One-Way Video Interviews : Everything You Need to Know
Picture this: It’s Monday morning. You're sipping your coffee, and scrolling through a list of 100 resumes. You’ve shortlisted 20 candidates, but your calendar’s a battlefield of meetings you're not mentally prepared for. Now, imagine being able to screen all 20 applicants without scheduling a single call.
That’s exactly what a one-way interview helps you do.
In this article, we’ll unpack what it is, how it works, and why more companies are jumping on this hiring trend.
What is a One-Way Interview? A one-way interview, also known as an asynchronous video interview, is a pre-recorded interview format where candidates answer predefined questions on video. These responses are submitted for recruiters and hiring managers to review at their convenience.
There’s no live interviewer present during the recording. Think of it like a voice note on WhatsApp, only in video and for job applications.
Companies use one-way video interview software like TestTrick to streamline early-stage screening, reduce hiring times, and create a consistent experience for all candidates.
Why Are One-Way Interviews Becoming Popular?
Ever since the lockdown of 2020, hiring has changed. Remote work, global talent pools, and time zone barriers mean traditional interviews aren’t always practical. Pre-recorded interviews offer a flexible, scalable alternative.
Here’s why more hiring teams are using them:
Saves Time for Recruiters and Candidates
According to a report by HR.com , recruiters spend 80% of their time on tasks that don’t add much value, like scheduling interviews.
One minute, your calendars are free, and the next, they're filled with a series of meetings with total strangers. Now, that's not a great feeling. One-way interviews eliminate that back-and-forth process.
Instead of conducting 15 first-round interviews in real-time, hiring managers can review 15 recorded responses in a single sitting whenever it fits their schedule.
Standardize the Screening Process
Every candidate gets the same questions and the same amount of time to answer. This levels the playing field and reduces interviewer bias in the initial stages.
For example, if you're hiring for a customer service role, ask all applicants to explain how they'd handle an angry customer. You can then assess their tone, confidence, and clarity side by side.
However, with a traditional interview, some candidates may have an edge over others due to the discrepancy of their different situations affecting the process.
Accelerate Hiring Timelines
Speed is everything in today’s talent market. A report by keynote speaker, Mindy East, says that top candidates are off the market within 10 days .
This means companies using asynchronous video interviews to speed up the hiring process have the upper hand.
Imagine launching a new product and needing to hire sales reps quickly. With a one-way interview , you could screen and shortlist your top candidates before the end of the week.
Flexible for Candidates, Too
It’s not just employers who benefit. Candidates can record their responses when they feel most prepared, without taking time off or juggling time zones.
Improve Hiring Accuracy
One-way interviews let multiple team members review responses and give feedback at their own pace. This collaborative review process leads to better hiring decisions and helps avoid gut-feeling mistakes.
Let’s say your marketing lead spots a red flag in a candidate’s response that the recruiter missed. That insight can prevent a costly mis-hire.
This is only accessible with pre-recorded video interviews, where video responses can be shared with various members of your hiring team.
What's the Difference Between One Way Interviews and Traditional Interviews?
If you’re used to the classic interview format, in-person or over a live Zoom call, a one-way interview might initially seem a little unfamiliar. After all, there's no real-time conversation, no chance to bounce off questions and responses.
But once you compare one-way interviews with traditional interviews, you'll realize that the pre-recorded version solves many of the biggest challenges recruiters and hiring teams face with the conventional method.
In a traditional interview, both the candidate and interviewer need to be present at the same time. It could be a phone screen, a video call, or an on-site meeting. Regardless of the format, it demands careful scheduling, calendar coordination, and the availability of both parties. It’s time-consuming, especially when screening dozens or even hundreds of candidates.
Now, compare that with a one-way interview. In this model, the recruiter prepares a set of questions in advance. Candidates receive these questions and record their responses on video at their convenience. Once submitted, recruiters (and other stakeholders) can review the responses whenever they fit their schedule, without needing to be present during the recording.
In a market where top talent often gets snapped up in days or even hours, the ability to screen faster and more fairly gives your organization a serious competitive edge.
How One-Way Interviews Work on TestTrick
Let's say you're a hiring manager at a fast-growing marketing agency. You need to hire five content manager across three time zones. So, you decide to use a one-way video interview software like TestTrick.
Here’s what happens next:
Create Your TestTrick Account
If you haven’t already created an account with TestTrick , sign up for a 7-day free trial —no credit card required. This allows you to explore the platform and its features without any commitment.
Access the Assessment Dashboard
Once logged in, navigate to the top left corner of your dashboard and click “Create Assessment.”
This will bring you to a section where you can select the specific job role and set the appropriate time zone.
The Test Library
After selecting the role and time zone, you’ll be directed to our test library . Here, you can choose from a range of pre-built tests that are relevant to your niche, or you can skip this and move directly to the video questions by clicking “Next Step.”
Create Custom Video Questions
In the custom test editor, you can create your own pre-hiring questions from scratch in various formats, including video questions.
