What you should be asking in a video interview

Video screening can make the hiring process a lot easier.

The key to a successful video interview is coming up with the right mix of questions to get a real sense of the candidate’s personality and abilities. These should cover the following categories:

1. Questions that provide information on a candidate’s background.
2. Questions that gauge competency.
3. Analytical questions that are challenging and reactive.
4. Written responses that demonstrate communication skills.
5. Questions about salary and scheduling.

Breaking your questions down into these categories will ensure you cover all your bases, so that assessing your applicants is quick and easy.

And to make it even easier, we’ve got some great examples of questions for each. Here they are:

For the questions on a person’s background, you’re looking to get a good sense of who they are, if they’ll be a good fit for the company, and why they want to join your company. The answers you’re offered here will tell you how much they know about your organization, just how much research they’ve done, and whether they understand your brand.

Here are some examples:

• Drawing on examples from your previous experiences, why do you think you would be a great addition to our company?
• Why would you like to work here?

Competency questions will help you gauge a candidate’s knowledge and expertise, as well as their working style and  ability to manage responsibility. What they tell you here will give you a deeper insight on their demonstrated experience and how they’ll handle certain situations.

Here is an example:

• How would you manage being given priority tasks by two managers?

Analytical questions give your candidate a chance to showcase past behavior in a difficult circumstance. This question will require more explanation, and because this category is more challenging, we recommend limiting yourself to one analytical question so that your candidate has ample opportunity to be clear and concise.

Here is an example of one question with multiple parts:

• Can you tell me about a time when you had a disagreement at work with a superior or colleague? What was the situation, and how did you handle it?

Questions requiring a written response will give a candidate the chance to demonstrate comprehension and written communication skills. You’ll get great insight on how they express themselves, which will show they may come across in future company communications, like email. You can also gauge whether you foresee problems communicating with them if they’re chosen for the role. This is a great opportunity to be more aspirational with your questions, allowing candidates to talk about themselves in more depth, so that you can learn more about their personality, ambition, future goals, and how they align with your organization’s mission, vision and values.

Here are some examples:

• What does success mean to you?
• Where do you see yourself in the next 2 years?

Questions about salary and scheduling help set expectations on both sides. These will often be your last question, and can be made up of multiple parts. Your goal is to tie up any loose ends and get any basic information to do with the role cleared up.

Here are some examples:

• Can you give me an idea of your salary expectations?
• Are you available for shift work?

And that’s it! By asking your applicants questions that fall into these five categories, assessing strengths and qualifications will become simpler and you’ll achieve a more streamlined interviewing process.

See also:
4 ways to weed out low performers in the interview

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