All Of Your Questions About Pre-Recorded Video Interviews Answered

Updated 5/14/2020

Video interviews have their benefits. They enable you to meet job candidates who may not live nearby. They also provide you with an opportunity to interview in the comfort of your own home. Even with these conveniences, there are times when it may be more beneficial to have candidates conduct pre-recorded video interviews.

What is a pre-recorded video interview?

A pre-recorded video interview also called a one-way Interview, is yet another creative way to interview prospective job candidates without all of the hassle typically associated with this process. You can invite up to 25 candidates to participate in a single pre-recorded video interview. As you know, interviewing 25 different candidates can take days, if not weeks, to accomplish. With pre-recorded video interviews, you can significantly decrease the time it takes to interview prospective job candidates.

Of course, every hiring process is unique, which means your reasons for needing a one-way video interview to screen candidates are likely different from those of other companies. It’s critical to analyze current recruitment tools to determine where you’re excelling and what solution one-way video interviews will bring to the table. This makes it easier to convince decision-makers they’re necessary and ensure a smoother implementation. Use key hiring KPIs, such as drop out rates, time to hire, candidate experience, and interview costs. 

What do you need to provide on your part?

The job video interview requires one thing of you: a list of questions. You can ask up to 10 in a single invitation. These questions are just like those you would ask in a face-to-face job interview: tell me about yourself, what are your biggest weaknesses, how will you work to be an asset to this company?

With Spark Hire’s pre-recorded video interview services, you can save questions and use the same question templates over and over. Again, this takes a lot of the prep work and time out of the interview and candidate selection process.

Set expectations and clarify the pre-recorded video interview process for candidates. Explain how the interview works, the number of takes they’ll receive, where they can reach 24/7 concierge service, and a timeline of when they can expect to move forward using a branded video message. With a short video message, candidates receive personalized communication from your team and an enhanced connection from the early stages of the screening process.

How do you analyze a pre-recorded video interview?

Analyzing one-way video interviews is just like assessing real-time video or face-to-face interviews. You are judging candidates on their appearance and preparedness as well as their answers to your questions. Like a real-time video interview or resume, you also want to make sure they’ve taken the necessary considerations to make a great first impression.

Are they answering the questions from a crowded coffee house or a quiet room? Did they bother to dress professionally, or do they look like they just rolled out of bed? Do they sound like a candidate that would be capable in the role and adaptable to your company culture?

Evaluating candidates in these early stages is critical as it sets up the success of your entire hiring process. Forming a structured interview process from the start allows your team to assess candidates efficiently and effectively. Ask each candidate the same predetermined questions to help your team review responses more accurately.

What are the next steps after reviewing?

After viewing all of the video interviews, narrow down your list to whichever candidates stuck out. At that point, it’s up to you to consider a live video interview or an in-person interview as a prerequisite to a potential job offer.

Whatever the case, one-way video interviews enable you to look at job candidates on a level playing field. You’re better able to discover which candidates are worth a second look before actually bringing them into the office. And with that, you have a better chance of filling that open position more quickly and with the best possible person.

Don’t let your video interviews and qualified talent go to waste. Create a talent library using your already assessed pre-recorded interviews to decrease future time to hires and increase the number of top candidates in your talent pool.