Video Interviewing: Are You Asking the Right Questions?

You’re on the search for the best candidate out there for the position you’re looking to fill. Whether you have a set of interview questions that you feel work really well, or whether you are looking to revise your question set, you have to ask yourself: Are you asking the right questions? To get the most out of video interviewing, you have to be smart about the questions you ask.  In the New York Times Bestseller book Great Work, author David Sturt discusses the importance of asking the right question. Sturt quotes Albert Einstein who once said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I would use the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”  Einstein’s idea applies to determining what questions to ask in a video interview. 

Don’t Rush 

If you spend time contemplating the right questions to ask, you’ll be able to decide who to hire much more quickly. Don’t rush to put together questions just because you want to reduce your time to fill. Take the time to brainstorm, ask other people for feedback, do research to truly assess if your questions are going to help you find the right person faster, better, and easier. Determining the right questions to ask is up to you and your organization. At HireVue, we see countless examples of great questions. Some are very specific and role-based, while others are high-level and to the point. You decide what fits your organization and culture. 

Start Simple

If you don’t know what questions to use, start simple and see what’s working with the questions you are asking. Questions are never set in stone, so don’t hesitate to change them later on if you need. I’d like to suggest three simple interview questions that I have seen HireVue clients use in a video interview, regardless of the position for which they are hiring. These simple questions are great and give more insight about the candidate than you may think.

1. Describe your greatest success or achievement at work.

Why it’s great: This question focuses on the workplace (as opposed to personal life) and gives you insight to what the candidate believes is important. Everyone has something they are proud of, so take the time to hear what the candidate has to say, regardless of what is listed in their resume.

2. Why should we hire you?

Why it’s great: Sometimes questions that are too open-ended or broad may steer the interview in the wrong direction. This question is short, to the point, and if asked at the end of the interview, allows the candidate to summarize (perhaps once again) why they’d be great for the job. After all, you may see why they’d be great for the job, but take a moment to hear it from them.

3. Tell me about a time when you were able to get others to take action even though it was challenging.

Why it’s great: Any question that asks a candidate to describe a situation or tell about a specific experience is always a great opportunity to identify behavioral traits. This question helps an interviewer to see a candidate’s leadership potential in almost any role, along with the candidate’s ability to work with others. A lot of information can come out with this question. Candidates have a lot to say, you just need to ask the right questions.

Use a video interviewing platform to ask the right questions.

After you determine if you are asking the right questions, HireVue provides a bank of sample questions with more suggestions for great questions to ask, as well as a variety of different question response types to help you gather the information you are looking for. Use HireVue to ask your questions and you’ll be able to choose candidate response type of a video, essay, multiple choice, multiple selection, or with a screen sharing capability.  Asking the right questions in a video interview will help you choose the right person -- or eliminate the wrong person -- for the position. Think about what you are asking. Be creative. Make every question count.