What To Remember While In The On
While I really hope youre not reading this while taking your interview, make sure to do these four things while taking a video interview:
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From Video Interview Tips To Recruiting Insights We Can Help
As more businesses and candidates utilize remote interviews, its important to make sure that you standout from the crowd in a good way. You also want to make sure that your recruiting efforts leave a good impression. The good news is that you have a recruiting multiplier with us. With our expert recruiting insights and tips, you can build a pipeline of talent right to your door or screen.
What To Expect During Your One
If you receive an email invitation to interview on-demand, you should know what to expect going in.
On-demand interviews are not like one-on-ones, they do not have a live interviewer on the other end. Typically, you can think of these as one-way video interviews. Expect to respond to on-screen prompts, either through text or pre-recorded questions, rather than questions from a live recruiter or hiring manager. There are several different methods companies use to deliver questions for one-way video interviews, so it’s best to be prepared for any of the following:
- Questions asked via pre-recorded video. After the video finishes, you will be given time to respond.
- Questions asked in a simple text format. Normally 30 seconds are given for you to read the question and prepare your response.
- Questions requiring you to write . If you are applying for a role that involves a great deal of writing, expect to asked for a written response to a prompt. Often these will involve doing outside research – do not close the interview window! It will be helpful to first draft your response in Microsoft Word or another text editor, just in case.
- Coding challenges. If you are applying for a software development role, expect to be asked to code in response to a prompt. These challenges can be in any language- research what languages you will be expected to code in on the job. Be prepared to explain how and why you coded your responses in the way you did.
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How Should You Answer On
Because theres no interaction with an interviewer, it can be particularly challenging to get your personality through during an on-demand interview. Your answers must be enthusiastic, professional, and thorough. Its essential that your answers give a glimpse into who you are as an employee. Hiring managers will be looking for a positive attitude, self-motivation, and flexibility.
While recording answers, it will feel awkward. But the lack of response doesnt mean you need to fill dead space with rambling! While your answers should be thorough, keep them concise. Describe your past experiences in detail but come to a clean and confident end. Try your best to avoid filler words and endings such as, so yeah! or and stuff.
The Video Interview Process
- The company selects candidates for video interviews.
- Arrangements for an interview are scheduled.
- The company will provide instructions on how the interview will work.
- There will typically be 10 – 15 questions related to the job the company is hiring for.
Other than you’re not meeting the interviewer in-person, the interview process will be the same as an in-person interview. The interviewer’s objective is the same. You will be asked the same type of interview questions. Also, be prepared to ask questions, as well.
What’s most important is to consider this type of interview is just as important as if you were meeting the interviewer in their office. The value, for yourself as well as for the hiring manager, is equivalent, and interviewing successfully, however it takes place, is the key to getting hired.
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The Horrible Truth About One
Dear Liz,
I was asked to take a one-way video interview last week. It took me some time to understand what the lady wanted because I couldn’t believe they would ask me to answer questions in front of my computer with no live person on the other end of the line. I think it’s disgusting.
I declined to take the interview. I don’t want to work for a company that would stick me in front of a piece of software and ask me to talk into my microphone. If they don’t have time to talk with me live, they can hire somebody else.
What is your take on one-way video interviews?
Thanks,
Shutterstock
Dear Richard,
You said it perfectly. Video interviews don’t save a company any time compared to telephone interviews or live interviews, except for transportation time in the case of live interviews. If they want to hear your answers to the one-way video interview questions, they still have to watch your interview video.
So a one-way video interview is not a way for a company to save time. It’s just that the more steps in the recruiting process they can keep at arm’s length, the easier the process becomes.
If they screen people out using one-way video interviews, they don’t have to meet as many people face to face. They don’t have to forge a relationship or waste time with pleasantries. To put it bluntly, they don’t have to know you.
I’m delighted to hear that you made the decision to do just that.
They need to rethink their entire recruiting strategy and mindset.
Yours,
Choose The Right Setting
Among the most pivotal video interview tips is the importance of a proper environment. Find a quiet, private, and well-lit place to do the interviewmaking sure to avoid coffee shops and other communal spaces where you cant control the background noise. And choose a room with a clutter-free backdrop.
