Great Pre-Recorded Video Interview Questions for Effective Candidate Screening

As more organizations move to pre-recorded video interviews, they’ve gained the benefits of a more efficient process and improved consistency for candidate evaluation—but how do you make sure that great candidates make it through the process?

The key is asking the right questions.

At Willo, we’ve helped over 5,000 high-growth businesses implement one-way video interviewing—and we’ve gained a pretty good understanding of which questions are most effective. In this guide, we’ve rounded up our top questions to ask during a pre-recorded video interview.

What Is a Pre-Recorded Video Interview? 

In a pre-recorded video interview (or asynchronous video interview) candidates record their responses to pre-set interview questions written by a recruiting team.

This interviewing format differs from in-person or live video interviews because there’s no need for back-and-forth conversation between the recruiter and the candidate. It allows for greater flexibility as candidates can record their responses at their convenience, and hiring teams can collaborate more effectively in the reviewing process. 

Some other key characteristics of pre-recorded video interviews include:

• Standardized questions: All candidates interviewing for the job role answer the same set of questions. This helps maintain consistency and fairness in the interviewing process. 

• Standardized process: All questions are asked in the same order and given the same time limit. This helps ensure that candidates are evaluated on a level playing field and that recruiters compare all applicants in the same way.
• Recorded responses: All responses are recorded and are available for review whenever they’re needed. This allows recruiters to focus on the content of responses rather than writing down answers.
• No face-to-face interaction: Pre-recorded video interviews eliminate the need for face-to-face contact, making it easier to conduct a large number of interviews in a short amount of time.

Platforms like Willo make it extremely easy to conduct pre-recorded video interviews. 

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Recruiters can formulate questions, send candidates the interview invite links, and review responses collaboratively with their team. Our main focus on a great candidate experience ensures that the interview process is smooth, flexible, and less intimidating, without compromising on your large-scale hiring needs.

Benefits of Pre-Recorded Video Interviews

Pre-recorded video interviews offer several key benefits for both recruiters and candidates. To make these benefits more real, let’s explore them through the experiences of a few Willo customers: 

• 24/7 candidate screening: Watermark needed a solution to screen candidates around the clock due to the nature of their business. With Willo, they achieved an 84% interview response rate by allowing candidates to submit responses anytime, ultimately enhancing flexibility and convenience. 
• Increased efficiency and consistency: By using Willo, MyTutor was able to increase the efficiency of their interview process. They managed to cut time per interview by 50% and offered a more consistent interview experience for their candidates. 
• Time-saving and operational flexibility: Florence recognized the time-saving benefits of Willo’s async interviewing platform, as they eliminated the need for scheduling live calls. This greater flexibility was not bound by the operational hours of the recruiting team. 
• Positive candidate experience: A key focus for Packaly and EDF was to ensure user-friendly interviewing for their candidates. By implementing Willo, they improved the candidate experience, ensuring a smooth and positive process for all applicants, while also saving 60 hours of employee time.

How Are Pre-Recorded Video Interview Questions Different From Live Video Interview Questions? 

You might assume that pre-recorded video interview questions are the same as live video interview questions. However, they differ in some key aspects. 

Let’s take a closer look at the unique dynamics of each interview format. 

Interaction level

• Live video interviews: These involve real-time interaction between the interviewer and candidate. The interviewer can ask follow-up questions, clarify responses, and engage in a two-way conversation.
• Pre-recorded video interviews: There is no direct interaction. Candidates respond to preset questions with no immediate feedback or follow-up questions from the interviewer. However, you can add more guidance to the question itself, writing down what kind of answer you’re hoping to get from a candidate. 

Nature of questions

• Live video interviews: Questions can be more dynamic and adaptive, since the interviewers can modify or add questions based on the candidates’ responses. This isn’t always a positive, though—a Leadership IQ study found that 68% of HR execs believe that hiring manager-led interviews are inconsistent in how they evaluate candidates.
• Pre-recorded video interviews: These questions are typically standardized and fixed. They're designed to elicit comprehensive responses without the need for immediate follow-up. This leads to fairer, more consistent evaluation and a more inclusive recruitment process overall.

Pressure and environment

• Live video interviews: While candidates can be intimidated by the presence of interviewers, open-ended questions can allow for more personal interaction and rapport building between candidates and interviewers. 
• Pre-recorded video interviews: Can be less intimidating as candidates can record their responses in a more comfortable setting and potentially re-record their answers if they make a mistake or forget to include relevant information.

Admin work

• Live video interviews: Interviewers and candidates need to find mutually convenient times and make sure all the technology is up and running.
• Pre-recorded video interviews: Scheduling is much simpler since candidates and applicants both engage with the process on their own time.

Best Pre-Recorded Video Interview Questions

We can segment pre-recorded video interview questions, for any job role, into 9 categories to assess different aspects of a candidate’s profile. 