Set the Video Interview Parameters
Within the video question editor, you can select a recording time limit of up to 2 minutes per question. This feature ensures candidates answer the question concisely and to the point, avoiding long-winded responses.
Here are a couple of sample questions you might consider for a content marketing role:
"Tell us about a time you turned a boring topic into great content." "What do you do when you disagree with an editor's feedback?"
These questions help assess the candidate’s writing ability, communication skills, and cultural fit.
Once your questions are set, click on “Show Options” at the bottom of the window to adjust the grading rules for your test. This ensures the evaluation process is tailored to your needs.
Add More Video Questions (if needed)
To add additional video questions, simply repeat this process until you have as many questions as you need for your assessment.
Add Anti-Cheating Measures
After finalizing the questions, you will be taken to the final page, where you can adjust the settings further. At this stage, you can enable anti-cheating measures for your video questions.
These include:
Web and screen proctoring : Monitors the candidate’s web activity during the interview.
Full-screen mode : Prevents candidates from switching to other applications during the test.
Mouse tracking : Tracks the candidate’s mouse movements to ensure they aren’t trying to access other windows.
These features maintain fairness and reduce the possibility of cheating during the interview process.
Customize the Test Link and ATS Integration
You can adjust the test link duration (up to 30 days) and add integrations with external Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) . This makes it easy to manage candidates and their applications.
Save and Finish
Once you’ve set everything up to your satisfaction, click “Save and Finish.” From here, you can invite your candidates to the test directly or share a public test link on job ads to attract a wider talent pool.
Candidate Invitations and Communication
After candidates are invited, they will immediately receive customized invitation letters containing all the important information about the test and the role.
Streamlined Evaluation Process
This process saves you time and keeps things fair and consistent for all your candidates. Using TestTrick’s platform , you can efficiently manage your hiring workflow while providing candidates with a seamless and professional experience.
Common Misconceptions About One-Way Interviews
Even with everything we've discussed, you might still have some reservations about screening candidates with video interview questions. Keep reading to have some of your misconceptions debunked.
“They’re cold and impersonal.” This one pops up a lot. Candidates sometimes assume they’re talking to a faceless machine. But it doesn't have to feel that way.
While it’s true that the interview format doesn’t replace the warmth of direct human interaction, it offers a chance for candidates to experience an atmosphere that’s less formal and more approachable than a live interview might be.
For many, this sense of comfort can reduce the stress of real-time questioning, allowing them to perform at their best and make a great first impression on their terms. “Only big tech companies use them.” Small businesses, nonprofits, and even schools are embracing synchronized video interviews to screen candidates quickly. And this adoption witnessed nearly a 30% increase in 2024 alone.
So, are you a local dental clinic hiring a receptionist? Or a nonprofit onboarding volunteer? No matter your situation, pre-recorded video interviews could save time and effort with one-way interviews .
TestTrick, for instance, supports clients across multiple industries, from education to finance to customer support, and offers flexible pricing to match businesses of all sizes.
“You can’t tell who’s a good fit.” Actually, one-way interviews can enhance evaluation.
For instance, candidates' tone, clarity, and structure in answering behavioral questions offer powerful signals about their soft skills. You get to observe more than a resume can show.
Let’s say you’re hiring a customer service rep. You ask, “What would you do if a client yelled at you over the phone?” Their body language, eye contact, and composure will give you real insight, far more than a written answer ever could.
When video responses are combined with pre-hiring assessments, you get a full-circle view of a candidate’s personality, skills, and performance.
“It Encourages Cheating" Another misconception is that candidates can cheat during a one-way video interview.
Given the nature of pre-recorded interviews, some might assume they can look up answers or rehearse responses with help from other sources. However, TestTrick has implemented robust anti-cheating technology to ensure the integrity of the process.
Features like web and screen proctoring , full-screen mode , and mouse tracking prevent candidates from accessing unauthorized materials during the interview.
These measures ensure that candidates are evaluated based on their abilities and responses, making the interview process fairer for everyone involved.
“Candidates don’t like it.” Some don’t, just like some people don’t enjoy in-person interviews either. But that’s changing fast.
In fact, Gen Z and Millennial candidates would definitely appreciate the ability to record when they feel most prepared and avoid the awkwardness of scheduling around school, work, or personal commitments.
To make things easier for candidates:
Offer practice questions. Be transparent about what you’re assessing. Include a deadline buffer so they’re not rushed.
This shows empathy and makes the process smoother for everyone.
Conclusion
One-way interviews are more than just a trend. They’re an innovative, scalable solution to a long-standing hiring challenge: quickly and fairly evaluating a large pool of candidates without sacrificing quality.
Whether hiring remote developers across continents or screening local customer service reps, asynchronized video interviews help you reduce scheduling chaos, and bias, so you can focus on what matters.
And with tools like TestTrick , it’s easier than ever to create a thoughtful, human-first experience that respects both your time and your candidates’.
If you're ready to take the stress out of early-stage hiring while still getting rich insights into your applicants, a one-way interview might be your new secret weapon. Book a demo to see our software in action, or sign up for our free 7-day trial to test it yourself.