Lighting is also important, says Bill Cole, author of The Interview Success Guide. If a window is behind you, it could cast a shadow over your face and make it difficult for the interviewer to see you. Generally, your best strategy is to sit opposite an open window. If youre doing the interview at nightwhich may very well be the case if you have a full-time jobyou can brighten up dim space by adding floor or desk lamps.
Pro tip: Do a trial run at the same time of day that youre going to be doing the interview, so that you know exactly what the lighting is going to look like, Cole advises.
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So What Is The Definition Of Interview
An interview definition can be crafted as a gentle conversation between two people or more where questions are asked to a person to get the required responses or answers.
People involved in an interview: Usually two groups or two individuals sit facing each other in an interview. The person asking questions is the interviewer and the person answering the questions is the interviewee.
It can be simply defined as the formal meeting between two people where the interviewer asks questions to the interviewee to obtain information
Get Your Location Ready
Youll need a quiet room with no interruptions. If you live in a shared house you may need to warn others to be quiet.
Find somewhere you can sit in front of a plain background that will not be distracting. Make sure you have good natural light, or use a lamp so that the interviewer can see you well on screen.
If you can, use a computer or laptop rather than a tablet or mobile phone. Position it so the camera is at eye level. Headphones will improve your sound quality.
You could split your screen and have your prompt cards on one half and the interview on the other.
Before you start you should test your microphone and make sure you know how to use the software, like how to:
- start and end the session
- mute your microphone or turn off your camera
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You Have To Be More Prepared And Comfortable Before You Start
Experts say that before pressing the record button, its important to plan for questions that could come your way. Theres no room for improvisation or pleasantries during an AVI, and answers need to be efficient and to the point.
You have to be more prepared and comfortable before you start, says Cristoph Hohenberger, co-founder of AI-driven recruitment platform Retorio. Just like in a standard interview, being confused by a question or not having much to say can reflect poorly on a candidate. And because of the highly structured nature of AVIs, candidates wont be able to ask for clarifications.
Speaking at a slow and even pace into a camera can be difficult, Hohenberger says. The best way to sound natural is to imagine someone sitting across from you smile often and make steady eye contact. Proper aesthetics matter in AVI assessments, and anything distracting in the background may catch the eye of a human evaluator. I would try to be in front of a neutral background, he says. And I would wear something thats appropriate for the job.
Perhaps most importantly, Hohenberger says, candidates should be themselves. Trying to squeeze in too many references to your qualifications or keywords that applicants think might win favour with an AI can appear insincere and harm your overall performance. Applicants should assume their recordings will be judged by a fellow human, he says, and apply the same courtesy as in a normal conversation.
When To Use Video Interviews
Depending on the nature of your business, video interview can fit in different parts of your recruiting process.
Employers frequently use one-way video interviews as a better way to screen candidates earlier in the hiring process and live video interviews to connect with non-local candidates.
Common hiring challenges that lead employers to look into video interviews include, but are not limited to:
- High volume job applications
- Lack of collaboration between recruiters and hiring managers
- Non-local candidates
In general, staffing and recruiting firms find that video interviews help them:
- Get candidates in front of clients quicker
- Make candidates more tangible to clients
- Gain an advantage over competitors not using video interviews
- Brand their firm as innovative to candidates and clients
- Improve collaboration with clients so time is not wasted
- Build a digital library of video interviews that can be referred to at any time
- Connect with candidates no matter where they are located
Want to see if video interviews are right for you? Get a live demo of Spark Hires video interviewing solution today!
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Practice And Tech Set Up
To get used to the technology and the body language of a video interview, its useful to do some practice video calls with friends or family members. Ask them to give you candid feedback about your appearance and eye contact. Run through it a few times until things start to feel natural.
This practice can make all the difference in your interviews. Set aside time in your schedule in the weeks and days leading up to your interviewyoull find your confidence growing as you become more comfortable in front of the camera.
On the day of your interview, review this checklist as youre setting up:
- Ensure that you wont be interrupted, either by locking the door or by alerting others that you cant be disturbed .
