Tell us about yourself.

"(Past) I am thrilled to have had the privilege to raise my children for the past ten years. Although being a stay-at-home parent took me out of the traditional workforce, I kept myself busy and relevant in many ways. (Present) Currently, I volunteer for the Parent-Teacher Association, where I facilitate the building of healthy relationships between parents, teachers, and schools. However, as my kids get older and more independent, I find myself seeking more. (Future) I have developed exceptional skills in recruiting volunteers, giving presentations, managing documentation, problem-solving on the fly, and persuading others to collaborate. These skills align with the qualities Company ABC seeks for this Executive Assistant opportunity. I am ready to step into the next phase of my career and would be happy to apply these skills with this incredible company."

This question serves as an icebreaker to get you out of interview mode. The company hopes that asking a more informal question will result in a sincere answer, which the assessment model can use to establish a baseline they can use later to determine whether you are answering honestly. It will then contrast this to your more reserved and performative answers. You'll want to maintain a sincere and consistently professional tone throughout your interview.When looking at the defining structure of HireVue's interview builder, they break a candidate's experience level into five categories: novice, developing, intermediate, advanced, and expert. For example, when they assess dependability, they define a novice as unlikely to be successful in situations requiring this competency. They describe a developing candidate as having a limited capacity but likely to be dependable in simple situations. A candidate with an intermediate skill level is likely to be dependable but needs assistance in more difficult situations. An advanced candidate would very likely be dependable in moderate to complex situations. And lastly, a candidate who is extremely dependable in moderate to complex situations is considered an expert. Here are some of HireVue's other behavioral definitions for a novice, intermediate, and expert: A novice they define as "Disorganized and unable to pay the attention required to deliver accurate and high-quality work. Willing to 'bend the rules to deliver in their job role. Dismisses the importance of their responsibilities and fails to take ownership of their performance. Tends to be lazy and careless when delivering in their job role. An intermediate they define as "Attentive, meticulous, and careful in how they operate, delivering a thorough and high-quality job. Consistently holds themselves accountable for making principled decisions when working to meet the demand. Takes pride and accountability in delivering a high-quality output of work. Identifies and admits limitations, needed adjustments, and mistakes." an expert they defined as someone who is "aware of other's needs and feelings, is attentive, meticulous, and careful in how they operate, delivering a thorough and high-quality job, and evaluates the impact of their work to improve future delivery. Holds self and others accountable for making principled decisions and addresses unethical behaviors when working to meet the demand. Take pride in delivering a high-quality output of work.

The goal of your response is to discuss how you got to where you are today while painting a picture of what you want for your future. Connect how a career with this company aligns with your goals, and spotlight the factors that make you the best candidate. This will give the decision-makers a glimpse into who you are as it relates to the job opportunity. Showing your personality can go a long way, just like when you do live interviews or phone calls. Even when talking to an algorithm, you want to imagine you are speaking to a real person. So try to come across as relaxed as possible and speak in a level yet enthusiastic tone. Maintain eye contact with the camera, and smile softly.

To answer this introductory question, prepare a 200-word brief professional biography. Think of it as a cohesive elevator pitch that will capture your personality and ambition. Start with who you are as a person and a professional and the humble beginnings of your professional journey. Move into how far you've come and why you are ready for this next stage in your career, and where you hope this career move will take you next.

One of HireVue's advertised benefits is that candidates can take their interview at any time and anywhere. This is more convenient for the recruiter, allowing them the freedom to divert payroll hours to other priorities. However, you should take full advantage of this and allow yourself all the time needed to prepare. You'll want to present yourself on camera as a professional in every way, as you would in an in-person interview. So wear professional clothing appropriate for the role. The algorithm will evaluate how well-groomed you are and how tidy and professional your attire is.

"I was laid off during COVID, and the prospect of staying in sales was nill. I had to pivot and change my career trajectory to one working within the healthcare system. I applied for multiple jobs, but nobody was hiring. I maintained a positive attitude and took classes that enabled me to pivot into a career within healthcare at a hospital and then a large clinic. This experience taught me that it is important to be change agile and that with a positive attitude and persistence, you can accomplish a goal."

"I have had the privilege of studying internationally in various cities; Madrid, New York, Singapore, and now London. These have provided me with an invaluable understanding of different cultures and these experiences have defined my ability to collaborate within my professional and academic environments. Currently, I’m studying theoretical physics at Imperial College London, an achievement of which I am proud but one which has also constantly challenged me intellectually and taught me the importance of perseverance and work ethic when tackling problems. I feel that as a truly international, persevering student my skills will align with ____’s values as well as the role. I am excited to keep learning within a rigorously intellectual environment such as the one I believe ____ has through your continued efforts to innovate."

"I have had the opportunity to keep challenging myself with the jobs that I have had. Currently, I am a line operator for ______ where maintain the line and clear any jams that occur. I am also a trainer for the new hires that go into line operations. I have developed skills in troubleshooting, making minor repairs to equipment, keeping quality logs, and mentoring new hires to ensure the appropriate line operation duties and safety procedures are met. I feel that these skills align with what BP is looking for in an operator. I am ready to take the next step in my career and would love to work with BP."

Talk about a time you succeeded despite being under intense pressure. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the result.

"Throughout my career in the financial sector, I have gained the skills that help me constructively deal with stress. (Situation) Last year, one of our Investment Managers retired, and she passed me one of her most important legacy accounts. I was thrilled to have the opportunity; however, this account was notorious for being high-pressure. (Task) I knew that onboarding this client would be challenging. It would take a great deal of diligence, research, and time on my end. I felt overwhelmed, but I knew that serving this account to the best of my ability would speak volumes about my firm and be a valuable addition to my portfolio. (Action) During this time, I sought out a mentor with more experience in the financial sector. This individual taught me incredibly beneficial approaches and tools for managing my time, controlling stress, and regulating my mindset under pressure. (Result) As a result, I successfully onboarded this new account and even received accolades from the client, which reached my leadership team. Now, when I feel immense pressure on the job and in my personal life, I lean on these mechanisms and techniques to get me to the finish line with focus and poise."

This question aims to help the assessment model evaluate you for signs of stress and how emotionally intelligent you are. They ask this question to determine whether you can work under pressure for lengthy periods and study you for signs of dissatisfaction with your job or career or burnout syndrome. The assessment vendor will accomplish this by looking at your non-verbal cues, facial expressions, eye movements, body movements, tells and posture, and the nuances of tone and choice of words.

When answering this question, avoid using phrases like the situation being 'very' hard or 'it was so 'crazy,' and everyone was 'incredibly' under the gun. Maintain a calm and collected demeanor. The aim is to showcase that you have no issue keeping calm under pressure. So try to come across as relaxed and confident.

Talk about a specific time when you faced a high-pressure situation at work and navigated it successfully with collected determination. Outline the situation and the actions you took. Highlight the well-calculated decisions you made while keeping a cool head. Share the results you generated through your actions and measurable impact on your teams.

More often than not, when a person recalls stressful situations from their past, they'll revert to the emotional state of the stress triggered by that memory. Convey that you keep calm under pressure. So practice and meditate only on those moments where you acted decisively and drove success for your teams. Convey how you managed your stress, and communicate this from a place of collective calm and confidence. Focus on the pride of that moment and let your emotional intelligence shine.

"My PM asked me to replace my workmate. I had to call 15 candidates, upload their resumes to the system, and schedule meetings with HMs. PM told me about all this stuff at 3 PM and I worked till 4 PM. It was hard, because in the meanwhile I had my own duties to fulfill, but I organized everything in a proper way and tackled it."

"Throughout my time at Imperial College London, I have gained the skills to constructively deal with stress. During the end of my first year, after a poor exam mainly due to illness, I found myself requiring myself to achieve extra credit through a coding challenge solving relativity problems as the supplementary part of my module. Due to the exam, I needed to excel in this part of the module in order to maintain my grade average and advance throughout the course. Despite, the additional pressure and stress of doing this challenge within the 48 hours it was set, I achieved a 98.5/100 in the project. This was due to the fact that I kept calm and organized a schedule which allowed me to complete all parts of the code and explore more efficient solutions after having finished the core part of the exercise."

