Let’s be honest: receiving a HireVue interview request after applying to an internship is a pretty dreadful experience. Even if you’re pretty calm and collected during two-way interviews, I’m sure there’s been no shortage of expletives going off in your head when that email notification pops up. Can’t these people have the common decency to talk face-to-face before they decide whether to advance your application?
The bad news: as technology becomes more and more integrated in our lives, the unfortunate reality is it’s becoming harder to show off what a great intern you could be in front of a real person.
The great news: the Loeb Center is in your corner to give you all the tips and tricks to give yourself a confidence boost (and a bit of an advantage) in showcasing yourself during these one-sided interviews.
Now, let’s start with the basics: what exactly is a HireVue?
HireVue, along with some lesser used platforms like Spark Hire, Willo Video, and Hireflix, is an online, one-way interview tool generally used by larger firms or companies, especially in the business sector. These corporations often receive too many internship applications to be handled on a case-by-case basis, so the one-way interview serves as a mechanism to identify and “weed out” competitive versus less qualified candidates.
Although effective in theory, it can be incredibly anxiety-inducing to watch yourself talk on a screen, causing you to not perform as well as you would in front of a human interviewer on Zoom. To get some tips on successfully executing a one-sided interview, I got some intel from Stephanie Hockman, Program Director for the Traub Careers in Business & Finance Program at the Loeb Center. Here’s what she had to say:
1. Stand
If possible, set up your computer at a standing desk or prop it up on books, etc. If you can stand when you talk, you project more energy and enthusiasm. You should practice this well in advance of the interview.
2. Eye Contact
It is important to have eye contact with the lens of the camera, which can be difficult. I suggest putting a picture of someone behind your camera lens and talking to the photo as if you were talking to a person.
3. Energetic/Smile
Although it feels forced, smile and project lots of energy when responding. Again, the picture helps with this.
4. Treat as in-person
Make sure to treat the online interview as an in-person interview, including wearing a full suit, shoes, etc. If you dress the part, you will project the part. Too many students just dress from the waist up and then don’t project the same formal tone. It’s important to treat even video interviews as if there is someone sitting across the screen from you.
5. Matching characteristics
Similar to any in-person interview, it’s important to prepare answers that match the characteristics the firm is looking for to examples of what the candidate has had. One-way video interviews are looking for key phrases and discussion on characteristics that are embedded in the job description.
6. Practice
The key is to practice one-way video interviews. Candidates should use Big Interview to practice. They can see themselves recorded and then use the AI tools to see the rate of speech, number of word connectors (um, uh, like, etc), and eye contact. It’s also getting practice in using your computer lens and how to best talk to the camera vs. looking elsewhere.
The bottom line: practice, practice, practice is key. The more comfortable you feel with the one-way interview, the more likely you’ll ace it when that email notification comes in. And maybe this time, it won’t be met with dread, but rather calm confidence.
If you have any further questions or need extra help with practice, be sure to reach out to the Loeb Center by making an appointment with one of our Career Community Advisors! Their mission is to help you succeed, so they’re here to assist in any way they can. Appointments can be made on Handshake through the Loeb Center website.
