Live and recorded video interviews
There are two kinds of video interview:
- Live (two-way): a real-time call on a meeting app with one or more interviewers. It works like an in-person interview, with some screen etiquette on top.
- Recorded (one-way): a platform shows a question on screen, gives you some thinking time, then records your answer for a fixed time, often one to three minutes. Recruiters watch the recordings later.
Recorded interviews are common for early screening in large companies and campus hiring. They feel strange because there is no one to react. Treat the camera as a person and keep your tone warm.
Set up your space
- Camera: place your laptop on books so the camera is at eye level. Your head and shoulders should fill most of the frame, with a little space above your head.
- Light: face a window or place a lamp behind your screen. Avoid a bright window behind you, which turns you into a silhouette.
- Sound: use wired or wireless earphones with a microphone. Close doors, switch off fans that hum and tell family members the time of your interview.
- Background: a plain wall or a tidy shelf. Avoid beds, laundry and moving people. Use a blur only if your space is cluttered, and test it first.
- Internet: sit close to your router, stop downloads, and keep your phone’s hotspot ready as a backup.
- Device: charge your laptop, keep the charger plugged in, and update the meeting app the day before.
On-screen etiquette
- Log in five to ten minutes early and wait in the lobby calmly.
- Use your full name as your display name, not a nickname or device name.
- Dress fully formal, top and bottom. You may need to stand up.
- Keep your microphone on during the conversation, but mute it if there is sudden noise.
- Look at the camera when speaking and at the screen when listening. Move your meeting window close to the camera so your eyes stay near it.
- Pause for a second before answering, because video calls have a small delay and talking over each other is easy.
- Nod and use small verbal cues like “yes” or “understood” so the interviewer knows you are following.
- Keep a notepad, a pen and a glass of water nearby. Short notes are fine; reading answers from the screen is obvious.
- Close other apps and switch off notifications on your laptop and phone.
Answering well on camera
Energy drops on video, so speak a little more clearly and slightly slower than usual. Keep answers shorter than in person, around one to one and a half minutes for most questions. Use a clear structure such as STAR for behavioural questions so the listener can follow without visual cues.
For recorded interviews, practise with a phone timer: read a question, take 30 seconds to think, then answer for 90 seconds. Most platforms show a countdown. Aim to finish with ten seconds to spare and a clear last line. Some allow one retake; check the instructions before you start.
If you are asked to share your screen, close personal tabs and messages first, and share only the window you need. You can practise common answers with the interview practice tool.
When technology fails
Problems happen, and how you handle them is noticed. If your video freezes, switch off your camera to save bandwidth and continue on audio, then turn it back on. If you drop out, rejoin immediately using the same link. If that fails, call or message the recruiter with a short note: “My connection dropped. I am rejoining on my mobile hotspot now.” Save the recruiter’s phone number and email before the call. Stay calm and pick up where you left off; interviewers are used to it.
If you know in advance that your area has power cuts or patchy internet, tell the recruiter when scheduling and ask if a phone number can be kept as a backup. Keep your laptop fully charged and your phone data pack active on the day.
Checklist for the day of the interview
Run through this list 30 minutes before a live video interview:
- Restart your laptop so updates do not start mid-call.
- Open the meeting link, check you can join the lobby and that the app is the latest version.
- Check camera position, light and background in the app’s preview.
- Test your microphone and earphones with a quick call or a voice recording.
- Close every other app, browser tab and chat window.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb on your laptop and phone, and keep the phone face down.
- Keep water, a notepad, a pen and a printed copy of your resume within reach.
- Save the recruiter’s phone number and email for emergencies.
- Tell family members or flatmates the exact time you need quiet.
- Sit down five minutes early, take a few slow breaths and review your introduction once.
For recorded interviews, add one more step: read the platform’s instructions on thinking time, answer length and retakes before you press start. The interview prep checklist lets you tick these off and add your own items.
Questions often asked in video interviews
The questions are the same as in person, but a few come up more often in video screens, especially recorded ones: tell me about yourself, why this role, a time you solved a problem, a time you worked in a team, how you handle pressure and why you want to join this company. Prepare a 60–90 second answer for each and practise them to the camera. Useful guides: Tell me about yourself and Why should we hire you. Remote roles may also ask how you manage your time, stay in touch with a team you rarely meet and keep a steady routine at home.
Common mistakes
- Testing the camera and app for the first time at the start of the interview.
- Sitting with a bright window behind you so your face is dark.
- Looking at your own video tile instead of the camera.
- Reading prepared answers from the screen in a flat voice.
- Leaving phone and laptop notifications switched on.