"My supervisor was short-staffed due to a co-worker leaving work early and abruptly. So he asked me if I could watch my line as well as watch their line. I knew it would be challenging to watch both lines. But I did it and I focused on keeping the quality up to par and keeping both lines running. As a result, I ran both lines successfully with minor downtime and both lines ran to rate for the day."

Talk about a time you successfully contributed to a team goal. Describe the situation, the steps you took, and the outcome.

"(Situation) As a financial analyst with Company XYZ, our team has to collaborate during our busy year-end season. We put in overtime shifts and bring our clients' books to a close together as one cohesive team. (Task) During year-end, I often took the role of the project lead. But once I had that down to a science, I stepped aside and let others take on that role. (Action) I would focus on smaller tasks that would allow me to break away and offer any coaching should our new project lead need it. When my hookup was needed, I worked diligently with them to ensure we streamlined their processes and that they made each team member feels like a valued contributor. But I never stole their spotlight. This was their show. My approach during these high-demand times was to do my part in setting the pace and encouraging the team to deliver our best work. I also encouraged feedback and insight from the others on my team, and when they offered it, I welcomed it. (Result) This year, our team completed its year-end work with such incredible efficiency that we shaved an entire day off our schedule. The experience was nearly flawless. Team conflict was minimal, despite the mental strain everyone felt. I read that Company ABC includes collaboration as one of its core values. If hired, I will prioritize collaboration and actively contribute to this culture of partnership and teamwork."

Although this question seems straightforward, it is more common for a candidate to answer by advertising their success or how they single-handedly saved the day rather than detailing what they contributed to the greater team effort. Therefore, the assessment vendor will evaluate your answer to determine how proficiently you work with your teams and predict future job performance concerning teamwork and prioritizing the company's goals over your own.

Before preparing your answer to this question, familiarize yourself with the hiring company's definition of teamwork and collaboration. Memorize their core values, mission statement, guiding principles, and goals. Once familiar with the language they use, reflect upon any relevant experiences you feel are aligned with their priorities and emulate the company's team philosophy. The more you position yourself as a good fit into their framework, the better.

The aim here is to detail the small part you played, placing greater focus on what the success of the team looked like. So when preparing for team-oriented questions such as this one, you'll want to start by describing the goals of the company and the task set before your team. Detail the big picture, the part each member of the team had to play, and your role as a stakeholder in your mutual success. Break down the steps you took in accomplishing your part and how you coordinated, collaborated, and supported your teammates. Showcase every manner in which you were an essential team player, and share, with pride, how the team delivered and what that success looked like for the company. Highlight the camaraderie you experienced with your teammates and what you learned along the way.

"During my work as Junior IT Talent Acquisition Consultant, we were preparing a marketing campaign, which could promote our local team. I declared to take care of graphic content because I have extended experience in this field. I also created a short promotional and educational spot. Our PM was very satisfied with our work results."

"As Public Health Managers, we have indirect reports and are responsible for helping them attain their goal. One of the tools I created that helped the team see their potential for doses was to forecast dosing from the past year and predict their growth by 10% to show to their accounts. I took the list of accounts that ordered and showed where some had stagnant growth and opportunities to increase their dosage. I also showed them when they should be reordering and provided a reorder amount. This was used and implemented by their manager and used as a tool for tracking doses and refills. We were shy of our state goals - the company made adjustments as a whole and through this, we made our goal and received a payout bonus."

"As part of the Imperial College degree, I took part in an interdisciplinary module called Research Computing dedicated to tackling problems using machine learning within a group environment. I often took the role of the project lead during various technical stages as I was the most proficient in coding and mathematics. However, during periods of discussing ideas and determining our project title, I stepped aside to listen and discuss with students from other disciplines such as biochemistry. I focussed on translating our collective ideas into computational and mathematical models whilst listening and learning about the biochemistry-specific details of the project such as learning terms like promoter strength. Our group worked efficiently and this resulted in our group achieving 1st class honors on the group project."

"As a crew member of ______, we had to come up with safety concerns we had about our plant. And I volunteered to walk line one which is my line. And point out anything that I feel would be a safety hazard. By the end, the safety team said there was a lot of great feedback and they implemented a lot of our ideas into the plant."

Tell us about a time you disagreed with a coworker. Describe the situation, your approach, and the outcome.

"(Situation) Last year, my Sales Director and I disagreed on the pending termination of one of my team members. (Task) As a manager, my philosophy is to ensure that I have trained and coached my team members to the best of my ability before I consider terminating them. (Action) I expressed my desire to spend additional time training this team member. I mentioned that it would be more costly for the company to replace this person than invest in additional training. The Sales Director finally agreed that if the team member missed their targets for another 30 days, we would move forward with termination. After coming to a middle ground, I created a plan to spend five additional hours per week training this team member for three weeks. (Result) Remarkably, his performance improved by over 40%! This team member is still with us and often lands on our divisions' monthly Top 10 list for client satisfaction and performance. Because I respectfully disagreed with the Sales Director and stated my case with facts rather than emotion, we were able to move past the disagreement with ease."

How you interpret and answer this question will help the assessment model classify your experience level as a novice, intermediate, or expert. Therefore you want your definition of a disagreement to not pertain to conflict but rather a difference of opinion. Consider this an opportunity to showcase your collaboration and adept communication skills, mediation, negotiation, and compromise.

When describing your example, detail your approach to employing every communication skill that will present you as an expert. Relay how you actively listened to what the other individual had to offer, the lengths you went to understand their perspective, and where they were coming from emotionally. Describe how you mirrored and validated what they had to offer and how you empathized with their position. Then detail the steps you took to achieve your mutual goals on behalf of the teams, workplace, or bigger picture. Be sure to mention how any aspect of this exchange led to any coaching or further developmental opportunities.

The assessment vendor will screen you for how well you communicate. So keep an ear out for any stutters, awkward pauses, or your use of any speech crutch words such as "uh," "like," "um," "you know," "so on and so forth," "and," "well," "but," "so," "ah," "er," and "Etcetera." Record your voice while answering some of these questions to identify your tics so you can better practice answering these questions without relying on such words. Also, pay close attention to your choice of words and what they might suggest beyond your intended meaning. Doing so will aid in presenting yourself as a clearer communicator and more of a professional.

"One time when I worked in Stockholm, I noticed that our co-worker was insufficient and doesn't pull his weight. I decided to talk to him, but my team member said it was not our business. I am not conflictive, so I decided to use as good communication skills as possible to solve this issue. I explained that his nonproductiveness has an inappropriate effect on our work and project. Apart from this, maybe he has personal problems, which need to be solved. After hearing this, my colleague agreed with me. We decided that if our discussion wouldn't give any result, we we'll talk with our PM."

"FQHC - the leadership team wanted to roll out a new IHA plan. It was presented in a way that made it seem like a simple transition that each site could handle. Communication with the teams was not clear. After the meeting, I talked to her about the challenges and pointed out a few details that needed to be considered - what will new workflows look like in EPIC, do we have a call list ID, who is scheduling, if virtual who will room for providers and sites, what is the time allotment for these assessments - stated that provider schedules are set, and this needed some details worked out for the plan to be successful. The outcome was that she called another meeting used the suggestions we discussed and had a more cohesive plan in place."

"During a project module, a team member and I disagreed on the topic of the project. As the team member with the most coding and mathematical experience, it was my job to translate ideas from a biochemistry point of view into a mathematical and computational model. I expressed that sorting through species of a certain subclass of mosquitoes proved to be difficult in computational terms as there weren’t enough datasets to train a machine learning model which was a prerequisite of the project. My team member and I finally compromised such that we would look at the promoter strength in the DNA of mosquitoes through which I could easily apply machine learning techniques and they could contribute to the project as experts within the research section of the project. Remarkably, this compromise aided us in achieving First Class Honours in the project, so because I managed to compromise with my colleague our project turned out to be enjoyable and well-produced."

"One time while working at _______, the line operators are supposed to cover each other for breaks. And I noticed when I got back from breaks that my line wasn’t being looked after. So I went to my co-worker who was supposed to be covering me and asked why my line was not being watched. I told him that it was negatively affecting me and if there was anything I could do to help him. After this conversation, things got much better and it was easier to come back from breaks."

