Mastering the HireVue Interview: Your Ultimate Guide

The HireVue interview is practically synonymous with pre-recorded video interviews and is the most widely used platform in the market. In the Hire Vue interview, you will be presented with  pre-recorded questions  and need to record your response.  You will have 30 seconds to prepare your answer and up to 3 minutes to record it, with up to 2 retakes of recording. Most pre-recorded interviews include 5 to 8 questions and take about 20 minutes to complete. 

Unlike most pre-recorded interviews, HireVue uses an AI platform that analyses nonverbal cues, such as body language, eye movement, facial expressions, intonation, voice pitch, and mood. These cues add value to the information in the candidate’s CV and job application and save recruiters' and applicants' time and effort, as they allow a fast and efficient screening process.  

Keep reading for valuable tips and approaches for dealing with the challenges of HireVue's interview.

The questions you’ll be asked are tailored specifically for the company and position you applied for, and they are divided into 3 types –

• Past experience questions –  professional experience and challenges you have faced in previous roles.
• Situational judgment questions – you will be presented with a work-related scenario and will need to verbally describe how you would react and the actions you would take in response.
• Scenario-based simulations – you will be presented with a work-related scenario and asked to simulate and act out your response.

But is giving well-detailed answers enough to excel in the interview?

Unlike traditional interviews, where strong social skills and rapport with the interviewer can give you an edge, HireVue's AI will not be influenced by your charm. Or at least not in the way you think.

Besides assessing the relevance, clarity, and coherence of your answers, multiple nuances are being measured:

• Your body language, including facial expressions, eye contact with the camera, hand gestures, and posture, influences how you are perceived, affects your communication, and enhances your ability to convey emotions and messages beyond words.
• Your tone of voice, including pace, intonation, and modulation. These factors further improve the communication of emotions and intentions and clarify your messages.

The combination of these verbal and nonverbal factors forms your overall communication skills and presentation, and above all, it signifies confidence, emotional intelligence, and strong interpersonal skills, which are crucial for the impression you want to leave after the interview.

To overcome the nonverbal obstacle, focus on key cues while practising interview responses. Although a mirror can help, an outside expert will offer the best guidance.

That's exactly what occupation psychologists' experience and expertise can do — provide valuable feedback and insights to ensure you master these crucial aspects of communication.

Here are a few of our experts' tips on how to get through the HireVue Video Interview with maximum success:

While these tips will help, remember that the HireVue interview is there to screen as many candidates as possible. Unless you approach the bigger challenge of perfecting both your verbal and nonverbal delivery, you risk losing to the vast competition. 

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

You can take a break from the interview and complete your recording later, but once you submit your response, you can’t return to the question. After you complete the interview, your responses will be uploaded and analysed by HireVue’s AI technology, which will be sent to your recruiters along with the interview itself.

HireVue is one of the leading test providers for interviews and online assessment in the market. It provides services for the top companies and organisations, including the most significant investment banks, such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan, leading accounting firms like Deloitte and HSBC, airline companies like Emirates and Cathay Pacific, and other prime corporations such as Coca-Cola and Unilever.

The assessments, and specifically the interview with HireVue, are tailored by the recruiting company specifically for the job you applied for, as they aim to evaluate both 'hard skills' – job-related competencies, and 'soft skills' – traits and behavioural tendencies. As such, the interview questions you are given will pertain to the abilities required in the position you are after. If you apply for a customer service role, you will be measured for traits like empathy, mannerliness, and persuasion. In contrast, if you apply for a managerial role, you would be measured for qualities like leadership, assertiveness, and problem-solving. 

HireVue offers three types of assessments: coding, game-based, and the most popular one – pre-recorded interviews. 

The type of assessment you need to take will be noted in the invitation email you received from your recruiter.

Not sure which HireVue assessment you will be taking? ✉ contact us! ✉ 

 HireVue offers an additional variety of pre-employment assessments, any of which you might be faced with during your recruitment process:

While the results of the HireVue coding and game-based assessments are calculated by the number of correct answers and the degree of your success in completing the tasks, the results of the Hire Vue interview assessments are more complicated.

The company you applied for had defined the average score for every trait essential to the position, and your goal is to demonstrate those traits and score higher than the average score.

The HireVue AI technology will analyse your non-verbal cues and your use of language and will look for the keywords that appear in the job description. It will also be oriented toward inconsistency, so if you talk about your charisma and leadership skills with a dull voice, the AI will detect it and not believe you.

Once you complete the assessment, the data will be calculated and compiled into an Insights report. Depending on your assessment, the HireVue Insights report will include 1 to 3 sections – Working Style, Personality and Working with People, and Working with Information.

According to this report, your recruiter will decide whether you will move on to the next stage of the hiring process.