Uptake in the popularity of remote work has brought us many innovations. One of these innovations, which has made strides in hiring efficiency, is the one-way video interview.
In this article, we will walk you through one-way video interviews and provide the 7 ultimate tips to ace recruitment using one-way video interview software.
We’ll also address questions you might have about conducting one-way interviews, 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 interview questions should I ask?
Let’s break it down for you!
What Is a One-Way Video Interview?
One-way video interviews or asynchronous interviews are used by employers in the recruitment and hiring process for the sake of recruitment efficiency. It acts as a tester round to know whether a job seeker should advance to the next round of hiring or not.
Generally speaking, candidates who are selected from a round of one-way video interviews will get a real-time video interview or an in-person interview as they progress down the hiring funnel.
A one-way job interview doesn’t involve any direct conversation between human resources and the candidate. As a hiring manager, your job would be to set relevant interview questions in a one-way interview tool. These questions are relayed to the prospective interviewees along with a deadline to answer them in their own time via a video recording captured by the candidate’s webcam.
Your hiring team then receives these recordings and assesses candidates based on their answers.
The benefits of conducting one-way video interviews are numerous. For starters:
- It takes far less time for your hiring team to assess multiple candidates’ video recordings compared to conducting an in-person interview or real-time video call with each promising job applicant.
- Because the interview questions are pre-set, interviews have an identical format, so candidates’ responses are easily comparable
- One-way video interviews don’t require instant replies between the two parties, and can’t deviate from the set questions the way face-to-face interviews often do.
- Multiple candidates can be interviewed at the same time, making your hiring process highly optimized.
The Best HR Tech and Tools to Conduct One-Way Video Interviews
Hireflix
Hireflix has to be at the top of the list. It is exclusively built for one-way video interviews.
The tool has no lengthy technical processes. It doesn’t even require a login or signup process to use its apps. Hireflix works on all browsers and devices including smartphones! It offers a highly simplified solution when compared to other software.
The platform offers an unlimited number of questions that may be recorded. In addition, a recruiter may restrict the number of retakes for each question, so authenticity regarding the candidate’s answer is preserved.
Bonus Features:
- Automation for email, SMS, and WhatsApp alerts.
- Integration with applicant tracking systems like Workable, Team Tailor, Bamboo HR, and Lever.
- A free video interview plan with limitless time validity.
- Bulk shares, GDPR compliance, and multi-language options are also part of the deal, making it extremely candidate friendly.
Pricing:
- You get a 30-day free trial version.
- Starting range is $75/month.
- All plans allow unlimited users.
Spark Hire
Quite popular with over 6,000+ clients, Spark Hire supports one-way interviews to reduce the recruitment timeline. Short standardized questions can be used to filter out unsuitable candidates off the bat.
Spark Hire allows recorded videos to be stored in a folder allowing multiple members of the HR team to view them at any point in time. The hiring team may then rate, comment, or flag candidates as they skim through the videos with the interview evaluation feature.
Bonus Features:
- As a cloud-based video interview app, it’s known for highly accurate predictive analysis.
- It is very user-friendly.
- It has integrations with Google, Outlook.com, and Office 365.
If you have a large recruitment team working for a huge company, Spark Hire is a valid choice.
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial available.
- Starts at $119/month for 3 users
Willo
Willo is great for high-volume candidate screening. Their Intelligent Question Generator suggests standard interview questions, automating a recruiter’s job even further.
Security is a major priority for Willo. The tool is 100% GDPR compliant being based in Europe. So if data privacy is your firm’s top priority, Willo provides a clean solution.
Bonus Features:
- Simple, accessible with a good user interface
- Helps recruiters easily identify the top 10% of suitable candidates, due to AI integration in their one-way video interviews.
- Willo provides integrated services in partnership with Workable, Team Tailor etc.
Pricing:
- Willo has a limited free forever package.
- Starting range is $42 per user per month.
Check out some other great solutions in theBest Video Interviewing Platforms Buyer Guide.
7 Essential One-Way Video Interview Tips
1. Set Simple Standardized Questions
For example, one-way video interview questions and answers may 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 may be more 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?