Tell us about a time you failed. Describe what happened, your approach, and the outcome.

"(Situation) My former employer put me through a last-minute advanced Excel course that I failed. (Task) I was unprepared for the course's challenging content and should not have agreed to begin with an advanced-level course. (Action) I told my manager that I was not excelling in the class. We discussed this failure together and realized I was not ready for the advanced-level coursework. I was more of an intermediate-level user. To fix the situation, I studied online for a few weeks and then retook the course when I felt more prepared. (Result) This approach worked much better, and I finished with 92% the second time around."

The steps you took to remedy a mistake in a professional setting hold as much, if not more, significance than the mistake itself. Someone who is an experienced professional will be more likely to perceive a mistake as a learning opportunity and immediately take ownership of it. They'll use this error to enhance their attention to detail and to make adjustments to ensure a greater likelihood of success in the future. Whereas someone with little to no experience will more likely fear the discovery of their error and will not seek guidance when remediating the mistake, meaning they will expend unauthorized payroll hours to cover their tracks. Therefore, the assessment model wants to evaluate your experience level and determine whether you would be an asset or a liability as an employee.

Someone who grows nervous or anxious when admitting to a mistake more likely fears being discovered or judged. Whereas someone who fearlessly admits to their mistakes displays strength by taking ownership of and learning from such mistakes when they happen. So consider this when relaying your answer. Not only do you want your choice of words to relay the confidence of being within your comfort zone, but your body language as well. By choosing an appropriate example, positioning yourself in a confident and relaxed state, and communicating at ease, the algorithm will more likely classify your response to this question as an expert rather than a novice.

Remember, the HireVue algorithm will evaluate your verbal and nonverbal responses for consistency, from question to question and answer to answer. The point of any interview is for them to get to know you. Make sure you present an accurate portrayal of who you are, without giving them any unintended signals that could be misinterpreted by the algorithm. When your nonverbal cues are inconsistent with your narrative, it suggests a lack of self-awareness, limited emotional intelligence, or burnout syndrome, and your non-verbal cues will hold more weight than what you're communicating verbally. Those non-verbal cues will almost always be interpreted as the speaker's true feelings, intentions, and attitudes. So not only do you want to ensure your answers are consistent throughout your interview, but your performance as well. The goal is to maintain a degree of friendly and confident professionalism throughout your interview.

If you have any personal habits or tics that could be misinterpreted by the algorithm or recruiter, such as fidgeting or biting your fingernails, it is best to be aware of them and curb them as best as you can. Record yourself answering many of these questions, and be on the lookout for any of your verbal and non-verbal tics. Keep practicing until you come across as clear as you aim to seem.

"My former employer put me through a last-minute advanced Photoshop. I was unprepared and I felt that it was too early for me such an experience. I was at an intermediate level at that time. Eventually, I didn't pass the exam. After this, I decided to sign up for individual classes to improve my knowledge of Photoshop and retake the exam. Finally, I passed the test and gained 91%."

"During my final years of high school, I wanted to take part in the Maths and Physics Olympiads. I believed that if I prepared enough I would be able to do this with little help. However, this proved to be false as I did not excel. I then reflected on this failure and sought out help from teachers at my school who guided me in preparing for these competitions. The result of this was that I founded and captained my school’s first-ever Physics team in various competitions with the help of a teacher of mine who became a mentor for me. This experience taught me the invaluable lesson of how and where to seek help when I needed it as there would be certain barriers that would be extremely challenging if not impossible to jump myself."

"At ______, each line has rates so if you hit the rate it’s green and if you don’t it’s red. I had been hitting green consistently but one day we had a changeover. Which is going from one soap variant to a different one and it took longer than it should have because I wasn’t used to doing changeovers and that day we ran in the red. I went to the specialist in our department because he is very knowledgeable and I got tips from him on how to cut down some time and get it done more efficiently after that I became really good at changeovers."

How would you react if you knew a team member was being dishonest? What actions would you take?

"I take pride in my work and have a low tolerance for dishonesty since it damages the company's reputation, which hurts us all. I focus on honesty and transparency. I'm obligated to report any coworker who violates our code of ethics. Of course, I would consult my leadership to ensure I appropriately handle the situation. I would desire to resolve the issue without escalating the situation or introducing a new conflict. For example, my manager was recently on vacation for three weeks. Some of my coworkers wanted to falsify our timesheets to reflect overtime hours we did not work. I disagreed and convinced them it was a bad idea and not worth being fired over. If hired at Company ABC, I will hold myself and my peers accountable to the highest ethical standards."

Questions surrounding ethics and integrity are asked to determine whether you could be trusted with their reputation and assets and maintain the trust of the individual members of their teams. How you answer will help them assess whether you would be an asset for their company and a valuable member of their teams or would present as a liability. The aim is to show your integrity cannot be compromised and that you vigilantly stay true to your character.

This question allows the algorithm to assess your integrity by evaluating how honestly you present your answers. Some non-verbal cues the assessment vendor may use to determine your honesty are stroking your chin, and covering your mouth or your eyes, gaze avoidance, the direction of your eyes, excessive fidgeting, such as restless foot and leg movements, frequent body posture changes, and grooming behaviors such as playing with hair or pressing your fingers to lips.

Despite this question being phrased as a hypothetical situation, feel free to offer any real-life examples of where your conduct was in line with their code of ethics and recommended approach to such situations. Most companies post their code of ethics online, either linked to their website or independent of it. Reflect sincerity and transparency when delivering your answer, and express that you aren't afraid to have uncomfortable conversations or do the right thing.

Once you're ready and the setting and timing feel right, enter the virtual interview room and ensure the webcam, sound, and lighting is suitable for your interview. Position the camera angle at eye level. Positioning it too low will make you come across as domineering. Too high, and you'll seem too weak or small. Maintain eye contact in front of the camera as if you're speaking face-to-face with a person. Be mindful of your facial expressions. Furrowing your brow while concentrating on your answer can easily be misinterpreted as exhibiting anger and raise a red flag.

"I would not tolerate such kind of behavior, because it has a very inappropriate impact on a project and other team members. Firstly, I will use my psychological skills and talk to my colleague, to find out the reason for his/her behavior. Apart from this, I would emphasize that we should support each other and work hard to achieve the goal. If this statement will not change his/her behavior I would report it to the manager."

Why are you looking for a new position?

"Accepting my most recent job was a misstep; however, I learned some important lessons from this experience. Last year, I joined Company XYZ - a start-up fintech company with a fantastic business proposition. Unfortunately, their model's overall framework and business strategy were poorly executed, and the reality of the work environment never achieved their vision. I remained in the role for one year before giving my notice. They are supportive of my decision to continue to pursue my goals. I've stayed on board long enough to help train my replacement. Now, I am approaching my next move with more care. I am passionate about serving my employer and generating growth. When I learned that Company ABC had this opening, I was thrilled. I understand that this position focuses on strategic growth and client satisfaction - factors that align with my professional focus and interests."

The assessment vendor wants to determine your reasons for seeking employment and how this opportunity fits into the picture. How you answer will help them assess your motive, intentions, and professional development. Ultimately, they want to understand whether your reasons are related to your career advancement or are less professional and more personal.

Do what you can to outline how this new opportunity aligns with your professional goals. Draw correlations between your desire to work in an environment and culture that motivates you and fosters your productivity, how the company meets those requirements, and how this company will benefit from bringing you on board.

Sharing that your current place of employment lacks the growth and development opportunities you desire or doesn't align with your career progression goals is acceptable, but it is best to express gratitude for how they have helped you reach this crossroads in your career. While doing so, avoid using any words that carry a negative connotation. Focus solely on your motivation to succeed and grow. Avoid coming across as vague, speaking negatively about your coworkers, suggesting that you had poor work relations, that it was a less-than-ideal work environment, or that you had disagreements with your superiors or didn't support the direction of the company.

