How Do I Practise for a HireVue Interview?

Key facts

The specifics, before the explanation.

• HireVue reports use by around 60% of the Fortune 100, and it is the default platform at JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and many UK banks
• Typical format: 30 seconds to prepare, 1.5 to 3 minutes to answer, with the exact rules set by each employer
• Some employers allow one re-record per question; many do not, so check the invite
• HireVue offers a practice question before the real interview begins, and you can repeat it as many times as you like
• Scoring is on the transcribed content since facial analysis was removed in 2021

What this actually means

HireVue is the platform behind most investment bank and large graduate employer video interviews in the UK. You receive a link, log in at a time of your choosing before a deadline, and answer a set of questions that appear on screen one at a time. Each question gives you a short preparation window, then the camera records. Once you submit, there is no going back, and a recruiter or an algorithm reviews the recording against a scoring guide.

The questions are rarely surprising. They are competency and motivation questions: why this firm, why this division, a time you worked in a team, a time you dealt with a setback, how you handle competing deadlines. Some employers add a short situational judgement or a technical question for quant or engineering roles. Prepare eight to ten examples from your degree, work, sport or volunteering that can each serve two or three different questions.

Practice has to be out loud and timed. Reading notes to yourself does not expose the problems: trailing off at the end, forgetting the result, or spending the first forty seconds on background. Record yourself on a laptop, play it back, and read the transcript. Most people are shocked by how much filler they use. Cut it, re-record, and repeat until the answers are tight.

Use the HireVue practice question on the day as a final warm-up for sound and lighting, not as your first rehearsal. By then you should already know your examples well enough to deliver them without reading, so you can look at the camera rather than at your notes.

What to actually do

Rules and figures move. Confirm anything time-sensitive with the official regulator before you rely on it.

• Build a bank of eight to ten examples and map each one to two or three likely questions
• Rehearse every answer out loud with a timer, then read the transcript and cut filler and background
• Look at the camera lens, not at your own face on the screen, and keep notes to a few words on a sticky note beside the lens
• Use the platform practice question to check lighting and audio, not to decide what you are going to say
• Finish each answer with the result in a single sentence so the reviewer does not have to hunt for it

Frequently asked questions

Can I see the questions before the HireVue interview starts?

No. The questions appear one at a time once you begin, with the preparation timer running. You can usually see how many questions there are and the time allowed for each in the invite or on the first screen.

Is HireVue scored by a person or an algorithm?

It depends on the employer. Many large firms use HireVue scoring to rank candidates and then have recruiters review the top group; others have humans review every recording. Either way, specific content with a clear result scores best.

What should I wear for a HireVue interview?

Dress as you would for an in-person interview at that employer. For banks and professional services that means business attire; it also puts you in the right mindset and removes a reason for a reviewer to mark you down.

Sources

Referenced for this guide:

• HireVue candidate information