Frequently asked questions

How can I prepare for a HireVue virtual interview?

Do your research

First of all, research as much as you can about the responsibilities of the job to which you’re applying and the culture of the company overall. We wrote a blog post that gives a lot of helpful information about how to do company research.

Choose Your Space

The next step to prepare for a video-based interview is to choose your space. Remember that your responses will likely be viewed by recruiters and hiring managers. You should make sure you are in a well-lit environment, and try to ensure you have a good internet connection. That said, if you do lose connection in the middle of your assessment, you’ll be able to pick up where you left off with the same link you used to begin the interview previously.

Be aware that the employer will be able to see what is behind you as you take your video. While most video-based assessments take under 20-30 minutes to complete, you should set aside 45 minutes to stay on the safe side.

Check Your Tech

Beyond doing research and choosing your interview space, here’s a list of technical items to check out before your interview:

Figure out which device you feel most comfortable interviewing with (computer, tablet, phone)
If you choose to take the interview on a tablet or smartphone, make sure you’ve downloaded the HireVue app for iOS or Android
For a HireVue OnDemand Interview (the kind you do without another person at the other end that lets you choose when and where to do the interview), we recommend having an internet download and upload speed of at least 350 Kbps per second (.35 Mbps). It’s very rare to have a connection slower than this, but just to be safe, you can test your internet speed here. If your internet speed is lower than 350 Kbps per second, close any other applications that may be using bandwidth or look for an alternative connection or place to conduct your interview.
Make sure your device is fully charged or plugged in while you conduct your interview to avoid any unexpected battery outages or shutdowns.
Try to find a room with decent lighting so your face is clearly visible. We also recommend closing the blinds if you’re planning on sitting with your back to a window during the daytime.
The HireVue video interview platform lets you test and ensure your internal microphone is on and working before you start the interview. You can test your internal microphone prior to your interview by recording a voice memo to be sure it’s set up properly.
If you’re interviewing on a computer, it’s natural to look at the window displaying your video feed and not your web camera. We recommend positioning that video feed window near the top center of your screen so that looking at this feed will also make it look like you’re looking at the camera.

How can I prepare for a HireVue assessment interview?

Have you ever taken a multiple-choice pre-hire assessment test?

In much the same way, your HireVue Assessment will study your video interview to understand and highlight your specific, job-related competencies, like communication and problem-solving skills.

For example, for some customer-facing jobs, your interview may contain a question about how you would respond to an angry customer and you would be prompted to respond by recording an answer on video as if you were addressing that customer. In job roles such as these, your empathy, friendliness, and ability to address the emotions of the angry customer are critical.

What to Expect

In a video-based assessment, you’ll be presented with a question – either written or in video form – and be given several minutes to respond to each question. Most video-based assessments include between five and eight questions.

Preparing for the HireVue Assessment Interview:

As you prepare for your HireVue assessment, consider these tips. If some look familiar, this is because they are applicable to any interview situation. The same tips that help you succeed in a traditional interview will also help you succeed in a video-based assessment.

Research the company you applied to – their culture, their values, their products – and be prepared to speak to how your skills align
Understand the roles and responsibilities of the role you applied for
Be prepared to share your personal and professional experiences, the lessons you learned, and the results you achieved
Be familiar with the different types of interview questions, and come into the assessment with approaches in mind for responding each type.

Common types of questions you’ll see in a video-based assessment are:

Situational judgement questions. You’ll be asked what actions you would take when confronted with a hypothetical situation.
Scenario-based simulations. You’ll be asked to simulate your actions in a hypothetical scenario. The key difference between this type of question and a situational judgment question is that you’ll act out your response, rather than explain it.
Past behavior questions. You’ll be asked to relate past experiences and previous challenges you’ve faced.

Unlike a typical interview, you can complete a video-based assessment anytime, anywhere. Take advantage of this! Be sure to take your assessment during the time of day you feel sharpest and most alert.

Visit our Interview Tips page for more great suggestions to help you ace your interview.

What Technology is used?

Will my HireVue OnDemand interview have an AI algorithm analyzing me behind the scenes?

Many companies offer HireVue OnDemand and Live Interviews that are just that – plain old recordings of interviews via webcam with no artificial intelligence technology involved. Some companies also add HireVue Assessments (a separate program) to the process, which means that your interview video will be analyzed by an assessment model (also called an algorithm).

HireVue Assessments take the place of the old multiple-choice assessment tests some companies ask candidates to take, which will save you and the recruiters a lot of time. See the questions answered below to learn a little about what the assessments are analyzing, but rest assured that they’re the same kinds of things that a recruiter or hiring manager would be looking for in a candidate for the job you’re applying for.

Do HireVue interviews use facial recognition technology?

HireVue never uses the video recording of your interview in order to identify you, which is sometimes referred to as “facial recognition.”

Most HireVue interviews today do not also use HireVue Assessments, but simply record your answers to video questions on interviews and let you show a bit more of your personality to recruiters and hiring managers.

Is it true that an algorithm – or a robot is deciding whether or not I get the job?

Some news articles have made it sound that way, but in fact, HireVue Interviews and HireVue Assessments are intended to be first steps in the overall interviewing process. For the vast majority of jobs, the interview (and the assessment, if the hiring company uses them) help recruiters make the first cut, and then those in the top group move on to person-to-person interviews before hiring decisions are made by people.

