Glossary
One-way interviews are essential to a strong talent acquisition strategy. Learn what they are and how they can bring you more—and better—talent today!
Traditional interviews take place in real-time and face-to-face. But what is a one-way video interview? Instead of speaking directly with recruiters or hiring teams, job seekers complete interviews on their own time. Using specialized one-way video interview software, candidates record responses to interview questions.
One-way video interviews are also known as asynchronous, pre-recorded, or on-demand interviews. They can be used to supplement the interview process or replace early steps of the recruitment process.
Hiring teams develop interview questions and deliver them to applicants through one-way video interview software. Job seekers record answers to those questions at their convenience. There is usually a time limit for how long responses should be, though applicants are often given the chance to re-record answers if needed.
When candidates are finished responding to questions, hiring teams can review recordings and move top candidates to the next phase of interviews. They can share clips with other decision-makers or use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate transcripts and gain content insight.
On-demand interviews are used to streamline the screening process and support more informed hiring decisions. They can be used instead of traditional phone screening calls or to supplement any step of the interview process.
Of the many one-way video interview benefits, ease of use is at the top of the list. Asynchronous interviews are simple to schedule, and recruiters are able to review several recordings in the time it’d take to conduct one screening phone call. This leaves hiring teams more time to connect with more talent, focus on the most qualified candidates, and complete other tasks.
Asynchronous interviews also make candidates feel more comfortable with the interview process and confident enough to put their best foot forward. They can show their personalities, discuss their experiences in more detail, and give hiring teams a clearer view of their strengths and skills.
While there are pros and cons of one-way video interviews, the many benefits outweigh their challenges. Asynchronous interviews help companies reach their hiring goals, increase workplace diversity, and enhance the candidate experience.
Pre-recorded interviews save recruiters time and allow them to focus on other priority tasks. Instead of spending hours trying to schedule and conduct screening interviews, recruiters simply share an interview link with qualified candidates. Several candidates can record responses at the same time, and then hiring managers can review those recordings when their workflow allows.
One-way interviews help you meet the unique needs of your talent pool. For example, they allow candidates to answer questions in whatever environment works for them. They also give candidates the opportunity to prepare answers, complete a practice session, or re-record responses. This is especially helpful to inexperienced interviewers and neurodiverse applicants. One-way interviews are also great for caregivers who require flexibility.
One of the dangers of live interviews is the opportunity to ask inadvertently illegal or biased questions. Avoid this risk by delivering your predetermined set of questions through a one-way video interview platform. This helps avoid bias and compliance issues. It also ensures each job candidate answers the same questions, which is more fair and will help your team make smarter hiring decisions.
Saving time is saving money. With the convenience of one-way interviews, recruiters are free to focus on their important tasks and the most promising candidates. They’re empowered to make informed hiring decisions and get the right people into the right roles more quickly. With a shorter time to fill and better hires, one-way interviews can help reduce the expense and difficulty of employee turnover too.
One-way interviews help level the playing field for underrepresented talent. Giving the same questions to each candidate makes interviewing more fair, and a consistent screening process will help remove bias from the recruitment process. Candidates will have the chance to showcase their skills and personalities better than a resume can, and you’ll be able to attract and hire a more diverse workforce.
Deliver a great candidate experience with the flexibility of on-demand interviews. Remote candidates, people in different time zones, caregivers, or applicants with set schedules will have opportunities to advance that they might not have had before. Job seekers will appreciate the chance to answer interview questions in an environment that is comfortable for them. And allowing respondents to re-record interview answers will empower them to share their skills with confidence.
Video interviewing software helps hiring teams collaborate more effectively. Recruiters don’t have to rely on memory or risk bias distorting their opinions when sharing feedback with others. Instead, video responses provide an accurate record that is easy to share with other decision-makers. Distilling video recordings into shareable highlights improves communication and decision-making too.
Resumes won’t give recruiters a full picture of each applicant. They don’t show soft skills or personality traits the way a video interview can. When hiring teams use one-way video interviewing instead of simple resume reviews or phone interviews, they get a better idea of who each candidate is. They have more information and a clearer picture of who the best candidates are.
One-way video interviews benefit any hiring team who wants to improve their screening process, reduce bias, and make smarter hiring decisions. Pre-recorded video interviews can replace initial screening phone calls and are a great way to supplement any step of the recruitment process.
Small companies whose recruiters are pulled in many directions would be relieved to use one-way interviews to simplify their workflow. Large companies could use on-demand interviews to manage high-volume hiring. HR professionals at companies of any size could use them to make smarter hiring decisions.
Clovers’ one-way video interview software makes finding great hires easy. Our one-way interview customers connect with more top talent, reduce time-to-hire, save costs, and increase diversity. Reach out to learn what our one-way video interview platform can do for you!