Hey, I’m Tim and I am doing an internship in Marketing at viasto. I’d like to share my video interviewing experience with you because I know that this way of interviewing is not something that candidates experience every day…
When you get invited for an interview after applying for a position, you would expect the usual telephone or live video interview. As part of my Bachelor studies in International Management I decided to apply at viasto for a Marketing internship. Viasto invited me to record a video interview – a new experience for me!
During this period, exams and projects were in full swing, among other things; so I realized that the initial benefit of a recorded video interview instead of a live interview was that I could complete the interview whenever it would fit into my schedule (of course within the time span I was given).
The journey begins… and is quite easy, actually
The login details were assigned to me and I was ready to go. I was quite relaxed because I knew that I would not have to face my evaluators immediately. First, I was given an introduction to viasto and some information about what would be requirements for me throughout the interview. Next, a test for the sound and video quality was carried out to make sure everything worked correctly. Before I decided to start the actual interview, it was especially helpful that I could do some test videos. A test question helped me to understand the timing and structure of what was ahead of me and prepared me for the actual recording.
Then I started the interview and was guided step by step through a relatively short process consisting of 5 questions about my motivation, my experience and skills. I had some time to prepare each answer allowing me to be structured and precise.
In the last question I was asked to give feedback on what I thought of the video interview experience as well as any suggestions of what I think could be improved. This was interesting as the tables turned and an interest for my opinion for viasto’s product was shown. This is rarely asked of in the first interview as not much time is available and I appreciated that my feedback was considered. For every potential candidate reading this blog post, I would like to share some tips…
Tips for breezing through the recorded video interview
- Keep calm and collected: There is nothing scary to that kind of interview. The important thing is to be prepared. You should know why you are applying at that company. And why you are interested in that particular job.
- Don’t focus too much on the time you have: If you pay too much attention on this, you probably won’t deliver to the best of your abilities as your efforts will be to make it within the time restrictions. Try to focus on what you are going to say.
- Make brief and structured notes for preparing: Before you begin the interview, jot down some facts on yourself such as the typical strengths and weaknesses so you have something readily usable, should that maybe come up during the interview.
- Make sure your will not be disturbed during your interview. Your mobile phone should be put on “silent” as well.
Overall, the experience of participating in an recorded video interview was very interesting and positive. This new form of a first touch point with a potential employer was a refreshing change from the typical phone conversations that I had in the past. I knew that this was a very first step in the process and if I was successful in the video interview, I was going to be invited to a personal interview. Not only that – the flexibility in the time given to complete the interview rather than having it fixed was a real bonus.
Recorded video interviews are going to become an integral part of the recruitment process for many corporations and businesses around the world. Especially for international recruiting, the recorded interviews are not bothered by time differences which I think is a big advantage. Your next employment interview could be an recorded video. I hope my advice will be useful then 🙂
Kind regards & happy interviewing,
Tim
