Learn how to Prepare for a Pre-recorded Video Interview

In the pre-recorded interview, you do not interact with your interviewer; instead, you are alone in front of the camera and address questions or assignments that were pre-recorded or given in writing. These interviews assess various aspects of a candidate's personality, abilities, competencies, drives, and motivations.

While it does not replace the traditional in-person interview, it is a means of gaining a first impression of the candidates and assessing their work-related hard and soft skills. 

While both can be referred to as video interviews, a live video interview is similar to a regular one, as it includes interaction with actual recruiters, social dynamics, and follow-up questions. As these elements are removed from in person interviews, there are several implications:

First, because the recruiter watching your recordings can't ask follow-up questions, they must gather all relevant information from what you provide. If you miss an important detail or unintentionally reveal something you wish to conceal, you won't have the opportunity to correct it.

Second, in both traditional and live video interviews, your nonverbal communication skills are as important as your verbal skills. In pre-recorded video interviews, you might overlook the nonverbal aspect of your responses since you aren't interacting with a real person. This is a mistake, as nonverbal cues provide recruiters with insights into who you are beyond your words.

While most pre-recorded interviews include open-ended questions, they often contain a series of job simulation assignments, such as a case study, role-playing, virtual job tryout, and situational judgement test. Test providers like SHL administer this combination of pre-recorded interviews and job simulations, which is used in the hiring process of leading banks and investment firms, such as Deloitte, HSBC, EY, and BDO.

Most pre-recorded video interviews include 5 to 8 questions and take about 20-30 minutes to complete. However, these numbers vary between positions and organisations. For each question, you will have between 30 seconds to 2 minutes to prepare your answer and up to 3 minutes to record it.

Humans are social beings, and pre-recorded interviews lack direct human interaction, limiting the recruiter's ability to assess your fit for the company. Therefore, your delivery must compensate for the lack of social dynamics. When preparing for a pre-recorded interview, you should focus even more on nonverbal communication than you would for a live interview.

Your responses may be on point, but if your nonverbals give the wrong impression, you will be screened out. As your competition is fierce as it is, you can't give the recruiter, or HireVue's AI, any reason to second-guess your fit. The following are vital nonverbal cues you must consider when responding:

• Your body language, including posture, hand gestures, eye contact with the camera, and facial expressions, shapes how you are perceived, impacts your communication, and enhances your ability to convey emotions and messages beyond words.
• Your tone of voice, including pace, modulation, and intonation, enhances the communication of emotions and intentions and clarifies your messages.

Practicing in front of a mirror or with a friend can help, but professional guidance from an experienced occupational psychologist offers tailored improvement strategies. This support will refine both your response content and nonverbal communication, helping you achieve perfection.

The questions you will be asked in your pre-recorded video interview aim to get to know you better, both personally and professionally. Thus, there are various types of questions you need to prepare for –

• Professional experience questions – you will be asked to talk about your past professional experience, challenges you faced in previous positions, success stories you had, your relationships with your colleagues, your understanding of the position, and your strengths and weaknesses.
• Situational judgement questions – you will be presented with work-related scenarios and need to describe how you would respond and what actions you would take.
• Scenario simulations – you will be presented with a work-related scenario and need to simulate and act out your response within the scenario.

Video interviews may seem awkward and unintuitive, but in today's hiring world they are your opportunity to make a positive first impression. The more easily you get over the strangeness of the situation and focus on maximizing your interview performance, the more of an edge you'll have on your competition. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started:

While these tips will help, remember that pre-recorded interviews are designed to screen a large number of candidates. Unless you tackle the challenge of perfecting both your verbal and nonverbal delivery, you risk being outpaced by the competition.

1. You will receive an email invitation from your recruiter with a link to the online interview platform. The invitation will also include instructions for recording the interview and the deadline date for completing it.
2. After clicking the link, you may need to enter personal details, such as name and email address.
3. You will be presented with a short introduction showing how the platform works and what you can expect during the pre-recording interview process.
4. The system will check the audio and webcam settings and show you how it looks on the screen.
5. You can take a practice question to get you at ease with the platform and warm up for the interview.
   The practice question is not recorded and will not be sent to your recruiters.
6. Once you are ready, press the “start” button and begin your interview.
   The interview itself usually contains between 5 to 8 questions. You will have about 30 seconds to prepare your answer and up to 3 minutes to record it.
   On some platforms, you can stop your recording and take a pause. However, once you submit your answer, there is no way back.
7. After your interview, the recording will be sent to your recruiters, who will review it and determine whether you move on to the next step of the hiring process.

The interview is usually administrated via an online platform, with HireVue being the most common option, followed by Cappfinity, IBM, and Amberjack. However, you may be asked to record a video on your phone or computer and send it to your recruiters.

You can record your interview from your computer, smartphone, or tablet at any place and any time that is convenient to you within the time frame you were given to complete it. 

Once you submit your interview, it may be processed through an AI, such as with HireVue, or sent to your recruiters.

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