I have done digital interviews in the past so this wasn’t my first run. But it was my first time using this app. I don’t like the fact that there wasn’t a way to record answers again or pause to give more time to think how you want your answers to be delivered. In my previous experience I was able to do that. I had an unlimited amount of times to re-record and to start over. If I didn’t like the way the answer was going I could easily delete and record again. I was even able to play and watch how I answered my questions to see how it was done and delete and start over if I needed to. This app didn’t offer any of those options except a practice run of questions that weren’t even questions that were asked in the interview. I gave it 4 stars because it still gave me access to do this on my device and record answers and submit my interview digitally. But such an overall disappointment because I don’t think it allows candidates to showcase who they really are.

I liked the way that the online interview closely mirrored a real interview: you get one chance to answer a question and there are no do-overs. This makes the process clean and neat and keeps an interviewee from falling into an endless cycle of re-doing responses. It also gives the hiring committee a pretty accurate profile of what a candidate will do under pressure. I especially liked the (unlimited?)practice time—I only did 2 or 3 questions, but it was comforting to know there were more. I was able to quickly hone a process that worked for me—which includes taking note of the question do that I would make sure to answer it, and also to make quick notes so I would not freeze and forget once the camera “started rolling.” Great app. I’d highly recommend it as a hiring tool! *Also, for the company (school district)that used this hiring tool for my interview: It shows that they are dedicated to equity and fairness by using the HireVue process. Oftentimes candidates feel that the decisions are made before interviews are held. This process builds trust and respect for the district. It shows integrity and thereby raises the standards for surrounding districts.

I ended up taking this “initial interview” after I already had my in person interview. I thought the in person interview went well, but then I had to record myself answering additional questions. I was more nervous about the HireVue interview than the in person interview. I think it would have been different if it were just audio recordings. I was not a fan of the video recording because I don’t have a stand for my phone or anything to prop it up. I had to hold it and so the video wasn’t steady. I also stuttered and rushed through the recordings because I don’t like the idea of video recording myself. It was a little too much. When interviewing, you’re not looking at yourself but this I ended up staring at myself and I honestly felt dumb. I would choose having a phone call as an initial interview process any day over this option. I would never recommend this to anyone and I don’t think companies should go this route. Also, HUGE recommendation: allow candidates to start the video when they’re ready instead of only giving 30 seconds before start recording. That ended up putting more pressure on me seeing the time counting down than any in person interview I had. I felt I didn’t have nearly enough time to think about a work scenario or experience that was relative to the question on the screen. The limited time (and only getting ONE chance to record yourself) made me incredibly nervous as well. Seriously one chance to record? I understand you don’t get a second or third chance in an in person interview, but when working with technology you never know when someone might need to record themselves again if the first take was not acceptable)

In my opinion, this is a terrible way to screen candidates for a job (I work in healthcare, and healthcare is nothing if not face-to-face interaction between caregiver and patient). This app strips away all the non-verbal human interactions between job candidate and employer, leaving the candidate to wonder what is on the other side of the camera (this is not a videoconferencing app, you are simply recording your interview to a camera). In a face-to-face interview, the interviewer represents the company to which you are applying, and you can glean some idea of the corporate culture by your interactions. With this app, you are left to flounder about with no eye contact or non-verbal cues to gauge their interest during the interview process. Both employer and candidate could lose out on a good working relationship because an otherwise great candidate is someone who is not a natural in front of a camera.Four stars for an app that works as advertised, but a misapplication of technology.