Although HireVue takes measures to prevent candidates from seeing their interview questions before the interview, they offer practice questions on their website to prepare candidates for the process. While the practice questions may not apply directly to the company you're interviewing for, they can still serve as a useful exercise. It can also help prepare you to deliver your answers within the allotted three-minute timeframe. Also, spend time practicing using this interview set. Set your timer for three minutes. Practice answering each question out loud while recording yourself delivering your answer.

"Choosing my last workplace was a misstep. I noticed that my previous company's business strategy doesn't meet the reality of the work environment. Now, I'm open to new challenges. I strive for broadening my knowledge and constantly improving previously gained skills. Apart from this, I want to share my experience with new work colleagues."

Talk to us about your short-term career goals.

"My interpersonal skills come naturally to me, and I consistently develop meaningful relationships with my peers. I am interested in upskilling my mentorship and leadership abilities as a short-term goal. I've worked as a Finance Analyst for eight years and have set my sights on graduating into the Finance Manager role. While exploring Company ABC's emphasis on the growth, development, and mentorship of its team members, I was increasingly attracted to this position. I'm also taking an online course called 'Personality Types at Work,' provided by the University of Florida, which I believe will help me even more with my goal of becoming an impactful leader when the opportunity arises."

This question aims to determine what immediate challenges you've identified within this position or company that could potentially progress your development and career advancement. How you answer stands to inform them of how career-oriented you are and whether you have composed and consistently tracked and updated your five to ten-year career plan. Your answer also will tell them how their company fits into this picture, your current experience and skill level, and whether you see this specific opportunity as a potential long-term fit.

Define how you weigh success across all fronts; short-term goals, long-term goals, and the big picture. Then focus on the carefully mapped-out short-term career goals that collectively assemble your carefully mapped-out progression. Describe how each goal feeds into the next, correlating them to the job opportunity and suggesting how they can keep providing you developmental opportunities while motivating you to over-perform with contributing to their organization.

HireVue advertises that they can customize each assessment interview to a specific role with clear performance indicators. These customizations allow their assessment models to differentiate the strongest from the least promising performers. Their customizable interview guides, which were designed by their IO psychology research teams, help the assessment model ask the right questions to elicit responses which it can measure for predicting job performance while identifying the skills and characteristics that are most important for success in that particular job, and those candidates most suited to the company's goals and culture.The best thing you can do is research everything about the job posting, the company's culture and recruiting efforts, and how they describe their ideal candidates. This will help you determine how many of the data points the model uses to help it predict that you'd be successful in this role. Take note of everything relevant to the company, its culture, work environment, and expectations. Pay attention to their keywords, everything they say on their career's webpages, and how they say it. Approach your preparation as if you are starting to onboard now, even before you are hired, and convince yourself and the algorithm that you are already one of them.

"I have worked as a Junior SM Manager and Junior IT Talent Acquisition Consultant for four years now and have set my sights on being a Talent Sourcer and Senior Recruiter in the future. I constantly develop and improve my qualities. I ended with IT Recruiter Cours, organized by LABA company and HR in practice course. I look forward to achieving more recruitment-related goals in the new role."

Tell us about your long-term career plans.

"In the long term, I would like to be a thought leader in the investment banking sector. I plan to become even more well-connected and trusted regarding the work and results I deliver to my clients. I will enthusiastically take on every continued education opportunity to achieve this goal. If granted to opportunity, I plan to learn everything I can from my leaders at Company ABC."

This question is aimed at determining whether you could see a potential long-term future with this company. The assessment vendor will evaluate your answers and determine your experience and skills level, growth potential, and whether you would be a good long-term investment for the client company you are interviewing for. Your answer could also indicate whether you are satisfied with the career you've chosen or show the potential to burn out in your field.

Remain objective and confident, keeping your face and posture relaxed and your body language open and at ease. Be mindful of the nonverbal cues of nervous or stressful behavior, such as fidgeting, which could include any small movements of your hands or feet, swaying, shifting your weight, rocking or tilting back in your chair, leaning to one side or the other, straightening and freezing your posture, cradling your neck with one or both hands, crossing your arms, cracking your knuckles or biting your nails.

Most of HireVue's interview questions are designed as situation judgment questions, asking about a situation you've been in, your course of action, and the results or consequences of your actions. These behavioral questions are designed to assess what you know about the job, your competencies, and your hard skills. How you answer stands to reveal your soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, communication skills, empathy, resourcefulness, team orientation, and initiative. So when delivering your answers, avoid rambling, and be as concise as possible. Communicate clearly and use the recommended STAR method when structuring your answers. Address each answer by first offering the SITUATION involved with your example. Then move into the TASK this situation required. Then share the ACTION you took and the RESULT of your actions. Taking this approach question to question will help you ensure clarity and consistency throughout your interview, keep your answers under three minutes, and meet the algorithm's criteria for passing your interview onto the recruiter.

"In the long term, I would like to be a senior recruiter in the pharmacy sector. I plan to become even more well-connected and trusted regarding the work and results that I deliver to my Hiring Managers. I will take on every continued education opportunity presented to me with full enthusiasm to achieve this goal. I plan to learn everything I can from my leaders at Company ABC and have already begun to seek a mentor."

Talk to us about your proudest achievement. Why was this achievement important?

"(Situation & Task) While working as an Investment Analyst with Company XYZ, I was responsible for supporting the Investment Management team through research and strategic recommendations. During the pandemic, we began to find that regulations were becoming more stringent, and investment banks were required to have greater safeguards against compliance breaches. This situation presented an excellent opportunity for our small firm to explore a more robust, efficient tech stack. (Action) I began to research new tools, processes, and systems to boost our teams' efficiencies and safeguard us through a better-consolidated system. After a couple of weeks, I made solid recommendations to the Investment Management team. (Result) By spotlighting the upside of greater efficiencies and added security, I initiated smart and responsible change within the firm. My manager was very pleased with my initiative, and today, the firm has stronger processes for managing regulatory reporting demands."

How you answer this question will help the assessment model better gauge your experience level and determine where to categorize you in their rating system as a novice, developing, intermediate, advanced, or expert. The goal of your response is to provide evidence that you meet the qualifications for the position. They don't expect you to be an expert in every field, and there will no doubt be opportunities for developmental growth in the company if you are hired. But they do need to ensure you meet the qualifications of the job.

Telling a story about your most significant achievement will give the decision-makers a notion of what matters to you. Your reply should spotlight what this accomplishment implicates for your future success. If your example relays your work ethic and what motivates you as a professional, all the better. It's okay to showcase your pride as long as you remain relatively humble. Nothing is wrong with confidence as long as it doesn't become arrogance.

When relaying your recent example, be as specific as possible and concise as possible. Try to convey that going above and beyond is your status quo. Speak with friendly, professional confidence while maintaining eye contact with the camera. Be mindful of your posture and smile with your mouth and eyes. Keep your body language open, your tone steady, even, and consistent with your statements. Looking at yourself on the screen could be interpreted as looking down, which is a sign of lacking confidence. So practice beforehand until you are comfortable with this style of interview, and come across as if you are speaking to a real person or an audience.

Even though you have the advantage of being in your own environment, bear in mind that your surroundings are a reflection of you as a professional. Your personal space is a reflection of your professionalism and work ethic. When answering questions about how organized you are, you want your personal appearance and space to be as consistent with the words used to relay your answer. Additionally, you'll want their focus to be on you and not your background. Make sure your space is organized, free of distractions, and work-appropriate. Choose a space not too cluttered, preferably with a plain background. Also, if you can find a space with good natural lighting, all the better. Ideally, you'll want the light cast evenly across your face.

What are your greatest strengths, and how will they be a fit for our company?

"My greatest strengths include my ability to boost the confidence of my team members. I like to excite the team at the beginning of the day with my enthusiastic, go-getter attitude. I am also self-aware and a mindful listener, which helps me gain the trust of my team. I easily relate to others and get to know them and their needs. My employee retention rates are the second-highest in my company due to these interpersonal strengths. I understand that Company ABC is seeking a Sales Manager who can nurture excellent team relationships, and I am confident that my interpersonal skills will be a fit."

