Free interview feedback

 
 

It’s mid-October which means that people who applied for jobs in early September are in the middle of the search process right now. At this time of year, I expect to hear from people who are launching their job search for the first time in five or more years. They always want to know: what are these one-way video interviews anyway?

One-way video interviews are a way for you to answer questions that the organization has without actually coordinating schedules and interview times. Asynchronous video interviews are a great choice for a larger hiring committee that might consist of several staff members and potentially Board members as well. The videos allow everyone to get a sense of who you are and why you want the job without having to actually show up at a specific time.

 
pink tint: image of person giving thumbs up to a computer screen
 

Free one-way video interview feedback

In today’s Get Hired, I offer some tips for one-way video interviews and we have a special offer: feedback on a mock one-way video interview for five people who tell their friends about NRG on social media. Yes, it’s free.

What you need to do to be considered for the promotion: post on LinkedIn about your experience with NRG Consulting Group before next Thursday, October 26, and tag us on LinkedIn. You may just want to tell your network that you’ve enjoyed working with us or that you like the content you get in this newsletter. You may also encourage members of your network who are looking for job opportunities to sign up for the Talent Network.

Here’s how it works: even if you aren’t chosen to receive feedback, you can still complete the video to get a feel for it. Hot tip: if you’ve never done this before, take advantage of this opportunity! If you have done it before for a job but felt unsure, feel free to give it another try.

There are just two straight-forward questions to give you first-hand experience with how these work. We’ll send it back to you so you can see how you did. Even if you aren’t chosen to receive feedback, you will be able to review your video in a low stakes environment. We’ve set it up so you have unlimited time to think about your answer and unlimited retakes.

If you are one of the five chosen to receive feedback, Kristin Saybe, NRG coach, will email you with the feedback by November 3.

 
 

One-way video interview tips

Before you begin the one-way video interview process, read my tips below. These types of interviews may seem intimidating to some and empowering to others. However, it may feel like you are talking to the void and it can be difficult to understand best practices. I hope these suggestions help you prepare for your next one-way video interview, whether you participate in the mock interview or you are doing it for a job you really want.

You still need to do your homework and tell your story.

Many best practices for phone interviews apply here as well. You can brush up on those tips on how to nail your phone interview here and here and here. For one-way video interviews, it is imperative that you tell your story in a clear, concise way. You have anywhere from 2-4 minutes to answer the question before it’s over. You need to know what the organization is looking for in an ideal candidate and focus on your overlapping qualities and experiences. Kristin Saybe can always lend advice if you need help translating your experiences.

Remember that you have a lot of control.

At NRG, we always allow unlimited retakes for your video and we give you the questions in advance. This means you can prepare what you are going to say and can even re-record yourself if you didn’t get it the way you wanted. If you are nervous, remember that you have the power to direct the hiring managers to the experiences and qualities that you want to bring attention to. Allow that knowledge to give you some confidence.

Don’t spend hours on it.

The downside of having all of the control is that those of us with perfectionistic tendencies can go overboard. I’ve talked to candidates who have spent 4-5 hours on a video interview. We usually tell you how much time we want you to spend and that time is usually 20-30 minutes. Yes, you have the time to prepare your answers and do a retake or two if you don’t get it quite right but if you find yourself taking more than two retakes, you should stop the interview and take a break. Come back when you’re refreshed.

Pay attention to the lighting and your wardrobe but don’t obsess.

It is best practice to try to find good lighting and dress like you would for an interview. However, many of our clients are now doing blind reviews of videos. That means that they may not even see your dry cleaned blazer or fashionable earrings that delayed you two days from finishing the interview. The background and video quality doesn’t have to be perfect. What is important is your answers to the questions.

Try to speak from talking points, not a script.

This one is going to be hard for some of you. I’ve watched a lot of one-way video interviews, and the people who are talking like they are talking to an interviewer seem more genuine, even if their answers aren’t perfect. That said, if you need to write everything out or you feel like you will freeze, then do it. Just try to find a natural rhythm and cadence to your answers.

Once you hit submit, celebrate!

I get a lot of people writing to me who want to redo their video interviews after obsessing how they weren’t perfect the first time. I will give you a completely honest and unverified opinion: the first recording is always better. It is possible to spend too much time on one-way video interviews so that your answers feel stale and false. Trust yourself, remember that you do have control, embrace that confidence and when you hit submit, move on.



Reminder: we are offering a special opportunity for 5 Get Hired readers who tag us on LinkedIn and say good things about us.

 
 

On to the jobs! Check out all of NRG’s searches here. Twenty-three of those positions are remote. 

Opportunities NRG is hiring for:

opportunities nrg is hiring for in education:

In addition to this list, you can find more opportunities on the website. Follow NRG on LinkedIn and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.

Let’s move,

Naomi

P.S. If you are just getting started with your job search, don’t wait until you get down the road to prepare for interviews. Spruce up your interview skills now and sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you. 

If you find this newsletter helpful, forward it to your friends and help us build our network! Sign up here to receive future “Get Hired'' newsletters. 

Interview processJaclyn Jones