1. Behavioral questions: These questions delve into how a candidate has handled situations in the past, giving insight into their behavior and personality. 
2. Situational questions: These are based on hypothetical scenarios that help to understand how candidates might approach future situations and the solutions they can provide. 
3. Skill-based questions: These focus on the specific skills and competencies required for the job role. 
4. Cultural fit questions: These are aimed at understanding how well candidates align with the company’s values and work environment. 
5. Technical questions: These questions assess a candidate’s knowledge of the tools, technology, and systems that will be used in the role. We’ll keep these general so you can adapt them.
6. Problem-solving questions: These questions help to assess a candidate’s critical thinking abilities.
7. Experience-related questions: These questions focus on candidates’ previous work experiences and achievements. 
8. Creativity and innovation questions: These questions help assess a candidate’s ability to think creatively and bring new ideas. 
9. Personality and interest questions: These questions help get a sense of a candidate’s personality and what interests them outside of work.

Now, let’s take a look at some great questions for each of the 9 types.

1. Behavioral questions

• “Describe a time when you had to make a tough decision at work.”
• “Give an example of a goal you reached and tell us how you achieved it”
• “Tell us about a situation where you had to work closely with a difficult colleague”
• “Tell us about a time when you had to adapt to a significant change at work”
• “Describe a situation where you faced a failure. How did you handle it?”

2. Situational questions

• “If you were given conflicting instructions from two supervisors, how would you resolve the situation?”
• “Imagine you have a tight deadline and multiple tasks. How would you prioritize?”
• “How would you handle a situation where you received negative feedback from a client?”
• “Suppose you notice a drop in team morale. What steps would you take to address it?”
• “If you were assigned to lead a project with a team of inexperienced members, what approach would you take?”

3. Skill-based questions

• “Talk about your biggest success and failure with [job-related skill].”
• “What specific skills of yours are valuable for this job role?”
• “Can you describe your experience with [a specific tool or technology relevant to the job]?”
• Give an example of a project where you used [specific skill]?”
• How do you stay updated with the latest trends and advancements in [relevant field or skill]?”

4. Cultural fit questions

• “At our company, teamwork and collaboration are highly valued. Please share an experience that showcases your ability to work effectively in a team environment.”
• “At our company, our core values are [insert values]. Which one do you identify with the most and why?”
• “What does a healthy work-life balance look like to you?”
• “Describe your ideal work environment.”
• “Can you share an experience where you had to adapt to a company culture different from what you were used to?”

5. Technical questions

• “Can you walk me through the process of how you would [solve a specific technical problem or implement a particular solution]?”
• “How have you applied [a specific new technology or programming language] to a project in the past, and what challenges did you face?”
• “Explain the concept of [a specific technical concept or system] as if you were explaining it to a colleague with limited technical knowledge.”
• “Describe a time when you had to work with a team to [complete a complex technical project or solve a technical problem]. What was your role, and how did you ensure the project's success?”
• “What is a recent technical challenge you faced, and how did you go about learning the necessary skills or knowledge to overcome it?”

6. Problem-solving questions

• “You are a project manager handling a critical project that faces budget constraints and tight deadlines. How would you approach the situation and ensure successful project delivery?”
• “Can you give an example of a time when you had to decide without all the necessary information?”
• “How do you handle situations where you don’t know the answer or solution immediately?”
• “How do you approach a situation with multiple potential solutions?”
• “Describe a time when you identified a potential problem and resolved it before it became an issue.”

7. Experience-related questions

• “How has your professional experience prepared you for this role?”
• “Can you discuss your most significant accomplishment in your last role?”
• “Describe a project you led and what the outcomes were?”
• “Discuss a time when your experience helped you navigate a challenging situation at work.”

8. Creativity and innovation questions

• “How do you stay inspired and keep your ideas fresh?”
• “Can you share an example of a project where you introduced a new or unique approach?”
• “Describe a scenario where you had to overcome significant obstacles to bring an idea to fruition?”
• “How do you balance creativity with practicality when working on a project?”

9. Personality and interest questions

• “What are your hobbies outside of work, and in what way may have they influenced your professional life?”
• “Tell us about a book, movie, or event that significantly impacted your life.”
• “How do you handle stress or pressure, and what activities help you recharge?”
• “Can you talk about a community activity that you are involved in?”
• “If you could learn one new skill or hobby without any restrictions, what would it be and why?”

Elevate Your Candidate Experience With Pre-Recorded Video Interviewing

By asking the right questions, you can screen candidates more efficiently using pre-recorded video interviewing without having to worry about missing out on valuable insights into candidates’ capabilities. Your questions should stay inclusive and allow candidates to showcase their unique strengths and backgrounds.

To make sure you’re well-prepared, you’ll need the right tool(s). Willo offers an intuitive platform that’s easy for both recruiters and candidates to use. We prioritize a positive candidate experience, attracting diverse talent and ensuring a simple, user-friendly interview process. 

Even if you stumble finding relevant interview questions to ask, our in-app/in-platform question generator can automatically provide them for you based on your requirements. 

Book a live demo today and see how we can help!