When looking at the defining structure of HireVue's interview builder, they break a candidate's experience into five categories: novice, developing, intermediate, advanced, and expert. For example, when they examine the category of dependability, they define a novice as unlikely to be successful in situations requiring this competency. They describe a developing candidate as having a limited capacity but likely to be dependable in simple situations. A candidate with an intermediate skill level they suggest being likely to be dependable but needing assistance in more difficult situations. An advanced candidate is very likely to be dependable in moderate to complex situations. And lastly, a candidate who is extremely dependable in moderate to complex situations, they consider an expert.

Here are some of HireVue's other behavioral definitions for a novice, intermediate, and expert: They define a novice as "Disorganized and unable to pay the attention required to deliver accurate and high-quality work. Willing to 'bend the rules' in order to deliver in their job role. Dismisses the importance of their responsibilities and fails to take ownership of their performance. Tends to be lazy and careless when it comes to delivering in their job role."An intermediate they define as "Attentive, meticulous, and careful in how they operate, delivering a thorough and high-quality job. Consistently holds themselves accountable for making principled decisions when working to meet the demand. Takes pride and accountability in delivering a high-quality output of work. Identifies and admits limitations, needed adjustments, and mistakes." And an expert they define as someone who is "aware of other's needs and feelings, is attentive, meticulous, and careful in how they operate, delivering a thorough and high-quality job, and evaluates the impact of their work in order to improve future delivery. Holds self and others accountable for making principled decisions and addresses unethical behaviors when working to meet the demand, and takes pride in delivering a high-quality output of work."

Instead of giving a generic response, review the job posting and speak about those strengths that will present you as a good fit specific to this role. Prepare in advance. Speak enthusiastically of your passion for the job and the prospect of joining their company.

When adverting your strengths, consider how the assessment model will categorize you in accordance with your answer. Practice your answers in advance and record yourself delivering them. Evaluate your answers, and try to categorize them according to their parameters, as detailed above. The aim is to accurately portray yourself in a way that conveys you have the right skills for this opportunity, are the right fit for this company, and are pursuing it for all the right reasons.

What is your greatest weakness?

"One weakness I'm improving is my ability to be concise when I send email updates to the department. Brevity has not always been my strongest point; however, I have been practicing by writing a first draft and then asking myself which words can be deleted. So far, I have noticed a marked improvement; however, I believe that clear communication is a work in progress and can always be improved."

HireVue identifies those candidates with an intermediate skill level or above in any particular category as someone who holds themself accountable for their setbacks while identifying and admitting to their weaknesses, limitations needed adjustments, and mistakes. Someone more experienced considers areas where there is room for improvement as a growth opportunity rather than a weakness or debilitation. And someone who takes ownership of a growth opportunity isn't afraid to share it, which in itself is a show of strength.

This question aims to evaluate your self-awareness and rate your emotional intelligence. Your answer will potentially inform them of how driven you are to advance in your career and how actively you take charge of your development. Volunteer any areas you've identified as having potential room for improvement.

Remember, when discussing your most significant weaknesses, you want to convey how proactive you are in your development and professional growth. Avoid offering any weaknesses that could be viewed as a red flag, impact your ability to meet the requirements of the role, or present you as a liability. The aim is to showcase your skill level, emotional maturity, integrity, and drive to learn and grow.

Reflect on any feedback you've received in a performance review or otherwise, and identify those areas where you demonstrated room for improvement. Evaluate the measures you took to hone in on and develop those skills. Ideally, you'll want to relay an opportunity where you've made progress but still have a little way to go before you would consider yourself an expert.

Why should we hire you?

"The Accounting Manager job posting mentions requiring an accountant with experience in audits and risk management. Having worked as a Senior Accountant for the past fifteen years, I've developed these skills and more. I am a Certified Accountant and am currently earning a certification in Internal Auditing. My core values are also integrity, accuracy, and accountability. I have spent countless hours fine-tuning an environment that optimizes my productivity, and it is this very environment that Company ABC fosters. If you should hire me, I would work tirelessly towards our mutual goals, applying our collective knowledge and experience to meet all our risk management needs."

HireVue aims to help its clients find a top performer who shares the company's values and has the soft skills to work well with their teams. Therefore, many of the questions the assessment model will pose will be framed as behavioral questions. How comfortable you seem answering these questions will help the algorithm categorize your experience, skill level, and emotional intelligence. The more prepared you are for each question, the more confident you'll come across. So spend ample time identifying everything they are looking for in their candidate to be in the position of seeming thoroughly prepared and within your comfort zone. Explore their careers site and online presence, which cater to their customers.

How you answer this question will tell the assessment model whether you identified the defining characteristics of their model employees. Such statements can be found in the value propositions on their customer website and careers website. Your aim should be to align your unique qualities with those of their model employees. You ultimately want to convey that you've identified the potential of entering into a professional partnership with this company as a mutually beneficial fit.

Examine how they describe their culture and approach to serving their customers and the descriptors they used to define the qualities and traits of their people. Look at the job description and take note of all of their keywords and phrases. Then comb through every skill and accomplishment you've had and determine all the manners in which you sincerely believe you fit their mold.

Describe your work ethic.

"I am a very dedicated and loyal employee. On Company ABC's website, I saw that the organization values the delivery of exceptional customer service. My work ethic aligns greatly with this value. I work hard for my employer and deliver excellent customer service no matter how the day unfolds. For instance, in my current role, I am often the last to leave because I am committed to returning every client's voicemail and email before I leave for the day."

HireVue's algorithm will evaluate your attention to detail by scrutinizing the consistency of your answer throughout the on-demand interview set. This includes how consistent your non-verbal cues are with what you say and whether you unintentionally contradict yourself from answer to answer, or from what you've detailed on your resume. This will also inform them of the consistency they can expect from your work performance. This includes how consistent your non-verbal cues are with what you say and whether you unintentionally contradict yourself from answer to answer or from what you've detailed on your resume. This will also inform them of your attention to detail and the consistency they can expect from your work performance.

The assessment model will evaluate and rate your skill levels and summarize them in your candidate insights report. So, when describing your work ethic, describe the work standard you hold yourself to. Detail how you are competitive with yourself and aim to go above and beyond. Speak to your sense of integrity, the moral principles you apply to your work, and what drives and motivates you to do the right thing. After outlining your work ethic, share an example of when you demonstrated those characteristics and traits in the workplace. Storytelling impacts hiring managers because it provides evidence of your ethics and character.

Spend time meditating on what you want to say, and practice speaking in a natural and evenly paced tone. Enunciate your words, avoiding stutters or long pauses. Yet, again, try to come across as natural. Sounding too rehearsed likewise can make you sound wooden and dull. Also, practice in front of your computer's camera, trying not to look at yourself on the screen, but rather maintaining eye contact with the camera lens as if you're speaking face-to-face with a person, and keep at it. This will help you avoid giving the algorithm unintended cues or signals that could cause it to draw the wrong conclusions from your answer.

Walk us through your education.

"My bachelor's degree in Data Analysis has equipped me well. I did a deep dive into collecting data, analyzing it, and writing reports based on my findings through my dissertation. Outside of my degree, I take part in mentoring and volunteering opportunities. These experiences have evolved my ability to communicate effectively and have improved my listening skills."

The assessment model will evaluate your response to this question to determine how your relevant educational experiences have prepared you for this role. This will tell them if your training and knowledge are adequate for this position.

Whether your degree is related to your field is less important than how you have applied the knowledge you've acquired to shore up your success. Your educational journey stretches beyond your formal education. If you've gained additional certifications or learned from self-education, lectures, seminars, or by other means, it might be worth mentioning if relevant to the position. Anything that has increased your soft or hard skills is worth considering here.

When preparing to speak about how your educational experience has prepared you for this role, you'll want to share this in a structured and concise manner. Consider creating a chronological bullet-pointed list of some of the more significant accomplishments in your formal education. Then create one for your on-the-job real-world developmental moments. Reviewing those chronologies, reflect on the significant moments of those experiences and how they have prepared you for this role. Include any impactful lessons from your mentors, which can be either professors or your leaders at work. Then consider how you would relay this information in a structured and concise manner, without rambling, within the allotted three-minute time frame.

What are your salary expectations?

