Embracing the future of interviews: How to do a video interview

Tech is moving us and the industry forward. What is now a given, like mobile phones or LinkedIn, was innovative and fresh 10 to 20 years ago. Job interviews have been a mainstay of recruitment for decades and are not close to retirement yet. But the format is evolving, from including group interviews and interviews with case studies to video interviews. This post gives you tips on how to prepare for and do a video interview!

Why video interviews?

The purpose of the video interview is the same as in-person interviews: to get an understanding of you as a person and candidate for a job and for you to have a conversation about the job in a face-to-face like way. Video is always better and more personal than a phone call.

We use a video interview portal to meet with you and this is also where our customers will see the recorded video along with your CV and other information. We use video interviews because it is a great way of communicating, it ensures a better experience and more information for you and us and also because we don’t want to be limited by borders or nationalities.

We search for and recruit tech talent globally which means in-person interviews can be a bit tricky to pull off and very expensive. The video interview is a great way for you and for us to get to know each other. And it is a great way for the hiring manager to learn about you. Much better than just receiving a pdf with your CV. Our customers love the video profiles we provide.

Check your surroundings - appearance matters

This is common reason but it can’t be stressed enough: make sure your desk is clean, the background looks good and the field of view is nice and presentable. Neither you or the interviewer should have any potential distractions in your field of view. If you’re living with someone let them know beforehand that you’re interviewing so they don’t walk in and interrupt the session. Don't worry though if you cat should walk by or your dog barks at the postman, it is all part of the authentic and personal experience and gives us a chance to laugh.

It’s important that your attitude doesn’t change just because it’s a video interview and not an in-person interview. Do yourself a favour and wear the same clothes you would for an in-person interview. Your appearance is part of your physical and mental preparation for the video interview, so don’t neglect it or underestimate the value of looking and feeling good.

Be specific and precise

Time is short so don’t prepare long and detailed answers to 50 pre-planned questions. We’ve noted in a previous article that preparation is key for a successful interview and it still is but the video interview is typically shorter than the traditional interviews, so be precise and specific when talking about your experiences, tasks and results.

The recruiter’s job is to screen that 1) you’re able to do the job and 2) your experience, skills and qualifications match the profile description. You’ll get the chance to have detailed conversations about your experience and skills in an in-person interview with the company!

Don’t neglect the traditional materials

Even though video interviews are the future of recruitment, it’s still a new tool and a great supplement to the traditional CV. The good old CV is still a fantastic tool to showcase all your relevant experiences and achievements so make sure it’s up-to-date and looks great, appealing and easy to read for the recruiter and the company.

Don’t forget to update your LinkedIn-profile either. Recruiters and company representative will check your profile to get a sense of who you are before they meet you. Make sure all information, picture and contact details are up to date - if it’s not, read our quick-guide on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile!

Don’t stress - video and in-person interviews are alike!

The only difference is that you and the recruiter are not physically in the same room and the interview is a bit shorter than the traditional. Everything else is the same as an in-person interview. The purpose is to enrich the information we deliver to our customer about you to give you the best chance of getting your dream job.

Don’t start panicking or stressing out because you’re going to do a video interview, it’s not as scary as it sounds. Prepare for the interview like you would for an in-person interview, get everything set and you’re ready to ace the video interview!

Finally, let’s go through the process!

• We select you for a video interview.
• We contact you to schedule a video interview in our video interview portal. All info about how and what is given during the initial contact.
• The interview usually takes 15-30 minutes and during this we usually:
  • Ask about your current job and career in general
  • Ask about your private life (hobbies, interests and so on)
  • Ask about what you expect from the job and the company
  • Some job specific questions
• We deliver the recorded video and your CV to our customer in our video interview portal.

The first video interview is with one of our consultants. When you go through to the next phase of the process you will be invited to either an onsite interview or another video interview, this time with the company’s hiring manager.