A new form of job interviews has recently emerged, and has become particularly common since lockdown measures were implemented in many countries last year: the asynchronous video interview.
It consists of submitting video answers to a recruiter who has previously recorded his or her questions, all within a defined time frame. It may sound straightforward but it’s not always easy to feel comfortable doing a professional video monologue.
How does it work?
Asynchronous video interviews (AVIs) have been around for a few years, but they have experienced a new boom since the onset of the pandemic. The format consists of answering predetermined questions in front of your webcam without the presence of any human interviewer. Answers are recorded to be viewed and examined later on by the recruiter.
Recruiters save time in the process since they are asking the questions only once and because they’re able to watch the candidates’ videos when they wish. With this type of interviewing process, you don’t need to make appointments and no one gets interrupted. But the candidate, alone in front of his camera, can find the situation a bit discomfiting.
How can you prepare for it?
The advantage of this style of video interview is that the candidate has plenty of time to prepare in the comfort of his or her own home. The applicant can stage his or her place to look good on camera, and can also choose the quietest moment of the day to optimize the recording, without being interrupted by the sounds of children playing or a neighbor doing some DIY home repairs.
It’s important to test your sound before recording your answers, to make sure the quality allows the recruiter to hear you and understand you properly.
The hardest part is to remain natural without having someone in front of you to provide prompts. The best way to go about it is to address your webcam as if it was a real human being, without forgetting to smile. You should try to avoid frequent mistakes such as typing on your keyboard while talking or exceeding the time limit for each answer. JB
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