"I am currently making $98,000 per year with two bonus opportunities based on company profits. Based on my track record, I anticipate getting two pay increases of 5% this year. Your benefits offerings are quite generous, and everything but your retirement package is comparable to what I currently receive. I am looking for a compensation plan aligned with the role that provides an opportunity for growth. I look forward to discussing the details of this role so that we can determine a fair compensation plan."

Since it is less than ideal to venture into pay negotiations in a recorded assessment video, you should never close negotiations by giving a firm number or even a pay range. Instead, vouch for your professional worth by the numbers. If you are comfortable doing so, volunteer what you are currently paid, as well as how the benefits you currently receive compare to theirs and where they fall short. Share your projected earnings as well. If your current employer tried to incentivize you to stay on board with them, this is worth sharing as a testament to your professional worth. Evaluate any other factors that impact your cost of living and decide if they are worth including. Then, you can close with where you hope to take your career in the next year or two, with a summary of what you have to offer their company and that you are open to continuing this conversation in person.

When speaking to your professional worth, you want to exude the body language of a confident and relaxed person. If you don't believe you are worth what you say you are, no one else will. So, keep your body language open and unguarded, arms resting on the armrests of your chairs, and hands open and relaxed. Lean forward, make eye contact with your camera, and keep your shoulders lowered and relaxed. Remember, they want to know more about you, and there is no greater authority on that subject than you.

Investigate the job, analyze the proposed salary, and compare it to your present income, benefits, and perks, such as retirement, vacation, and medical care. You can also volunteer any benefits offered by your current employer to retain you and calculate what your annual income will look like after another one to two performance evaluations. Be transparent, and don't provide them with a final figure. Share where you are in your career and how it's your goal to find an employer who feels like the right fit regarding culture, working environment, and developmental opportunities. Explain you are hoping they'll recognize your professional worth and would be willing to incentivize you to move over to their teams. This keeps the conversation going without closing the door on negotiations.

Describe a time you faced a conflict at work. Describe how you addressed it and the outcome of your actions.

"I was working with someone who'd recently experienced some personal tragedy in their life. They missed some work due to bereavement time. When they returned to work, they were reasonably sensitive and didn't have full command of their emotions. So when I had to deliver feedback for some mistakes they made in a report, I spent some time meditating on how to non-defensively deliver that feedback. Regardless, they grew quite defensive and started projecting some of their fears of judgment onto the feedback I delivered. I listened, asked them why they felt that way, and validated some of their concerns. I then explained the error made on the report and how I believed the mistake was made. I made suggestions on how to revisit those findings and correct them. I reminded them of the deadline and explained why it was prudent to address it with them. I then reiterated that it was solely about getting the job done right, with accountability, and ahead of the deadline. I empathized with them and reminded them that I am always happy to support them and everyone else on the team to do their best, and that's all this feedback entailed. They deescalated, thanked me, and got the job done."

This assessment vendor aims to evaluate your interpersonal skills, how well you work with others, your emotional intelligence, and your communication and mediation skills. Often when a person reflects on a conflict situation, it is not uncommon for the emotions of that recalled moment to rise to the surface and be re-experienced with that memory. This could cause them to narrow their eyes, fold their arms, and furrow their brow. The assessment vendor's algorithm will study you for any such defensive cues while you recall your experience with a conflict at work.

When asked to 'Talk about a time when...,' it's important to remember that the hiring managers are looking for a specific story-based example that highlights your professional behavior in challenging interpersonal situations. The assessment model aims to evaluate your conflict resolution skills. How you answer should inform them whether you can handle and resolve such situations effectively, in an emotionally intelligent and professional manner, without escalating the issue, and in a way that aligns with their company culture.

You'll want to come across as emotionally mature and not regressing into the emotion of that conflict when reflecting upon it. You may think coming across as a strong figure could be beneficial, but true strength comes from within. So practice avoiding any defensive behavior, posturing, movements, or gestures that could be interpreted as insecure, closed-off, unapproachable, hostile, or disinterested. You want to come across as confident and relaxed.

Please provide a brief overview of your understanding of diversity and inclusion, and explain why you believe they are important in the workplace.

"I consider myself rather well-traveled. Anytime I travel to a culture far removed from my own, I can't wait to explore where the locals are, eat where they eat, and see those not-so-touristy sites. When I work with someone from a different background than my own, I am eager to learn more about them and the best approach to communicating with them and developing a strong and trusting work relationship. Also, being as big of a foodie as I am, I always offer a bake-off trade of some kind. In my spare time, I love to bake. I took lessons at our local culinary school every Saturday for over six months and have learned some great techniques. My specialty is the art of making macaroons. I frequently offer a trade with someone whose cuisine is new to me, and I bring my creations to work, and they bring theirs, and it's a fun way for everyone to learn more about each other through the universal language of food."

HireVue advertises that its AI technology is designed to monitor, detect, and mitigate bias. Part of their aim is to help their clients build teams from diverse backgrounds, diverse knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. So whether you come from a diverse background or consider yourself worldly and culturally competent, the assessment model aims to evaluate your experience working with and the value you place upon diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace, regardless of your background.

Considering that you may be working with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, the hiring authority needs to ensure their ideal candidates are culturally competent. Being culturally competent requires above-average emotional intelligence. For example, those who are well-traveled and have been immersed in, or lived among, other cultures will possess the communication skills required to navigate greater social challenges. Those lacking cultural competence tend to clash with other cultures as a result of misinterpreting social cues and signals, which is a direct result of easily avoidable communication breakdowns. So share your experience and cultural competence. Convey that you possess the social skills to build relationships and earn the trust of every member of your team.

Conveying cultural competence requires interest, openness, and curiosity. Nonverbal indicators for these emotions are leaning in, tilting your head as you speak, smiling, and making eye contact. Signs of discomfort and avoidance could be interpreted as indicators of negative bias and antipathy. Such nonverbal cues include decreased positivity, less eye contact and more gaze aversion, fewer smiles, greater interpersonal distance, and increased blinking. Consider these points when formulating your answer.

Look back on those you have worked with who come from backgrounds different from yours. Refresh your memory on how they helped you with your professional development and how you helped them. Collaboration is the key here. Focus less on what makes them socially different, and emphasize what you learned from their unique perspectives as unique individuals, what you accomplished together, and your positive experiences working with them. Once you have refreshed yourself on those experiences, consider how you would share with sensitivity how working with them expanded your knowledge and skill set as a professional.

Are you applying to work for any of our competitors?

"I am interviewing with two other organizations for similar roles and am in the third interview stage for one of these positions. I am eager to secure work shortly. However, I will wait for the right opportunity before accepting any job offer. I am interested to learn the hiring teams' approximate timeline for this hiring decision. Perhaps we could cover this in our first face-to-face meeting."

This question aims to determine how singularly invested you are in this opportunity and how aligned you are with their core values, mission statements, and value propositions. Convey your like-mindedness and that it will take no time during your onboarding to get up to speed. You want to convey, in principle, that you are already one of them. When researching their website, you'll be able to find language that, in one way or another, effectively answers many of the questions posed throughout your interview set. Take note of their language and value statements. Integrate their language into your answers naturally when possible. This will inform them that you've identified them as an ideal match for what you are looking for and already embrace their culture and values.

Even though there is nothing wrong with place-holding this company as your top choice, avoid giving the impression that you are only counting on this particular opportunity unless you are giving it this one shot, and if not awarded this position, would continue with your current employer. If you are interviewing elsewhere, talk about your search without disclosing details of where else you are interviewing. Instead, detail the type of work cultures, environments, and development priorities you are looking for to attain job satisfaction with your next employer. This will help them understand where you are in your job search and which roles or companies are most appealing to you. Also, offer how many other interviews you've had, are waiting to hear back from, and have scheduled ahead of you to showcase your demand and professional worth.

The hiring company wants to know if you are entertaining working with their close competitors or discussing similar roles with other organizations. This question can be tricky for a candidate to navigate. Ultimately, the question aims to determine how in-demand of a candidate you are. You don't have to volunteer any more information than is necessary. The less information you volunteer, the better. Demonstrate that you are a viable candidate. Avoid being dishonest or defensive when such questions are asked, as the assessment vendor will study your body language and assign meaning to it. The decision-makers also want to know if your job search stage will impact their preferred timing for making a hiring decision. The goal of your response is to inform the company of your job search status while further expressing your interest in this specific opportunity.

