Invited to a HireVue Interview? Here’s How to Prepare

We can’t seem to agree on what to call the elevated rate of Americans quitting their jobs over the past few years. Whether you call it the Great Resignation, the Great Reshuffle, or the Great Retirement, it’s easy to agree it’s still happening.

With record numbers of workers resigning or retiring, the idea of quitting a job or changing careers is on the minds of many. This is true even given the financial barriers preventing 1 in 4 workers from changing jobs. In a survey by BestColleges, 54% believe getting a better job is worth any financial hardship that may occur during the transition.

If you’re ready for a better job, you’ve likely noticed an altered job search and interview experience. From optimizing LinkedIn to participating in video interviews, the job hunt may be different than last time around.

This may include an invitation to a HireVue interview. Keep reading to learn what to expect and how to best prepare.

HireVue describes itself as an “end-to-end hiring experience platform.” The software automates workflows connected with the hiring process. The goal is to help organizations hire talent more efficiently and fairly.

One of the tools provided is a HireVue interview. These remote interviews replace time-consuming phone screens. They also allow the interviewee to participate whenever and wherever works best for them.

The recruiting platform for the hiring process boasts a 90% decrease in time to hire, a 16% increase in new-hire diversity, and a 131% return on investment. With numbers like that, you can understand why industries of all sorts — professional, technical, and academic — are jumping on board.

You may wonder how it all works if you’ve been invited to a HireVue interview. There are three types of HireVue interviews. We’ll get into more detail on each one below.

In general, HireVue provides a standardized, remote interview process. They send you a series of questions that you’ll answer via video, with a predetermined amount of time to record and submit each answer.

HireVue then ranks your video interview by the words you spoke when answering the questions. The facial expressions you made, your voice inflection, and other similar data points are also considered. One intent of such rankings is to mimic the impression you’d make in a traditional, in-person interview.

Another goal of HireVue’s system is to mitigate any bias that can occur in traditional, in-person interviews. Driven by structured interviews and AI-driven predictions, the best talent for the job should move forward.

There are three different types of HireVue interviews.

The HireVue assessment interview combines a screening interview and a skills assessment into a single experience. You’ll be presented with questions (usually between 5-8) and have several minutes to respond to each one.

You can usually complete the assessment interview in less than 20 minutes — and it may even be fun. To measure job-relevant competencies, organizations can choose to include game-based assessments.

HireVue’s on-demand interview can be completed anywhere, at any time that’s most convenient for you. You’ll receive an invitation by email. Plus, have the chance to do practice questions before recording your answers. When done, HireVue will process your interview for the hiring company to review.

Use this on-demand interview walkthrough to further familiarize yourself with the process.

The HireVue live interview is a traditional person-to-person interview taking place remotely. You’ll receive an email invitation with a scheduled interview time. The email will also outline how to test your connection beforehand. When done, you’ll have a waiting period like any in-person interview. The amount of time before hearing back will vary.

Here is a live interview walkthrough if you’d like to know more about the platform.

A group of Duke University students created a bank of typical questions from their HireVue interviews. The students noted that the questions leaned toward the “behavioral.” Below is a question from each behavioral category and an example script for answering.

Here are some interview tips to best prepare for a successful HireVue interview. You’ll notice that, with only a few exceptions, the tips are like preparing for any job interview.

Of course. Companies have invested in the platform to help them with their hiring process. They are certainly taking their investment seriously. Approach a HireVue interview with the same amount of professionalism as you would any other interview.

HireVue explains that it isn’t possible to trick their assessments: “There is no one assessment that all companies use to assess candidates for all jobs. Each assessment algorithm (or model) is developed for one type of job role, and many were developed specifically for the company that is offering the job.”

It depends. When setting up interviews, companies can choose how long candidates have to answer questions. They can also choose if and how many times you can redo their questions. You’ll know your options before you begin.

Remember that even if you can redo a question, you may not want to. Don’t strive for the perfect answer. It doesn’t exist. That mode of thinking might do more harm than good, causing anxiety that will harm your overall performance.