- Clear the desk space, except for a notepad and pen/pencil for you to take notes.
- Have a copy of your resume and any other notes ready for you to reference.
- Set out a glass or bottle of water for yourself.
- Check that your webcam is working.
- Check that your audio is working.
- Close any windows, tabs or applications on your computer that youre not using.
- Check your internet connection and make sure youre not downloading anything in the background.
- Set your phone to silent.
- Check that the background behind you is neutral and free from clutter.
- Adjust the lights in the room. If things appear dark or dim, you may want to bring in an extra desk lamp to brighten the space.
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Collaborate With Hiring Managers
When it comes time to screen candidates or bring them in for an in-person interview, not everyone needed can always be present. And interview notes and recollections arent an accurate representation of a job candidate. With video interviews, interview recordings can be shared with colleagues. On top of that, colleagues can comment and rate candidates so the whole team can come to a better hiring decision. After all, multiple heads are better than one.
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What Employers Say About Video Interviews
Using Spark Hire, we were able to take a 45 minute scheduled phone interview and replace it with a 15-minute one-way video interview. The videos are completed by the candidate in their free time and then reviewed by the hiring team at their convenience. This change has saved us countless hours in the screening process, and also given us the insights to only focus our time on the best applicants.
Amy Hargrove
All Web Leads
Once implementing Spark Hire, we experienced HUGE savings. The one thing we realized a year later is: the first people to do their video interviews are our most engaged and passionate employees. They love our company and you could see it from their first Spark Hire video interview.
Dustin Gordon
Questions To Ask In A Video Job Interview
Here is a list of potential questions you could ask the interviewer. The answers to these questions should help you qualify whether the role is going to be a good fit for you.
What exactly will the role involve?
What does a typical day look like? Why is the position available? What is the broad culture of the company? What induction and training do you offer? What sort of people have done well in this sort of role? Are there advanced training programmes available? What are the companys key objectives for the next 3 years? What are your best-selling products or services? Is there room for progression within the company? What are the main challenges currently facing the company? Could you describe how this role relates to the overall structure of the company? How will my performance be measured?
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How Tangerine Bank Uses Lifesize To Grow Their Team With Video Interviews
High-quality video conferencing is helping companies like Tangerine Bank compete for top talent. By deploying pop-up banks using mall kiosks and other access points outside of its brick-and-mortar offices, Tangerine Bank can interview local candidates using Lifesize well before their new locations are opened to the public. We have more time to attract the right people compared to when we had to wait to actually be on site, says Giancarlo Palleschi, telecommunications analyst for the bank. Now, the candidates were interested in can click a link for HR to interview them. Interviewers use the face-to-face conversations to assess the persons demeanor when interacting with customers.
Why Are Video Interviewsused
There are plenty of situations where video interviews are helpful. For example, companies can use them to interview candidates who live in other parts of the state, country, or planet. It can also allow hiring managers who travel for their work to meet with candidates regardless of where they end up.
Today, videointerviews are standing in for in-person meetings more often. Concerns aboutthe coronavirus and some mandatory shelter-in-place orders mean people arentgetting together like they once did. With a video interview, a hiring managercan screen candidates even during these uncertain times.
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Test Things Are Working
When working with tech, things can go wrong in unexpected and mysterious ways. Be sure to check your whole setup, both well in advance so you can fix any problems, and on the day so you can be sure nothing gets in the way.
Internet Connection
A slow internet connection can make the image and audio choppy on the video call. There are a few things you can do to improve it.
First, check your internet speed at a website like speedtest.net or Bandwidth Place. Youll receive three numbers: ping, download speed and upload speed. The lower ping the better, and the higher of the other two the better.
Your download speed will determine how the interviewers image and audio look. Youll want at least 10 Mbps, but 25 and above is ideal. The same goes for upload speed, which will determine how your image and audio comes across.
Check this several times throughout a typical day. If your internet connection is patchy or slow at certain times, try to avoid these if you can when scheduling your virtual interview.
Everything Else
For everything else tech-wise, have a run-through at least an hour before your interview and check the following:
