How I nailed the first video interview of my life and got hired

Hello, I’m Shashank and if you’re reading this blog, you probably also want to know “What the heck is this video interview about?”. Don’t worry, I’m going to tell you the story how I got hired by my video interview.

I’m a 22 year-old boy from India, recently moved to Budapest to study communications and marketing. Soon after I got my first real job. That’s a pretty amazing thing for me. First job of my life. Who wouldn’t be excited? New continent, new country, new school, new food (I still admire Indian food though).

How it started?

2 months ago I decided to find a job that suits me. I joined several job listing groups, searching for the perfect match for me. Finally I found one: Indivizo, a startup company, which is providing video interview services, looking for a Communications and Marketing Trainee. Wow! I looked at myself and nodded, “Yes! Finally I found my match, just like you got matched on Tinder!”

Startups always fascinated me a lot. After two (failed) startup trials in my life, I finally realised that I need to gain experience before jumping in the river. So Indivizo was the right boat to ride to reach the shore. Still one question was in my mind: ”What is this video interview?”

I didn’t take a second thought and clicked on the link to apply. With some basic information about myself, I got a quick email invitation for a video interview. Hmm, interesting — I thought. Why didn’t they ask for my CV?! I was very curious because as far as I knew, the first thing for applying for a job is to submit your CV along with a cover letter. But! In this case, none.

I read the instructions thoroughly, took my nice blue office shirt on, took a deep breath and clicked the “start” button. After pre-checking the camera and the microphone, I was good to go with the questions. The first question flashed, I still remember, it was “Tell us about yourself?”. I was very confident about speaking about myself in front of the camera, imagining nobody is listening. That’s what we do in the bathroom in the morning, right, in front of the mirror, confident, be afraid of nothing, we give our full potential.

One by one 12 questions flashed and I answered likewise. After every question there was a preparation time of 30 seconds. I was so excited and nervous at the same time, what will be the next, but I completed, I guess, in 15 mins or less. As I finished it, I was wishing ”God, please give me this job!” I think he was listening at that moment, because after a couple of days I got a confirmation email, that they liked my video interview and wanted to meet me in person. And yeah, finally I got the job.

The most amazing thing about the whole experience was, that my CV wasn’t even asked for, no phone or skype interview was needed. They judged me only by my video interview. To tell you the truth, my CV alone wouldn’t have been a great hit for them at all. At the end of the day my true talent was discovered.

To sum it up, I have some tips for you if you’re preparing for your first one-way or pre-recorded video interview:

1. Stay calm and focused! Never lose your focus, never get second thoughts in your mind about the failure. Just be yourself and confident and you will succeed for sure.

2. Suit up! Wear your best office clothes, feel like you are going to a real interview. It matters a lot, shows your decency and attitude towards the job.

3. Find a quiet place! Choose a place with a nice background, where nobody disturbs you and with silence so you can concentrate 100% upon your interview.

I would love to read more about your video interview experiences and comments on it. How did you like it, did you succeed?

And if you need help with preparing for your own video interview, drop us a line and we’ll contact you.

Best of luck!