Video interviews

We’ll now move swiftly onto the second stage of assessment from our recruitment funnel – the video interview.

They are a selection method favoured by recruiters due to their flexibility and versatility, but something that may be unfamiliar to you if you haven’t done one before. Doing an asynchronous video interview might seem awkward, answering questions to your video camera and then sending your response into the void where someone then judges it. A synchronous video interview, in comparison, is similar to a regular interview, just conducted online!

First, we’ll focus in on asynchronous video interviews – the ones that you can do in your own time, where you’re not speaking to someone directly in real-time. After the first stage of assessment, you might be sent an invitation to a ‘video interview’, generally hosted on an external website such as Shortlister or Tazio. You’ll be given a set amount of time (for a 5-question video interview package, you might expect to spend about 20-25 minutes altogether), split up into chunks. You might be given 10 seconds to listen to the question, 1 minute thinking time, and then a further 90 seconds to record your response. Just to let you know, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to retake any of the video submissions (unless you have tech issues!), and you’ll need to answer all the questions in one sitting. Similarly to the CV/application stage, your answers will be sent to somebody to assess, using a scoring matrix.

So, how do you ace a video interview?

It all starts off with how you interpret the question and formulate the response.

Interpreting the question

Picture this: You’ve just applied for a role as a recruitment consultant and been invited to a video interview. You’ve put on a nice shirt, found a quiet place, and logged into the video interview platform on your laptop. You click start. A person’s face pops on the screen and you are asked the first question:

Can you tell me about a time you demonstrated your initiative?

Can you tell me about a time you demonstrated your initiative?

Can you tell me about a time you demonstrated your initiative?

Ah so they want an example! Now, to formulate your response…

Formulating a response

I’ll admit, 60 seconds to formulate an answer is not a long time. But it is enough to get some notes down on paper to structure your response, and you can work out the details on the fly! The method we recommend is called STAR, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Let’s delve deeper into what these mean, and give you an example.

• S – Situation: Start off with the context if your example. Where/when was it that the situation occurred?
• T – Task: Then go onto what the task was, give an outline of the requirements.
• A – Action: At this point, you’ll get into what should be the longest section of your answer – what you did! Think about it chronologically and be specific about your actions and the reasoning behind them.
• R – Result: You can finish off your answer by talking about the consequences or outcomes of your actions in this situation. What was the result and then reflect back on how it answers the question.

For this example, your answer might sound something like this:

Situation – In my current role as a fundraising coordinator, our team was tasked with organising a large-scale fundraising event. A week before the event, the printing company responsible for delivering the event’s promotional materials told us that they would not be able to meet our deadline.

Task – Our team was under pressure to ensure that the event ran smoothly, and without the promotional materials, the event’s branding would suffer. We needed to find an alternative solution quickly.

Action – I took the initiative to research and contact other local and online printing business who could produce similar materials within the limited timeframe. After identifying a business who could complete the work with a quick turnaround, I negotiated a deal that also included quicker delivery to us. I also coordinated with our design team to make any necessary adjustments to the artwork to meet the new print specifications.

Result – Thanks to my initiative, we received the promotional materials in time for the event, ensuring that the branding was consistent and professional. The event was a success, and my proactive approach was acknowledged by my manager, which meant my manager gave me more responsibilities in future projects.

We’ll talk in more detail about how you can best utilise the STAR method later on.

One top tip from us is to make sure that you’re talking about what you did. If the question asks you about a time where you demonstrated teamwork, make sure your focus is on your contribution to the team – not just what the team did! You’ll see in my example that I do start off by saying what the team had to do and then focused in on my personal actions to demonstrate my competence.