Screen Talent Better: 20+ Best Questions to Ask in a Video Interview

Video interviews have transformed recruitment, enabling global connections between recruiters and candidates. They require a unique approach to question selection depending on the type of video interview and role.

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all list of questions, a structured process can help ensure your interview questions list covers all necessary bases while remaining fair, accurate, compliant, and efficient.

When conducted with a structured approach and the right questions, video interviews can provide detailed insights into a candidate’s experiences, workplace adaptability, and professional goals. This method ensures a thorough understanding of the applicant, making the selection process more streamlined and comprehensive. Ultimately, you feel confident in your ability to make the right hiring decisions.

Why is it important to prepare the right questions for a video interview?

When building questions for one-way video interviews, aligning with hiring managers to identify the critical insights needed for decision-making is essential. Using dedicated video interview software, like Spark Hire, talent acquisition teams can select specific Spark Hire one-way and live interview questions to gain valuable insights.

For one-way video interviews

• Align with Hiring Managers: Determine the essential insights needed for decision-making.
• Ask Open-Ended Questions: Open-ended questions are preferable, as they avoid simple “yes” or “no” responses and prompt candidates to offer more comprehensive answers.
• Request Specific Examples: Requesting specific examples of past experiences can reduce generic or rehearsed responses, providing a clearer understanding of the candidate’s skills and thought processes.

Common one-way interview questions include:

• “Can you describe a challenging project and how you managed it?”
• “What motivates you to perform well in a remote work environment?”
• “How do you prioritize tasks when working remotely?”

These typical Spark Hire video interview questions ensure you gather the necessary information to make confident hiring decisions.

For live video interviews

Live video interviews benefit significantly from aligning hiring decision-makers on a predetermined set of questions to ask in a video interview. This structured approach streamlines candidate evaluation by ensuring equal assessment for all. It also improves the candidate experience, reflecting a well-managed and professional interview process.

• Predetermined set of questions: Ensures all candidates are assessed equally and improves the candidate’s experience.
• Structured approach: Implementing a structured approach captures in-depth insights during live interactions, minimizing the need for follow-up meetings and streamlining hiring decisions.
  • Capture in-depth insights
  • Reduce follow-up meetings
  • Streamline hiring decisions

By incorporating structured questions to ask in a one-way video interview and live video interviews, you’ll create a consistent and fair evaluation process. Structured questions are designed to gather specific information about the candidate’s skills, experience, and fit for the role. They help to ensure that all candidates are assessed equally and that the interview process is fair and efficient.

20+ common video interview questions recruiters ask

When structuring a video interview, whether one-way or live, recruiters rely on key questions to uncover the most about a candidate’s experience, personality, and skill set. This mini-guide provides insights into common one-way interview questions and understanding why the best hiring questions for video interviews work, including a few Spark Hire interview questions and answers.

Interview questions for one-way video interviews

Many recruiters default to the following one-way video interview questions to ask as they can typically be answered briefly. Such questions are generally open-ended and designed to capture the behavioral characteristics of the candidates. While these questions are broad and not role-specific, they are designed to gather insights aligned with the job’s requirements.

💡 What are the top 10 interview questions?

Here are some of the best questions to ask in a one-way video interview:

1. Describe a situation where you exceeded expectations.
2. What motivates you to perform well in your job?
3. Talk about a challenging work situation and how you overcame it.
4. How do you prioritize your work when handling multiple tasks?
5. What do you hope to achieve in the first 90 days of this job?
6. What values are most important to you in a workplace, and how do you embody them professionally?
7. Describe a time when you had to learn something new quickly.
8. How do you stay current with industry trends and developments?
9. What inspired you to pursue your current career path?
10. Describe a project you are particularly proud of and why.

These questions help assess the candidate’s ability to handle real-life situations and their overall fit for the role.

Interview questions for live video interviews

In a live video interview, it’s beneficial to ask behavioral questions that allow for a two-way dialogue and a deeper understanding of a candidate’s past performance and future potential. Here are some Spark Hire interview questions and answers to consider:

1. Can you tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a significant change at work?

🔎 Look for adaptability, problem-solving, and a positive attitude toward change.

Follow-up question: What strategies did you use to manage the change?

2. Describe a project where you had to collaborate with a diverse team.

🔎 Seek evidence of teamwork, effective communication, and appreciation for diversity.

Follow-up question: How did you ensure everyone’s ideas were heard?

3. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work.

🔎 Listen for honesty, accountability, and learning from the experience.

Follow-up question: What steps did you take to correct the mistake?

4. Can you provide an example of a time when you had to persuade others?

🔎 Assess persuasion, negotiation, and influence skills.

Follow-up question: What resistance did you encounter, and how did you overcome it?

5. Describe a situation where you had to balance multiple priorities.

🔎 Look for time management, prioritization, and organizational abilities.

Follow-up question: What tools or techniques did you use to stay organized?

Spark Hire video interview questions and answers

Spark Hire offers a comprehensive video interview question bank that recruiters can use to build tailored question sets for their hiring processes. This extensive library includes a range of questions designed to assess various competencies, skills, and cultural fit. 

By leveraging these pre-built questions, hiring teams can streamline the interview process, ensure consistency, and focus on evaluating candidates more effectively. Spark Hire’s question bank helps you save time while maintaining a high standard of candidate evaluation. Here are a few examples to inspire your question sets:

🔥 If you have multiple assignments due at the end of the day, but it is impossible to finish them all, what would you do?

