Candidate questions answered: Live YouTube Q&A with HireVue CEO Kevin Parker and Andrew LaCivita

HireVue CEO & Chairman, Kevin Parker sat down with the award-winning author and career and leadership coach, Andrew LaCivita for an hour-long live YouTube Q&A to answer candidate questions. Viewers were able to ask questions live, and Andrew also came prepared with submissions from job-seekers in his network. 

We’ve synthesized the interview by topic below (full disclosure: Kevin never said “yay,” in the interview but that’s in our summary). You can also see the video in its entirety below:

Artificial intelligence in interviews and games...what do I need to know?

You’ve probably got some AI questions, and we get it. In fact, we think questions about new technology are good. Kevin and Andrew covered quite a bit about our interview and game-based assessments, here are the highlights:

1. We’re only evaluating words, nothing visual. Let’s repeat that: AI can’t see your background, your outfit, your makeup, or anything else. 
2. Only about 1 in 5 HireVue interviews actually use an algorithm and they always come with a disclaimer when they do.
3. You can’t game the system - so don’t try to keyword stuff.
4. Eye contact isn’t a big deal. Just speak in a way that makes you comfortable.
5. No one can see you while you’re playing the games. So pajamas are fine.

How do I prepare for an on-demand interview?

Preparing for an on-demand interview is fairly similar to getting ready for an in-person meeting, but with some perks and creature comforts you can’t have face-to-face (it’s no big deal to take a break between HireVue questions, but don’t try that with a human recruiter). Here are some of Kevin’s top tips: 

1. Pick a quiet spot - we’ve seen some great interviews on mobile devices in the front seat of cars.
2. Set aside enough time to do the interview. Most take 25-35 minutes (yay for no commute!).
3. Research the job just like an in-person interview.
4. Anticipate the questions - these aren’t top secret. Do your Googles.
5. Use the STAR technique as a framework for answering behavioral questions. STAR stands for situation, task, action, result.
6. Use notes - you don’t have to memorize everything or be sneaky with post-its.
7. This isn’t a screen test or an attempt at a viral TikTok video. The content of your answers is the most important part of the process.

Why do potential employers choose a virtual process?

Most people don’t love job interviews, but the old format is familiar, and so changes to virtual have a lot of people asking why? The short answer is that virtual interviews offer companies and candidates benefits that would be impossible at scale face-to-face. Here are just a few reasons why our customers go virtual:

1. Many of our customers interview thousands of people for a single position. By using on demand interviews they can give more candidates a chance to tell their story and get a foot in the door.
2. There are over 100 years of research in the field of IO psychology on what predicts job fit. One of the best predictors is the use of competency-based structured interview questions. With HireVue, last in first out becomes best in first out because the more structure we add to the process the fairer it becomes.
3. A lot of customers choose HireVue so they can improve diversity. Fun fact: customers with a Chief Diversity Officer are 4x more likely to sign a contract with HireVue because we can show quantifiable results when it comes to improving diversity in hiring.
4. Candidates don’t like waiting to hear back and companies don’t like having vacancies for critical roles- our customers drastically reduce the time it takes to hire from start to finish. 

Where someone works is critical to their happiness, and because of that, we know the interview process can be stressful. But our goal is to create a transparent, easy-to-understand process for you to succeed. For more tools to get prepared, check out the For Candidates section of our website for answers to your questions. And if you’ve got a link to take a HireVue and have technical questions, our world-class support team is available year round, 24/7, to assist you in 30+ languages.