How to prepare for a one-way video interview: a candidate's checklist

You have applied for a job and, instead of a phone call, you have been sent a link to record your answers. If that feels a bit strange, you are not alone. The good news is that a one-way video interview is one of the easiest interview formats to prepare for, because you already know the rules before you start. These one-way video interview tips walk you through exactly what to expect and how to do your best on the day.

What to expect in a one-way video interview

A one-way (or async) video interview means the employer has written the questions in advance and you record your answers on camera, in your own time, before a deadline. Nobody is watching live. The hiring team reviews the recordings later.

Here is how it usually goes, using AsyncView as the example because that is what we build:

1. You open a private link from the email. There is no account to create and nothing to install. It works in your browser on a laptop or a phone.

2. You see the overview first: the job, a note from the employer, how many questions there are, roughly how long it will take and when the link closes.

3. You check your camera, microphone and connection. Nothing is recorded during this step.

4. You answer a practice question. It is never recorded or shared. It exists purely so you can get comfortable.

5. The real questions appear one at a time. Each has its own time limit. A five-second countdown gives you a moment to breathe, then recording starts. The timer warns you at 30 seconds and at 10 seconds, and stops on its own when it reaches zero.

6. Each answer is recorded once. There is no re-record button, which is why the practice question matters.

7. You submit, and a confirmation email arrives so you know it went through.

One more thing worth knowing: if your connection drops or the page reloads, you do not start again. The interview picks up at the next unanswered question.

Before you start: your room, your light, your connection

You do not need a studio. You need five minutes of thought.

• A quiet room with a door you can close. Tell whoever you live with that you need twenty minutes. Put your phone on silent, unless you are recording on it.

• Light in front of you, not behind. Sit facing a window or a lamp. A bright window behind you turns you into a silhouette.

• A plain, tidy background. It does not have to be a blank wall, just nothing distracting. Interviewers notice an unmade bed more than you would like.

• Camera at eye level. Put the laptop on a couple of books so you are not looking down into the lens. On a phone, prop it up rather than holding it.

• A stable connection. Sit close to the router, or plug in if you can. Close video calls, downloads and anything else using the network.

• Headphones with a microphone are optional but help if your room echoes. Ordinary earbuds are fine.

• Charge the device and close the other tabs. Stay on the interview page while you are recording; switching to other tabs or apps mid-answer can be visible to the employer, and it rarely helps you anyway.

Use the device check and the practice question properly

Most people click through the device check as fast as possible. Do not. It is the only part of the interview with no stakes, so use it:

• Look at the camera preview. Is your whole face in frame, with a little space above your head? Is the light okay?

• Say a full sentence and watch the microphone level move. If it barely registers, pick a different microphone from the list or move closer.

• Wait for the connection check to finish before you go on.

Then do the practice question as if it were real. Sit the way you will sit, speak at the volume you will speak, and answer for the full time. You will hear how you sound, notice that you fiddle with your hair, and find out that two minutes is longer than you thought. Better to learn all of that on an answer nobody will ever see.

Answering well when the clock is running

Use a simple structure

For almost any question that asks for an example, the same shape works: the situation in one or two sentences, what you did in detail, and what happened as a result. Spend most of your time on the middle part. Interviewers want to hear your decisions, not the backstory.

For "why this role" questions, name something specific about the company or the job, then connect it to something you have actually done or genuinely want. Generic enthusiasm is easy to spot.

Mind the time without staring at it

• Aim to finish with ten or fifteen seconds spare. You do not get extra credit for using every second.

• When the 30-second warning appears, start wrapping up. One closing sentence is enough.

• If you run out of time mid-sentence, it is fine. Interviewers see it all the time and judge the content, not the cut-off.

Look at the camera, not at yourself

Your eyes naturally go to your own face on screen. Try to look at the lens instead, at least when you make your main points. It reads as eye contact on the other side. Sit up, keep your hands still or use them naturally, and smile when you start. You are allowed to be a person.

Notes: yes, reading: no

A few bullet points on a sticky note beside the screen is sensible. A script is not. Reading is obvious on camera, your voice flattens out, and you lose the thing a video interview is good at showing: how you actually talk.

Common worries, answered

• "What if I stumble?" Pause, take a breath and continue. People stumble in live interviews too. Nobody expects a newsreader.

• "Can I redo an answer?" In most one-way interviews, including AsyncView, no. Each answer is recorded once. That is why the practice question exists. Use it.

• "What if my internet drops?" Reload the page. You will continue from the next unanswered question, and nothing you have already recorded is lost.

• "Can I do it on my phone?" Yes. Prop it up at eye level in landscape or portrait, and make sure you are on Wi-Fi.

• "How long do I have before the link closes?" The deadline is shown on the overview page and in your invitation email. You will usually get reminder emails as it approaches. If you genuinely cannot make it, reply to the invitation and ask; employers can extend the deadline.

After you submit

You will get a confirmation email straight away. The hiring team is notified that your answers are ready and will review them, often alongside colleagues, over the next few days. There is nothing more you need to do, but a short, polite follow-up email a few days later never hurts.

Finally, remember why employers use this format. It gives every candidate the same questions and the same time, and it lets you answer when you are at your best rather than at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday because that was the only slot. Treat it as a chance to show how you think, and you will do fine.

The checklist

• Quiet room, door closed, phone on silent

• Light in front of you, plain background, camera at eye level

• Stable connection, other apps and tabs closed, device charged

• Camera, microphone and connection check done properly

• Practice question answered as if it were real

• Structure ready: situation, what you did, what happened

• Finish ten seconds early, look at the lens, no reading

• Submit before the deadline and watch for the confirmation email

Good luck. And if you are on the hiring side and reading this to understand what your candidates go through, our guide to what an async video interview is covers the employer's view.