• You might ask this question in a one-way video interview to evaluate a candidate’s problem-solving skills, prioritization abilities, and communication effectiveness without the need for real-time interaction.

🔥 What can you offer us that the other candidates cannot?

• Consider asking this question in a video interview to gauge a candidate’s self-awareness, unique strengths, and ability to articulate what sets them apart from others in a compelling and confident manner.

🔥 Tell me about a time when you stood up for something you believed in.

• In a video interview, you might ask this question to evaluate a candidate’s values, integrity, and ability to demonstrate courage and conviction in challenging situations.
  

How to prepare the best video screening interview questions: 5 extra tips for recruiters

When crafting video screening interview questions, recruiters must prioritize role-specific queries to assess a candidate’s suitability accurately. Here are some valuable tips for developing the best hiring questions to ask during video interviews:

Tailor questions to the role:

• Collaborate closely with the hiring manager to develop questions tailored to the role’s competencies and experiences.
• Utilize job descriptions and performance standards to create relevant scenarios for candidates to respond to.

Incorporate behavioral probes:

• Ask candidates to describe how they have handled past work situations, focusing on their actions and the outcomes.
• Design questions that reveal a candidate’s problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership skills.

Ensure technical appropriateness:

• Confirm candidates can easily understand and respond to questions without technical jargon that may be confusing.
• Consider the video platform’s capabilities, such as screen sharing, for interactive questioning if relevant to the role.

Balance open and closed questions:

• Start with closed-ended questions to gather specific data.
• Proceed to open-ended questions to stimulate discussion and gain deeper insights.

Respect candidates’ time:

• Keep questions concise to maintain engagement and ensure the interview remains within the scheduled timeframe.
• Prepare a mix of questions to cover a breadth of topics without redundancy.

Incorporating these strategies will help you prepare the best hiring questions and conduct effective video interviews, whether you’re using Spark Hire one-way interview questions or conducting live interviews.

By integrating these questions to ask in a one-way video interview into your process, you’ll ensure a comprehensive understanding of each candidate’s capabilities and fit for your organization. 

And remember, the key to a successful interview lies in the quality and relevance of the questions you ask. So, thoughtfully design your video interview questions to ask to uncover the most valuable insights.

Final thoughts on video interview questions

Video interviews are now a vital component of the hiring process. They allow companies to efficiently screen candidates and assess their competencies, aspirations, and work ethic.

Key benefits:

• Efficient candidate screening
• In-depth assessment of competencies and aspirations
• Insight into work ethic

Leveraging the right questions to ask in a one-way video interview and live video interview can significantly enhance the hiring process. By incorporating well-crafted questions to ask in a video interview and using the best video interview software for your team, you can ensure a fair and comprehensive evaluation of all candidates.

Prepare wisely, ask the right questions, and make informed hiring decisions to drive your organization toward success.

FAQs

What are the risks of poorly designing the screening interview questions?

Poorly designed screening interview questions can cause problems like inadequate candidate assessment and unintentional bias. This can lead to hiring decisions not based on merit or missing out on qualified candidates. Using well-crafted Spark Hire interview questions and answers can address these risks by offering a structured and fair assessment framework.

What kinds of questions should I ask during a one-way video interview?

During a one-way video interview, it is best to ask open-ended questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” response. These questions should encourage candidates to discuss their experience, skills, and how they handle professional challenges.

Examples of questions to ask in a one-way video interview include:

• “Can you walk us through a project where you overcame significant challenges?”
• “How would you apply your skills to the responsibilities of this position?”

These common one-way interview questions help understand the candidate’s problem-solving and teamwork approach.

Should I let a candidate re-record their answer to a one-way video interview question?

Offering candidates the option to re-record one-way video interview questions and answers depends on your hiring process and the platform used. Here are key considerations:

• Candidate Presentation: Allowing re-recording can help candidates present their best selves.
• Evaluation Fairness: Set limits to maintain fairness and efficiency in the evaluation process.

This approach ensures a balanced and effective hiring process.

How many questions should I use during a one-way video interview?

The number of questions used during a one-way video interview should be sufficient to gauge a candidate’s suitability without being overwhelming. A typical range of  5-10 questions allows candidates to showcase their capabilities while respecting their time. Including typical Spark Hire video interview questions in the mix can ensure a balanced and thorough assessment.

How long should I give candidates to answer a one-way video interview question?

Provide candidates with a reasonable timeframe for questions, typically around 1-3 minutes each. This allows them to express themselves adequately while maintaining engagement. Consider the complexity of the question and the candidate’s comfort with the format when determining the appropriate response time.

Tips for setting response times for the best quality video interview questions and answers:

• Allow 1-3 minutes per question
• Adjust based on question complexity
• Consider the candidate’s comfort with the format
• Offer ‘Think Time’ (time to consider a thoughtful response)

Are video interview questions much different than those asked during in-person interviews?

Questions to ask in a video interview are similar to those asked during in-person interviews. However, they may also include questions about the candidate’s ability to work remotely and use digital communication tools if the job requires these skills. Common focuses include:

• Self-motivation
• Time-management abilities in a remote work context

For example, Spark Hire one-way interview questions often explore these areas to assess a candidate’s adaptability.

Streamline Hiring with Strategic Interview Questions

Ready to create an efficient interview process and find the best candidates for your organization?
Explore Spark Hire’s extensive library of interview questions tailored to various roles and industries.