The One-Way Interview: Can This New Trend Benefit Your Hiring Process?

The new world of employee acquisition has brought about a new first-round job interview format called a one-way, pre-recorded, or asynchronous interview, or video screening. These interviews are meant to help streamline and shorten the hiring process by minimizing the amount of time spent conducting initial in-person interviews and are conducted in the following manner:

1. The hiring party assembles and presents a list of questions for job seekers via email or dedicated video platform. When preparing your interview questions, make sure they address the attributes you’re looking for in a candidate, e.g., their experience with specific tools/technology/systems, people skills, thought processes, observational skills, poise under pressure, creativity, problem-solving ability, mental agility, initiative/ambition, relationships with management and coworkers. Questions should encourage the candidate to showcase their relevant qualifications, give examples of how they’ve implemented positive change and highlight how their skills align with your business’ needs and overall mission.
2. Applicants then read the questions, record their responses, then submit them to the employer for review. Response length should be limited to prevent rambling or wasted time.
3. At their convenience, the hiring party can review the applicants’ responses and decide if they will proceed to the next interview round.

The trend has benefits

It is thought that this style of interview is beneficial to employers because rather than scheduling multiple interviews with different parties, the recording can be shared with anyone needing to weigh in on a hiring decision to watch when they are able. Additionally, the format allows employers to cast a wider net by eliminating the need for travel or scheduling interviews at inconvenient hours - thereby enabling remote job seekers to be more easily included in your initial round of interviews. Another benefit of asynchronous interviews is that, because each candidate is asked the same questions, the format is standardized, making evaluation among applicants easier and more objective.

In addition to their convenience and ease of scheduling, one-way interviews can benefit applicants by allowing them to display their qualifications and strengths in a polished and complete way, while offering the opportunity for them to directly address specific job requirements and/or particular presented scenarios.

The trend has drawbacks, too

The disadvantages of one-way interviews chiefly affect the applicants - so it’s particularly incumbent upon employers to take these factors into consideration. A significant number claim they find the process cold and impersonal. They regret the inability to establish a sense of connection in their recording since there is no human interviewer with whom to interact, establish rapport in real time, or witness and mirror their personality. The missing back-and-forth of a conversation precludes them from demonstrating their ability to speak spontaneously and ask questions of their own from which they could learn more about the company, its culture and how they could best contribute. Lastly, it must be noted that not all job applicants are able or willing to deal with the technology necessary to record a one-way online interview. Such an unwillingness or inability can create an unnecessary difficulty to an individual’s job application process, barring them from consideration for the position.

Obviously, you want your hiring process to be as quick and streamlined as possible, so it’s worth considering every tool or practice that can bring that state about. In some instances, the asynchronous interview may be just what you need to help your business get properly staffed rapidly and efficiently. On the other hand, you must take seriously the objections of many job applicants who may find the practice off-putting. Weigh the pros and cons carefully, keep your applicants’ opinions in mind, and you’ll devise a staffing procedure that is a perfect fit for your company.

Is the one-way interview right for your business?