Interviews are an essential part of the hiring process. Looking at a CV or resume can help form a picture of a candidate’s skills and qualifications, but to cement that they’re the best fit for the position, it’s essential to see their behavior when they’re engaged in conversation.
But interviews suck up a lot of time – on average, interviews take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, according to Indeed – and recruiters then have to organize notes, debrief with other members of the hiring team, and other tedious tasks. After all that, many candidates can end up being a bad fit for the position.
To reduce the amount of time spent filtering out bad-fit candidates, many recruiters are turning to one-way interviews to narrow down a large candidate pool quickly and efficiently.
Instead of just relying on resumes and assessments, recruiters can get a first impression of candidates through one-way interviews without the time, effort, and resources of a live interview.
What are one-way interviews?
One-way interviews provide a bridge between applications and interviews. They are an initial screening tool that happens before live interviews to help shortlist best-fit candidates before moving on to the next round.
In traditional interviews, the interviewer and candidate are actively talking to one another in real-time. In contrast, one-way interviews are asynchronous. They allow candidates to respond to pre-recorded questions or prompts by recording a video at their convenience for the hiring team to review.
They’re common in industries like tech and retail, and typically used for high-volume roles or as a way to save time during the recruitment process.
How do one-way interviews work?
One-way interviews can be tailored to fit organizational needs and easily integrate the rest of the hiring process.
However, they typically follow a general process with five key steps:
- Choose a Tool: Find a reliable platform to conduct interviews. Compare tools to find one that is user-friendly for both candidates and recruiters and meets any other requirements, such as budget or specific features.
- Prepare Questions: Create a list of specific and clear questions that are tailored to the role. Read on to get sample questions to use.
- Send Invitations: Invite selected candidates to complete the interview. Provide them with instructions, deadlines, and tips for completing the interview, such as recording in a quiet area and ensuring their camera and microphone are working.
- Review Responses: Watch and assess candidates’ recorded responses – either by yourself or with your team – to decide who will move forward. Some interview platforms have built-in AI tools that can help analyze videos to make reviews more efficient.
- Follow Up: Shortlist candidates based on your review and conduct next steps accordingly, such as inviting them to a live interview or completing a technical assessment.
Pros and cons of one-way interviews
One-way interviews comes with its benefits, but it also has some challenges. Here are the pros and cons of asynchronous interviews.
Pros
- Elminates Time Constraints: Review responses at your own pace and take the time to compare and consider candidates more carefully.
- Reduces Workload: Minimize the time, cost, and resources spent on initial interviews by shortlisting candidates before beginning live interviews.
- Assesses Communication: See how candidates articulate their thoughts in real-time.
- Ensure Fairness: Provide all candidates with the same questions to standardize the process to reduce bias.
- Provide Flexibility for Candidates: Avoid scheduling conflicts between candidates and interviewers.
Cons
- Limits Interaction: Asynchronous interviews don’t allow for back-and-forth dialogue or rapport-building – however, candidates who are shortlisted have the opportunity for a two-way conversation in live interviews.
- Carries Negative Perceptions: One-way interviews can make candidates feel disconnected from the process. Tools like Equip allow recruiters to upload video recordings of questions, making the process feel more personal.
- Risks False Impressions: An asynchronous interview can give candidates the time to rehearse or get help to tailor their responses, which may not accurately reflect how they think and behave day-to-day.
Sample questions
No matter what type of questions you ask, it’s essential to make them clear and straight-forward because candidates will not have the opportunity to ask clarifying questions like they would in a traditional interview.
However, questions should be specific to a candidate’s experience and the requirements of the role to avoid candidates giving fake or AI-generated answers.
Here are eight sample questions to include in a one-way interview:
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