How to Beat the HireVue? — 7 Tips
In the past few articles, we discussed how you could master the different aspects associated with submitting an application, from writing the perfect CV to ensuring that you are optimally utilizing the work experience section of the application form. However, what about after you submit the application and make it to the next stage?
In most cases, the next step after the CV review is a Video Interview that is usually conducted by HireVue. The way to get past video interviews is quite different from standard interviews, and it is important for you to have a well-prepared strategy. In this article, we discuss 7 tips that you should follow in order to succeed at these video interviews and beat the HireVue algorithm.
Speaking Speed Matters
As someone who watches EVERYTHING at 2x, from lectures to movies, what I didn’t realize was the impact that this would have on my speaking speed. If you do this too, then it might be a good idea for you to check how fast you speak. As opposed to interviews with a person, with a HireVue you need to ensure that you are speaking slowly and clearly so that the algorithm can understand what you’re saying.
The recommended speaking speed is around 120 words a minute. You can use any online tool to calculate your own speed and adjust it accordingly so that you’re not going too fast. Granted, this means that you can cover less content, but what’s the point of speaking 2x the content if the algorithm can’t understand what you’re saying anyway?
Body Language
It’s true what they say: most communication is nonverbal, and therefore, your body language is an important part of your HireVues. Ensure that you use your hands, facial expressions, and eye movements to enunciate what you’re speaking. This can also determine how sincere or serious you sound: if you’re staring into the camera with a deadpan face while talking about something particularly interesting that happened at your last job, that’s probably a red flag.
However, don’t overdo it either. Make sure that you’re not confusing the algorithm by waving your hands around for no reason. Your body language must be used to strategically support your words, not distract from them. Not to mention, excessive gestures and movements could be construed as a sign of nervousness, so like Goldilocks, you need to ensure that you get it just right.
Wear Formals
This goes without saying, but PLEASE do not do your video interviews dressed in your pajamas. One really random piece of advice I got long ago about how to dress for HireVues was that I should always wear a tie, and that helps with how the algorithm ranks me.
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Now, I have no idea if that’s true or not, but one thing’s for sure: wearing a tie can’t hurt. Even if you’re not wearing a full suit, you should definitely wear a shirt and a tie. This not only gets you in the headspace for giving a formal interview, but also looks professional (not to mention hot!)
Look at the Camera
While this might seem like obvious advice, you’d be surprised at how often people forget to look at the camera and instead start looking at how they’re coming across in the interview. Here’s what I like to do: I usually hide my self-view and try not to look at myself at all. Remember, it might look like you’re looking at yourself to you, but to the person on the other hand it’ll just look like you’re looking down.
Ensure You Won’t be Disturbed
One of the worst things that could happen to you when you are giving your video interview is someone knocking on your door, the fire alarm going off, or anything else that would disturb you and ruin your flow. While some firms allow you to re-record your answers, a distraction might throw you off your game. If the firm doesn’t let you re-record, that is much worse and probably means that your chances of getting the internship reduce significantly.
Therefore, ensure that you are doing the interview at a time where you will not get disturbed by anyone. You could do this either by hanging a “DO NOT DISTURB” sign outside your door, or simply choosing to do the interview at a time when everyone else is sleeping.
If you do get interrupted though, don’t panic. Instead, try to regain your composure and show them that despite a distraction, you were able to keep your head in the game and find your way back.
Don’t (Over)Use Notes
Since this is a video interview happening online with no supervision, you might be tempted to use notes or read scripted answers. You might even have come across websites that advise you to do this so that you’re better prepared. The only thing I want to say to that is NO.
Using notes will undermine your confidence and ensure that if something happens to your notes, you will completely lose it and won’t be able to catch on. Also, I’ve known people who stuck Post it Notes on their laptop, only to later find that that it was covering the timer and they didn’t know how much time they had left. Not to mention, it’s very very difficult to use notes and still sound like you’re not using notes.
A better way to do it is to have the notes nearby, read them during the prep time, and then put them aside so that you can deliver the answer naturally. But no matter what you do, do not refer to your notes while answering questions!
Practice, Practice, and Practice
Lastly, as we keep saying, practice, practice, and practice. For video interviews, it might be useful to get a set of questions that you think they could potentially ask, and then prepare answers to those. Once you’ve done that, try recording yourself giving those answers, and see how you come across. You can also do this with a friend, but try to do it over platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet wherever possible. Doing it in-person would also be useful, but not as relevant for a video interview because it won’t help you see how you’re coming off on video.
Conclusion
In conclusion, video interviews are a part of almost every application process, and most people don’t understand the difference between HireVues and standard interviews. For you to beat the algorithm and make it through, it is important to have a strategy that understands the algorithm and caters to it, which is exactly what the 7 tips above will help you do.
