadline.For pre-recorded video interviews, check beforehand whether you're allowed to stop and restart in case of technical issues.To help you do this your camera should be at eye level and you should look into it rather than at the screen.To ensure you don't get a shadow either use natural light from a window or put a lamp in front of the cameraswitch everything on at least half an hour before the interview and sign in to any software that you'll need.Place notes just below or near your camera so your eyes stay close to the lens when glancing.You should wear the same outfit you would have chosen for a face-to-face meeting with the employer.For pre-recorded interviews, try to imagine you're speaking to a real person, maintaining your enthusiasm and positive body language.Live, this is similar to a regular face-to-face interview. You'll speak to the interviewer (or panel of interviewers) in real-time over Microsoft Teams or Zoom.If it's a live video interview, mention the problem. It may easily be fixed, or the interviewer may be happy to end the call and redial.Yes, you can do a video interview on your phone and many people do. ... However a smaller screen makes it harder to see interviewers or notes, it can be harder to position the phone steadily, you have limited ability to multitask and battery life or notifications can interrupt if not managed carefully. Read
- HireVue: FAQ for candidates In a video-based assessment, you’ll be presented with a question, either written or in video form, and be given several minutes to respond to each question. Most video-based assessments include between five and eight questions.Unlike a typical interview, you can complete a video-based assessment anytime, anywhere. Take advantage of this! Be sure to take your assessment during the time of day you feel sharpest and most alert.if you do lose connection in the middle of your assessment, you’ll be able to pick up where you left off with the same link you used to begin the interview previously. Read
- HireVue: Interview tips Most on-demand interviews ask you to give your answer in just a few minutes. It’s helpful to think about how you will illustrate your skills clearly in that timeframe, and to practice them out loud. You’ll even have the opportunity to do a practice question.Pick a spot free from distractions and noise. Ensure you’ve got the strongest wifi signal possible. And don’t forget to check your lighting. Make sure it’s in front of you Read
- Bentley University CareerEdge: Pre-Recorded Interview = No Problem (2020) Usually, HireVue will give you an opportunity to practice a few (practice) questions without sending your recorded answer to the company for review. ... Note whether the HireVue will let you re-record or pause. Some companies choose to only let candidates submit their first recorded version of an answer, even if a mistake was made or an interruption occurred. Other companies may allot one re-record. Read
- University of Glasgow Careers: The STAR technique The STAR technique is a way to structure your answers to competency based questions in either an interview or an application form. This is when an employer asks you to demonstrate a particular skill by providing an example from your previous experience.This should make up the main body of your response and remember if you are discussing working in the team don’t overuse “we” they want to know what you did. Read
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Pictures on this page
- More London and the Shard, October Photograph: Ryan Hodnett, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Cheapside, City of London Photograph: Lewis Clarke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Broadgate Circle, City of London, on a winter afternoon Photograph: Bobulous, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
