One-Way Video Interviews (HireVue and Others): How to Prepare

Here's a bold claim: a one-way video interview can be easier than a live one. You know the format in advance, you choose the room, the lighting and the time, and nobody interrupts you halfway through an answer.

Many graduate schemes and large employers now use these recorded interviews early in the process. Instead of talking to a person, you see a question on screen, get a short time to think, then record your answer. Platforms include HireVue, Sonru and others, and some applicant tracking systems have their own built in.

It does feel strange talking to a camera that never nods or smiles back. With a bit of preparation, that awkwardness fades quickly, and this guide covers everything you need.

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How they usually work

Details vary by employer and platform, but the basic pattern is similar almost everywhere.

• You receive a link and a deadline, often a few days to a week
• There is usually a practice question first. Use it
• Each question appears as text or a short pre-recorded video
• You get a set time to prepare, often around 30 seconds
• You record your answer within a time limit, often one to three minutes
• Some employers allow retakes, many do not

Read the instructions carefully before you start. Check whether retakes are allowed and roughly how long the whole thing takes, then block out that time plus a margin.

Don't leave it until the deadline

Links can fail, laptops can decide to update and flatmates can arrive home early. Aim to complete it a day or two before the deadline, so there's time to contact the employer if something goes wrong.

Ask for adjustments if you need them

If you have a disability or condition that makes a timed recording harder, you can ask for reasonable adjustments, such as extra preparation time or a different format. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates during recruitment.

Key Takeaway: Read every instruction, check the retake rules and finish early. Most one-way interview disasters are really scheduling problems.

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Set up your space

You control the setting, so use that advantage. A few minutes of preparation makes a big difference to how you come across.

Area	Do	Avoid
Light	Face a window or a lamp	A bright window behind you, which turns you into a silhouette
Camera	At eye level, propped on books if needed	Looking down into a laptop on your knees
Background	Tidy and plain, or blurred if the platform supports it	Washing, clutter or a busy room
Sound	A quiet room, wired headphones with a mic if it echoes	Kitchens, open windows and shared spaces
Connection	Close other apps and downloads, plug in your laptop	Relying on battery or a patchy connection
Notifications	Turn them off on your laptop and phone	Pop-ups and pings mid-answer

Use the practice question as a full rehearsal. Watch the playback if the platform allows it and check your framing, sound and lighting before the real questions begin.

Key Takeaway: Light in front, camera at eye level, quiet room. Then use the practice question to test all three.

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What questions to expect

Most one-way interviews use a mix of five question types. Preparing for each means very little will catch you off guard.

• Motivation: "Why do you want to join this programme?"
• Competency: "Tell us about a time you worked in a team to solve a problem."
• Strengths: "What do you enjoy doing most?"
• Situational: "What would you do if you disagreed with your manager's approach?"
• Commercial awareness: "What challenges do you think our industry faces?"

Look at the employer's careers pages before you start. Values and competencies they list there often shape the questions and how answers are scored.

Key Takeaway: Prepare for all five question types, and link your answers to the values the employer publishes.

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Structuring your answers

Time goes quickly on a countdown. A clear structure stops you running out mid-answer, which is the most common mistake people make.

• For competency questions, use STAR: situation, task, action, result. Spend most of the time on the action.
• For motivation questions, give two or three specific reasons.
• Start with a direct answer, then explain. "I'd go to my manager first, privately, because..."

A sample answer

Here's how a two-minute answer to a teamwork question might sound:

"In my second year, I was part of a four-person group project where two members stopped replying a fortnight before the deadline.

I suggested a short call, and it turned out they were both struggling with the data analysis. I split the remaining work so they took the literature review, and I paired with one of them on the analysis for two evenings.

We submitted on time and got a 2:1, and I learned to check in early rather than assume silence means progress."

Notice the balance. Most of the answer is about what the speaker did, and it ends with a result and a lesson, all in under two minutes.

Use the preparation time to jot down three words to guide your answer, not a script. For the example above, that might be "silent teammates", "call and split", "on time".

Key Takeaway: Lead with a direct answer, spend most of your time on your own actions and finish with a result.

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Coming across well on camera

• Look at the camera, not at your own image
• Speak a little slower than normal
• Smile when it fits, especially at the start
• Sit up straight, with your head and shoulders in frame
• Dress as you would for an in-person interview, at least from the waist up
• If you stumble, carry on. A small slip is normal and rarely matters

Should you read from notes?

Keep a few bullet points out of view if it helps, but don't read a script. Reading is obvious on camera: your eyes move and your voice goes flat.

Assessors are looking for natural, genuine answers. A slightly imperfect answer that sounds like you will usually score better than a word-perfect recitation.

Key Takeaway: Talk to the camera lens as if it were a person, and let small stumbles go. Natural beats polished.

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How are answers assessed?

Usually, trained assessors watch the recordings and score them against a framework based on the competencies and values the employer wants.

Some platforms have offered automated analysis. HireVue, for example, said in 2021 that it had stopped using facial analysis in its assessments. Either way, the same things help: clear structure, relevant examples and a genuine sense of why you want the role.

Remember too that the video stage comes after your application has already been screened. A strong CV is what earns you the link, so if you're applying widely, CVPilot's free ATS checker can show how well your CV matches each advert before you apply.

It also pays to build your STAR stories from the achievements on your CV, since assessors may have it in front of them. If your CV needs work first, CVPilot can help you tailor it to the role.

Key Takeaway: Whoever or whatever is watching, clear structure and relevant examples are what score well.

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Checklist

• Instructions and retake rules read
• Completed a day or two before the deadline
• Lighting in front of you, camera at eye level
• Quiet room, notifications off, laptop charging
• Five or six STAR examples prepared
• Motivation answer specific to the employer
• Practice question used to test the setup

Video interviews are often followed by an assessment centre. See our guides to assessment centre case studies and situational judgement tests to prepare for what comes next.

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