What is a one-way video interview?
It’s an interview you record on your own. You open a link, read or hear each question, and record your answer against a timer, and the employer watches the recordings later.
It’s also called an asynchronous, recorded or on-demand video interview, and employers often use one as a first round. There is no one to smile back at you, which is why it feels strange the first time and ordinary by the fifth.
How do you practice for a video interview?
Record yourself answering real questions under the same limits: time to read, a countdown, then a fixed time to answer. Then watch it back and do it again.
- Set up once. The camera near eye level, the light in front of you, a quiet room and a plain background.
- Pick your questions. Use the sample set, paste a list you already have, or start from the common questions.
- Set the timers. Match your invitation if you have one. New sets start at 30 seconds to prepare and 3 minutes to answer.
- Record without stopping. A practice question comes first and is never saved. Then each question runs its countdown and its clock.
- Review. Watch the take, read the transcript, and look at your pace and filler words. Fix one thing and run it again.
What questions come up in a video interview?
Mostly behavioral and motivation questions: tell me about yourself, why this role, and times you solved a problem, worked in a team or learned from a mistake.
There is a longer list, with how to answer each kind, in the mock interview guide.
How long should a video interview answer be?
Use the time you’re given, but don’t fill it for its own sake. For most questions, one to two minutes is enough for your point, one example and the result.
After each take, TrainVue shows how long it ran and your pace in words per minute. Between 120 and 160 reads as steady, and over 180 is marked as rushed.
How do you look at the camera, not the screen?
Raise the laptop so the lens is at eye level, and look at the lens when you make your main point. Practice until the answer comes without looking down.
When you rehearse with a script, TrainVue can show it in a small prompter under your webcam that follows your voice. Read it until you don’t need it, and follow each interview’s own rules on notes.
Is TrainVue free?
Yes. The booth, recording, the prompter and feedback on pace and filler words are free with no limit on takes, and you don’t need an account to start.
Content scoring, which reads what you said, is free for your first 3 answers with an account. Pro, for every answer, is coming soon.
Where do my practice videos go?
They stay in your browser on this device. They are uploaded only when cloud backup is on, to private storage no other user can reach.
Cloud backup needs an account, and you can turn it off under Account.