Video interviews

READ TIME: < 1 min

Real time video interviews are much like a face to face interview.
Expect the interview to last up to 45 minutes.
Expect a series of questions that are competency based. Competencies are skills, such as communication, problem solving, team work, organisation etc.
The questions will be targeted on the skills needed to do the job, so remember to review the job description.
Each candidate will be asked the same set of questions, although the Recruiter / Hiring Manager may ask additional follow up questions based on your answers if they need clarity or want to find out more. This is helpful for candidates as it provides a chance to offer additional useful evidence related to the skill area.
Video interviews often include two interviewers, generally the HR Recruiter and / or the Hiring Manager. The Hiring Manager is often the person who will be the line manager of the person being recruited.

Before the video interview

Research preparation: Job Description

Know the job description (JD). Thoroughly read the JD and highlight key parts – including the skills that the employer is looking for from candidates.
Prepare examples of your experiences that evidence that you have the skills on the job description.
Have two examples of each skill listed. The employer may ask for another example if they feel your first example hasn’t been comprehensive enough to fully demonstrate the skill.
Focus not just on the ‘how’ part in your example, but also on the outcome/impact – how did the use of that skill enable a great outcome/result.

Research preparation: Employer website

Thoroughly research the employer. The more you know about and understand the employer, the better targeted your responses will be to the interview questions.
Review their website and look at the following sections to gain an insight into the employer, key development and culture:
- Values / Culture section
- News and press section
- Careers/working here section
Follow the employer on LinkedIn and other social media. You will be able to access latest news, updates and insights that could be useful in an interview.

Practical preparation – top tips

Be somewhere quiet, with good network reception. Check this in advance.
Ask the people you live with to be quiet. You do not want to be distracted or have noise in the background.
Set yourself up in advance. Make sure your phone/tablet/laptop is fully charged – ideally keep it charging during the interview.
Dress smartly. Wear exactly what you would at a face to face interview.
Sit up straight. It really does make a big difference to your voice projection.
Look straight ahead, rather than down or up. Practice this and get the set up correct.
Read the paper/listen to the news in the few days before the interview. You may be asked about a current news story. You should prepare your thoughts on the news story – why is it of interest to you, what key points were surprising to you, what did you learn from reading it etc.
Make sure there is good lighting in the room. You need to have the lighting in front of you, not behind you. Do not sit in front of a window with bright sunshine – it will make it hard for the interviewers to see you. Do make sure you have tested this in advance
Check technical connections.
Consider what is in the background….tidy up, remove anything too personal that you wouldn’t want the interviewers to see etc.

Have in front of you:
- A note book and pen.
- A drink of water.
- Key facts about the company you have discovered that could be useful to have noted – you may be asked what you have found out about the organisation.
- The job description (JD).
- Examples of your experiences that correlate to the skills on the JD.
- Your CV – you could be asked questions on your CV.
- A list of questions to ask the interviewer at the end of the interview.
Speak slowly. The interviewers will be taking notes – make their job easier by speaking at a steady pace. The more they can hear of your response, and have time to make note, the better it is for you.
Give the interviewer sufficient time to complete the question before you respond. Leave a couple of seconds at the end of the question to make sure they have finished before you respond.
If you need to, ask them to repeat or clarify the question. You will never be marked down for gaining clarification.

Confirm the next step in the process.
Find out who to contact if you require further information after the interview.
Thank the interviewers for their time, and finish off with saying ‘I look forward to hearing from you’.
Make sure you have disconnected the call properly.
Send a thank you follow up email after the video interview.