Navigate questions like this by saying as much as possible in as few words as possible. This is a fairly straightforward question, and it doesn't require volunteering any more information than required. Don't ramble on and run out the clock either. Simply showcase your diplomatic communication skills while remaining friendly, calm, confident, and professional. Stating that you have interviewed with several companies within your field, and have a few more interviews this week, and that their company is your preferred choice should suffice.

"I have applied for two similar roles with different companies and have reached the second interview stage with both. While I am keen to start as soon as possible, I am prepared to wait for the role that best suits my career goals."

Describe a time you had to make a time-sensitive decision without all the information you required. What steps did you take, and what was the outcome?

"My sales manager was handling bringing on a new account that we believed was all but a done deal. But when our sales manager was periodically unreachable, this client called in, asking for an extra benefit to be thrown in before they signed. I told them I would look into it and asked if I could get back to them. They explained they could offer me twenty minutes to get back to them; otherwise, the deal was off. So, not wanting to overstep my bounds, I sat down with some of our strongest and most tenured sales reps and asked them if any such accommodations had been made in the past. They counseled me on the types of additional benefits our manager has been comfortable making in the past and advised me to offer some of those to sweeten the deal on the condition that the potential client gives me enough time to have our manager reach out to them and discuss these enhanced options. I took their advice and ran with it, and it all worked out, thanks to the resource of my fellow teammates."

This question aims to determine how decisive and effective you are when working in high-pressure situations. The algorithm wants to determine how to classify you. A novice will be more likely to suffer from task paralysis and procrastination, not reacting quickly in time-sensitive situations, being afraid of making the wrong choice, and looking to others to make those tough choices for them or someone who takes unnecessary risks, compromising the company's assets. An expert will be resourceful and decisive, taking action with a degree of informed, calculated risk.

When sharing your example, keep it relevant to the role while appealing to the company's culture. You want to come across as a professional with integrity whose decisions are guided by the principles of protecting the interests and assets of the company and your teams. You want to avoid coming across as risk-averse or as a habitual risk-taker. Instead, convey that you are simultaneously thoughtful and decisively swift when the need arises.

Remember to maintain relaxed and confident body language and facial expressions. When moving into a place of concentration or confusion, we tend to furrow our brow or redirect our gaze. However, this could easily be misinterpreted by the algorithm as aggression or frustration. So instead, practice relaxing your brow and widening your eyes. Slightly tilt your head and nod slowly. Speak softly, slowly, and with ease.

When facing a difficult situation, how do you react? Describe your approach and the course of action you would take.

"(Situation) I understand that encountering difficult situations in the workplace is common, especially in an industry where regulation and compliance are so strict and constantly evolving. (Solution) When a difficult situation arises, my first instinct is to take a step back and absorb what just happened. I then go into 'brainstorm' mode, jotting down potential ways to resolve the situation. I might use a pros and cons list to determine the best course of action for a fast and amicable resolution. (Benefit) I then form a huddle with the rest of our teams, assure them of our plan of action, deliver self-assured confidence, and improve their mood. I read that one of Company ABC's core values is taking pride in the quality of the company's work. Rest assured, should Company ABC hire me, I will take pride in every aspect of my work. Even in difficult situations, I will maintain an uncompromising determination to achieve excellence in every task I take on."

Throughout your HireVue interview, consider how each question is framed and the response it is engineered to elicit. For example, it is common for a person's mind to jump to whatever difficult situation they've most recently dealt with or which their mind has predominantly been dwelling on. This is the mind's way of trying to resolve, or fix, what they had trouble overcoming when they faced it. Although this is natural, you'll want to avoid such tendencies and find a more suitable answer to the position and the company. A difficult situation can be interpreted in a variety of ways but has the connotation of being unpleasant, stressful, overwhelming, and intimidating to navigate, with little guarantee of success. But remember, this question is more about what you would define as a difficult situation than how you would deal with it.

The hiring company wants to know if your reactions to problems reflect emotional maturity and professionalism as opposed to externalizing stress and negatively impacting the productivity of your teams. To frame yourself as an expert in HireVue's proficiency rating system, you'll want to suggest you view these situations as challenges. Challenges can be overcome. An expert encourages a sense of urgency with a positive can-do attitude; they lead by example and are a stabilizing force for their teams, guiding them, through experience, to a desirable outcome with self-assured confidence.

To ensure that the algorithm classifies you in a higher proficiency rating, reflect on your work history and take notes on how you approached such challenges in the past, both mentally and procedurally. Outline how you channel your focus, process your feelings, ensuring your stress doesn't dictate your conduct. You want to convey how you objectify most situations and react decisively. Detail how you objectify the task at hand and situationally address any challenges you face. Showcase how you systematically approach such challenges, and focus on promoting the morale of your teams and encouraging a can-do attitude. Be prepared to verbalize, with confidence, how you've responded to such challenging situations in the past and your confidence in your abilities to do so in the future.

What makes our company different from others in this industry?

"While preparing for this interview, I learned that Company ABC has made significant strides in the past 24 months in its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. I appreciate that Company ABC recognizes issues with equality in the workplace and the benefits it offers towards greater innovation. I was thrilled to read about the company's initiative to bring more inclusive hiring practices to the company aiming to influence new standards in the industry. This example is just one of many that set the company apart from its competitors and why I would be honored to join this thoughtful organization."

The assessment vendor aims to determine how invested you are in pursuing this opportunity over another. How you answer could inform them if you specifically want to work for the company you are applying to, or if you are playing the numbers game and have applied for positions with their competitors as well. The aim is to recruit someone loyal who will probably stay on board rather than defect to one of their competitors, in which case they would prove as a liability.

Don't limit your answer to what you learn online about them and their competitors. When interviewing for a job, try to shift your perspective slightly and consider that you are interviewing to be a representative of the company. And in order to be trusted to represent their brands to their customers and the public, you'll need to have a cursory understanding of their standing in their market and how they position and differentiate themselves from their competitors, including their language and value propositions.

You'll want to go into your interview fully versed in their language and value propositions. The language they use to distinguish what sets them apart should be easily identifiable on their website. Devote time to learning the company's business principles, values, mission, and goals. Explore their news, blogs, or other resources, and familiarize yourself with those efforts that have resulted in recognition and awards, which they proudly advertise online. If you don't have enough information to go on after reading their blog and news and the messaging on their site, call their customer service department, ask them about their products, and pay attention to how they differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Talk about a time you received critical feedback from a leader or peer. Describe the situation, how you felt about it, and your response.

"(Situation) Last year, while working as the research manager for Company XYX, my director sat me down during my performance review and asked that I submit my weekly documentation faster than I had been. I agreed with his feedback. I knew I preferred working on other tasks over typing up reports. (Task) However, I understood that timely documentation was critical to the success of our projects. (Action) I started to time block my calendar, giving myself three 20-minute time slots every day to complete my documentation. I set the time and did the work with no excuses. (Result) Eventually, the documentation became a natural part of my workflow. Now, my documentation is detailed and always on time."

It is possible to showcase your attention to detail in action. You can do this by quickly examining the specific wording of each question and strategizing the best approach to turning it into an opportunity to set yourself up as an ideal candidate. For example, this question asks when you received critical feedback. It doesn't specify whether the feedback was solicited or unsolicited. Suggesting that you proactively sought out feedback, rather than waiting for it to come to you, even when there was the risk of the feedback being critical or harsh, displays an above-average EQ, dedication, taking charge of your development, and a drive to do the right thing. This is even more true when the feedback was delivered in the form of criticism, and you were able to take it in stride.

The goal of your response is to show that you welcome feedback, respond professionally, learn from it, and willingly take the necessary steps to improve. Avoid discussing a time when you received criticism about your character. Instead, consider providing an example where you received feedback on your skill level and were able to make noticeable improvements. Also, avoid discussing criticism surrounding skills that are integral to performing in this role. End on a positive note, and how this scenario, and the steps you took, helped you grow, thereby furthering your career.