So HireVue Interviews and Assessments are basically just replacing the typical 20-minute screening phone call with a recruiter and the long, multiple-choice question assessment tests before the top pool of candidates moves on to the person-to-person interviews. And, to answer your other question, no robots are involved – just software.

Will this HireVue interview mean that I won’t be able to interview with or talk to a person before a hiring decision is made?

Nearly all companies who use HireVue interviews and assessments simply use this as a convenient first step in a longer process that involves person-to-person interviews with finalists later on. This step is often used to replace the screening phone call many recruiters have with candidates like you. Just as would happen if HireVue were not part of the process, if the recruiters choose to bring you past this screening step, then you’re almost certain to have one or more person-to-person interviews later on.

What happens to all my HireVue interview and assessments data after the hiring decision is made?

HireVue stores your personal data based on the retention period (for the amount of time) chosen by the company that you’re interviewing with. We automatically purge personal data when that company’s retention period expires. However, you can also request that your personal data be deleted at any point in the process. It’s important to note that HireVue doesn’t decide whether or when to delete your data, the company to which you’re applying does. We can only follow the instructions of your potential employer, as they’re the controllers of interview data, so send your deletion request to the company you’re applying to.
To request deletion of your data directly from the potential employer, you can email the recruiter you’ve been in contact with or check the application page on that company’s website for instructions. Keep in mind that the company where you’re applying could have other jobs that are a good match with your skills, so read the information the company sends you carefully to see what your options are.

What's Assessed

What sorts of competencies are evaluated in a video-based assessment?

Video-based assessments evaluate both what you know about performing the job (“hard skills” or competencies) and what recruiters call “soft” competencies, like communication skills, conscientiousness, problem-solving skills, team orientation, and initiative. The competencies in your video assessment are based on research by organizational psychologists about the skills and characteristics that are most important for success in that particular job role. The best thing you can do is to carefully study the job description and be sure that you have examples and real experience behind you in order to “show what you know” about doing that job well.

Is it fair?

I read that algorithms can be biased just like people are. How does HireVue deal with that issue?

This is an important question and one that HireVue has been working on for years. In fact, one of the main reasons we began developing our AI technology was to protect job candidates from some of the unconscious human biases that all people, including recruiters and hiring managers, have. We wanted to level the playing field by developing algorithms (assessment models) that would focus only on the parts of your interview that are actually relevant to success in the job you’re interviewing for, and would ignore things like which school you went to and what your GPA is or whether you have beautiful green eyes just like the recruiter’s best friend.

As for algorithmic bias, HireVue has pioneered many new methods for preventing bias in our assessment tests (algorithms). The main way we do this is by making sure that the assessments focus only on the skills and competencies that research shows is important to success in the job you’re applying for. Assessments never look at age, race, gender, or even things on your resume such as GPA or the college you attended. Only skills and competencies are measured.

I have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Will the assessment or algorithm give me a lower score because I may not be as expressive as some other people?

Many neurodiverse professionals excel in job roles that don’t require you to be chatty or socially charismatic in some particular way. Each HireVue Assessment model (or algorithm) is designed for a specific job role and not all HireVue interviews have an assessment added. However, if your interview also includes an assessment that analyzes your answers to the questions, rest assured that only competencies and skills directly related to success in the job role are being measured.

Most employers today are ready to support neurodiverse as well as candidates with disabilities if you prefer to take an interview or assessment another way. While it’s a personal choice to tell an employer that you are on the spectrum, if you do choose to do so, you may also be able to ask for the interview questions in advance, which will allow you extra time to practice your responses. You can also request accommodations from your recruiter or the hiring team at that company.

Check our tips for neurodiverse job candidates to find more ways to increase your comfort and confidence in virtual interviews here.

I get really nervous taking interviews and feel a little awkward even in face-to-face conversations. Will I lose a chance at this job if I don’t make enough eye contact or if I blink too much?

First of all, feeling nervous at job interviews is perfectly natural. The most important thing to know, though, is that HireVue Assessments are designed for a specific type of job, so there’s no one “perfect candidate” that you’re being measured against. The HireVue Assessment for your job will be evaluating your answers to questions about specific skills and competencies for that job, such as teamwork, persistence, or, for a sales job, for example, ability to negotiate. When answering the question, do what feels most natural to you and focus on showing what you know about the job using specific examples from your school or work experiences.

Does a video-based assessment look for “keywords”?

A HireVue video-based assessment considers the whole context of a response, not just certain words here or there. If you think of a multiple-choice assessment, you are often presented with a scenario and a list of potential actions, then prompted to choose the one that best fits what you would do. The same sort of evaluation happens in a video-based assessment. The key difference is that you can verbally describe the action you would take, rather than trying to fit your approach into one of the multiple-choice answers on old-fashioned assessment tests.

Can I trick or “game” a HireVue Assessment?

Beyond practicing like you would for any other type of interview, nope. No matter what some companies who are trying to sell you a service may tell you, there’s no course you can take that will help you game an AI-driven job assessment from HireVue. For one thing, there is no one assessment that all companies use to assess candidates for all jobs. Each assessment algorithm (or model) is developed for one type of job role, and many were developed specifically for the company that is offering the job.

For technical support see our Candidate Help Center

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