2. Set a Practical Submission Deadline
When you invite a job seeker to conduct a one-way video interview, you may give them a set amount of time by which 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. A day or two may be required to find the time they need for adequate interview preparation and execution.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Have Clear One-Way Video Interview 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.
Benefits of One-Way Video Interviews vs In-Person and Real-Time Virtual Interviews
Fewer Geographical and Time Barriers
With in-person interviews, the candidate and hiring team must be in the same room at the same time, which seriously limits the number of interviews your company can conduct before filling a role. Real-time virtual interviews are less constricting and less time-consuming, but the parties must still be available at the same time — a difficult feat for international remote recruitment.
Because one-way video interviewing allows your hiring team to conduct interviews asynchronously, neither time zone nor location presents a barrier. In addition, an unlimited number of asynchronous interviews can be conducted within a set period of time.
Automated Operational Tasks
One-way video interviews act as a filtering step in your hiring funnel in that late submissions can be removed from your candidate pool.
You can also share promising interviews within your organization with comments and notes about the candidate. Since their recorded answers are available on-demand, it is possible to go back and review the interview multiple times and get input from multiple stakeholders.
If your interview platform is integrated with your applicant tracking system, you can move the candidate to the next phase of your hiring process, or notify them that they’re no longer under consideration right away.
It’s Candidate Friendly
Since candidates know the interview questions in advance, they can feel adequately prepared to present themselves well.
It is also much easier for job seekers to find time within a 24-hour or 48-hour window than to be available for an interview at a specific time. An in-person interview or a video call with a recruiter would inevitably happen within business hours, which means the candidate needs time off work to attend. By conducting an asynchronous interview, they can answer your questions after hours or at any time that is convenient to them.
It Saves You Time
Conducting one-way video interviews means you will get to skip through a lengthy interview process. Any hiring manager will tell you, they’ve sat in interviews where they could tell within minutes that the candidate is not suitable for the role, but had to conduct a full interview nonetheless.
With one-way video interviews, there is no need to dedicate more time to a candidate once you’ve eliminated them.
It Reduces Your Time To Fill and Cost Per Hire
Ultimately recruiters want to move the right people forward, quickly and permanently at the lowest possible cost. These are the metrics that determine effective recruitment.
The part one-way video interview tools play in this is that it significantly reduces the time to fill a vacant position, because more candidates can be considered in a shorter amount of time compared to a real-time or in-person interview process.
A reduction in the time your hiring team spends on filling a position is also a reduction in how much money you dedicate to their hiring efforts for that position.
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. 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 interviews.
Take a quick look at thebenefits of video interviews to restrategize your hiring process for maximum efficiency.
A survey by Forbes also points to data with a whopping 60% of recruiters using video technology to ease their hiring process. In the coming years, this number is only likely to exponentially increase.
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.
Disadvantages Of One-Way Video Interviews
One-way video interviews aren’t foolproof. Here are some impactful considerations:
It’s Might Give a False Impression
Candidates who don’t have good communication skills, and don’t require these skills to do their job (technical coders and graphic designers for example) may end up being misjudged.
It Lacks Human Interaction
No real relationships are built with the candidates early on in the recruitment process. This is detrimental to a candidate who may show a more realistic persona in a live interview.
No matter how you frame it, a one-way interview is impersonal and does not offer the same connection with your brand or candidate experience that an in-person (or even a phone call) would.
It Creates a Feedback Void
There is no way for the candidate to judge their success in a one-way interview.
In an in-person interview, body language and other cues will tell a candidate that the interviewer is interested or disinterested in what they are saying. A one-way interview offers none of this feedback. Because of this feedback void, the candidate may expect a call-back or even an offer and instead get a rejection.
If you are rejecting a candidate based on a one-way video interview, it is essential to be kind. Leave them a message with constructive feedback and wish them luck. Reassure them that you watched their video and that all communication lines are still open.
A Final Word on One-Way Video Interviews
So, addressing the elephant in the room – Should you choose one-way video interviews? Yes!
But this can’t be the only interview you conduct. You’ll have to speak to candidates in real-time or in person at some stage for them to ask questions and to get a real sense of how they interact.
Even with their flaws one-way video interviews are an effective candidate filter and one of the best options for hiring teams to automate and speed up the recruitment process.