18Dec

Dec 18 2021

What is a one way video interview all about?

Umesh Joshi

Career advice

Let’s begin with a simple question - “What do you think is the primary goal of any recruiter?”

9 out of 10 would say - 

“To give equal opportunity to every candidate and be fair in the decisions they make.”

And if you probe further and ask them how they achieve it, you will get a unanimous answer - “pre-screen them.” 

To the uninitiated, pre-screening is nothing but the process of evaluating a candidate even before actually interviewing them.

Most companies today do pre-screening before a direct interview. In the past, it was done through phone calls. However, this type of pre-screening posed an interesting challenge.  Many candidates would either miss the phone call or couldn’t answer the recruiter’s questions well as they would be preoccupied with their work. 

This translates to recruiters eliminating the candidates without even understanding whether they are a good fit or not. 

Enter a one way video interview - a simple solution to the above challenge.

How does a one way interview work?

In this, an interviewer will list down all the questions he/she wishes to ask the candidates and feed them to a one-way video interview software. Candidates will be given a predefined timeline to answer these questions in video format. They can answer the questions at their convenient time. Once they submit the answers, they will directly go to the inbox of the recruiters, who can analyze the answers and decide whether the candidate can move on to the next round or not. 


Why one way video interviews?

One way video interview offers a myriad of advantages such as - 

Flexibility for all stakeholders

Organizations, irrespective of the available resources, can interview multiple candidates at the same time. The recruiting team can take a look at the video submissions whenever they have time. Similarly, the candidates get a sufficient timeline to prepare and answer the questions whenever they get time. 

No more unnecessary travel for candidates

It is very common for organizations to miss out on top talents for a role just because the candidates cannot travel for interviews. Nobody wants to travel hundreds of miles to be rejected on the first round just because they are not a good fit. One-way video interviews eliminate this issue as the candidates can attend the one-way video interview from the comfort of their homes. Only the perfect fits are called for the next round, eliminating unnecessary travel for the rest.

Now that the benefits are covered, let’s look into some typical questions asked by recruiters along with some useful one way video interview tips.


Popular one way interview questions

Here are a few common one way video interview questions that you might expect from recruiters - 

Tell me about yourself

This is a classic question that’s part of most interviews. Now, you might have a lot to talk about while answering this question. But remember to keep it short (preferably less than 30 seconds). Tailor the answer to the specific role and company. You can mention your recent experience, qualifications for the role, and why you are interested.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

The basic idea behind this question is to understand your career plan and do you fit well with the company’s future plans. When you answer this question, explain how this job would help you in your career path and what you hope to learn from it. 

Why this company?

This question will help hiring managers understand how excited you are about the role and the company. This way, they will figure out if you are really passionate about joining the company or you are just simply looking for another job. Be expressive and explain what you love the most about the company - it could be work culture, growth prospects, or even the people working there.


Wrapping Up

For a candidate, one-way video interviews are true manna from heaven. It gives them the opportunity to apply for their dream company with minimal hurdles. They can answer the questions anytime, they have sufficient time to prepare, and more importantly, they no longer have to travel miles just to attend an interview (without knowing whether they are a good fit or not).  On the other hand, a one-way interview is ‘the solution’ that recruiters have always been looking for to pick the right candidate for the right job. A win-win for all.

Tags: one way video interview , typical questions asked by recruiters

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