Acing one-way interview

Ketan Dewan

The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence: It is to act with yesterday’s logic. Change disrupts as well as disorients. Reality bites, but reality is what takes us to the new source of light. One-way video interviews are certainly an enhancement or maybe a replacement to the traditional resume and boring interview process. The nature of such pre-recorded interviews offers the opportunity to expand and highlight the skills that a job seeker has to offer and lends the due convenience to everyone involved in the recruitment process. 

Recruiters are sending personalised job codes to job-seekers as well as marketing via video job-descriptions on social media to attract suitable candidates for various roles within their organisations. Recruiters pre-feed video BOTS with questions that are asked to prospective job-seekers and candidates get auto-shortlisted. To add to it, you get a direct invite for the final interview or an offer letter to join; without the recruiter having to speak with you for scheduling interview slots etc. Chat BOTS are the new assistants for recruiters. So, if you have received any job-code — don’t you worry. Here we throw more light on how you can ace your one-way video interviews: 

What is a one-way video interview? 

One-way video interviews or asynchronous video job interviews are pre-recorded job interviews of prospective job-seekers based on questions asked by a Video BOT. The questions are pre-fed to the Video BOT by the recruiter. Now the recruiter can view the video recording of the job-seeker and decide whether to meet the respective job-seeker for furtherance on their candidature. There is a layer of cognitive assessment of the videos that are undertaken by the machine to help the recruiters interact with shortlisted candidates. 

Why recruiters like one-way video interviews? 

• It's easier & convenient to view & hire  
• Don't have to meet all candidates who apply for the job
• No need to manage schedules of prospective candidates & hiring managers
• Recruiters freed bandwidth is spent on better engagement with right candidates

What are the benefits for job-seekers? 

• It saves time, travel cost & is super convenient
• Targeted approach to job-search 
• Use the available time to engage better with your dream companies 

Guidelines for a good video interview

• Place your mobile phone on a table at face height to prevent blurry or shaky recordings.
• Make sure the background is white or light-coloured wall or curtain.
• To enable good video quality, ensure room lighting is in front of you and not behind.
• Conduct your interview in a quiet, distraction free area. Remember, even the noise of fan or the whistling cooker in the kitchen can spoil the experience.
• Remember you can practice as many time as you need to feel comfortable.
• Keep your shoulders centered in the camera’s view.
• Dress appropriately, white or light-coloured top or shirt is always preferable. Avoid checked shirts/tops.
• Try to make eye contact with your camera whenever possible.

— THe writer is CEO and Co-founder, Talocity-World's first Talent Stock Exchange