When delivering your answers, try not to be in the emotional state of that moment. So, if it was difficult receiving that feedback, or if it was delivered in a confrontational manner, you want to examine that situation objectively, removing any emotional components. Practice being in the emotional state you want to convey. If the example you've chosen doesn't allow you to remove yourself emotionally and observe it situationally, think of another. You want your answer to resonate with authentic sincerity.

"I think giving critical feedback is really hard for people but incredibly valuable for me, so I work on finding ways to get critical feedback, or any feedback, almost from day one. One example - I was working with a stakeholder on a town hall for a specific business area. I focused on helping them simplify content and beautify their deck because simple, clear, and engaging visuals usually work best. However, this group tended to work with very visually complex materials. With a little encouragement, the team lead later told me I over-complicated the process by adding in an extra step to clean up the information. It was really, first a gut punch, because simple and clear is usually best. However, the feedback made me think more about the specific audience and led me to revise my approach – and to think about other audiences more carefully. I then went back and tested the results and he was right. This made me much more efficient going forward, with that team and others."

Why did you apply to work for our company?

"I chose to apply to Company ABC for many reasons. In addition to its positive reputation in the tech industry, I appreciate that Company ABC puts efforts into closing the gender gap in the tech sector. The company's programs have trained thousands of women to upskill and pursue lucrative careers in tech. Company ABC knows that empowering women makes sense for the economy and the growth of the tech industry. This awareness is one of the most compelling reasons I want to be part of this team. I'd look forward to the many opportunities for me to contribute while being able to proudly say that I work for an organization that supports women in tech."

The assessment vendor is asking you to tell them why they should hire you while they study your behavior to ascertain if you are speaking with conviction. They'll do this by evaluating your verbal and non-verbal cues for signs of honesty and confidence and whether you can identify what sets you apart from the other applicants. The goal is to provide a compelling answer that highlights what excites you about this specific opportunity with this company and your confidence that you are an ideal candidate.

Before your interview, take some time to learn more about the company's business principles, values, mission, and goals. These will help you outline what makes the company appealing to you as a potential employer. Go the extra mile by reviewing their news or media webpages, resources, or blogs, and read up on anything relevant they would expect their employees to be versed in. Show up to your interview as a trusted resource for company information. Showcase your work ethic through how fully prepared you are for this opportunity.

How you answer will tell them whether you specifically want to work for them or are simply trying to find any job anywhere that reasonably fits your skills. Spend time determining how they stand out as an ideal employer for you. Research their competitors and how they set themselves apart from each other, and align your answer accordingly.

Your goal is not to fool the algorithm into thinking you are telling the truth when you are not. That approach will rarely work. Instead, prepare by aligning your experience, values, career goals, and interests with the elements of what this company, its culture, and this opportunity offer. In other words, research yourself as much as you research the company and this position, and create an argument as to why you are an ideal candidate for this job. This will help convince the algorithm of your sincerity to advance you through the selection process.

How would your most recent leader describe you?

"In my last performance review and casual discussions, my manager has described me as motivated, encouraging to others, and consistent. I strive to exceed expectations when I can and encourage my fellow team members to deliver their best work. My current manager is happy to speak on my behalf as a positive reference."

In most states, there are no laws restricting a prospective employer from performing a backdoor reference check, also called a silent reference check, and reaching out to your current or previous employer. Despite how frequently an interview question like this is asked, it is uncommon for a recruiter to perform a reference check at this stage of the interview process. Even so, when questions surrounding backdoor reference checks are posed, it often causes an applicant to wonder whether the hiring authority has already spoken to their previous or current employer. This can trigger feelings of discomfort, emotional confusion, and insecurity. So with this question, the assessment model will evaluate your verbal and nonverbal cues for signs of discomfort or dishonesty.

The hiring company wants to understand your track record of building relationships with your previous leaders and how well you work with those in positions of authority. Seize this opportunity to continue assembling a picture of your reputation for the hiring authority, who will later review your recorded interview. Detail your work ethic, contextualize the strength of your communication with your supervisors, and how strong your relationships were with them and everyone else on your teams.

When speaking, try not to speak too fast and moderate your tone. Speaking too fast could make you come across as seeming nervous. Speaking more slowly and you'll come across as relaxed, like an equal speaking among your peers. Also, make sure you choose your words carefully. Look up terms you feel best apply to you or are naturally part of your vocabulary. Use professional adjectives to describe yourself and your situation, such as career-focused, ambitious, persistent, genuine, patient, enthusiastic, disciplined, and passionate.

To remain consistent, avoid guessing what your supervisor might say. Instead, revisit your previous performance reviews, any feedback you have received, and the comments they've made. Highlight their positive statements about you while touching on the recommended growth opportunities and how far you've come since then in your development.

Describe your leadership style.

"In previous performance reviews, my leadership style has been described as attentive, open, and confident. I listen to my team members and give them room to perform their jobs well. For example, when one of my team members is not hitting their quota, I will step in and begin coaching. I try to trust they are capable unless they show me otherwise. This leadership approach has worked well with my team, and as a result, we are the top sales team in our region."

HireVue's assessment model has been customized by the client company you are interviewing for. The pre-set criteria are designed to find a candidate who will fit into their work culture and match their specified leadership style. Therefore, you'll want to perform adequate research to determine the kinds of leaders they consider role models for their company and what kind of leaders they are trying to recruit. Then you can contrast what they are looking for with what you have to offer and align the two accordingly.

Author and speaker Simon Sinek says: 'Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning, good fortune, or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you, not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.'

Whether this is a leadership position or not, the aim here is to show that you don't look to others to make your decisions for you, and that you can act quickly and decisively when the need arises. Showcase how you support and mentor other members of your team. The more of a positive influencer you are, and one who takes charge of your development and career, the more of a universal leader you will seem.

Before the interview, research the body language of a confident and relaxed person in a seated position. Explore Amy Cuddy's TED Talks on power poses: Fake It Until You Make It, and Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are. For example, before an interview, she recommends pumping yourself up with some quick physical exercises to manifest confidence. Go into a private space with a mirror, look yourself in the eye, and give yourself a pep talk. Raise your arms, stretch your back, and make yourself as big as possible. Then practice your answers in front of the camera and record your voice to cast away any insecurity, nervousness, or self-doubt. You'll be more prepared to share what you have to offer and why you believe it.

Talk about a time you used logic and common sense to solve a problem at work. Describe the situation, the steps you took, and the outcome.

"(Situation) With Company X, we had a serious space issue in our warehouse. (Task) As the Warehouse Manager, it was up to me to find a creative and affordable solution. (Action) I rearranged our shipping lanes to allow smaller customer orders to be contained in one area. Next, I arranged for large customers to have a dedicated shipping area. (Result) This change made locating shipments and loading trucks much easier. My team of operators was thrilled with the change."

This question aims to determine how pragmatic you are when faced with a difficult situation in a professional setting. Often, a person who feels overwhelmed in a stressful situation might overcomplicate their approach to finding a solution when responding to matters emotionally. Whereas someone who has little difficulty responding quickly under pressure and can keep a level head will recognize the best solution is most often the simplest. So this question aims to evaluate your response and how practical and sound your judgment is when responding to such situations.

The assessment model will assess your proficiency level with the example you provide. It will evaluate your approach to the situation, the ownership you took, and the success of the outcome. It will also evaluate the confidence in your delivery.

Research how the company you are interviewing for approaches solving problems. Incorporate their language into yours by adopting some of their keywords and key phrases. Reflect upon your career and make a list of appropriate measurable examples of your logic put into action. Summarize the problem you faced, reviewing the pros and cons of each decision and why you believe the solution you chose was the best option. Be sure to include details of the positive impact your approach had on your employer, your systems, and your teams.

Talk about a time you showed initiative at work. Describe the situation, your actions, and the outcome.

"(Situation) Last month, I realized that many of our staff training manuals had outdated information. Most notably, the company recently changed from Zoho CRM to Salesforce CRM. This change meant that the entire team had obsolete instructions for inputting important customer data into the system. (Task) As the Administrative Lead, it wasn't my responsibility to ensure this update was complete; however, I knew that the Administrative Manager was already overwhelmed with other deadlines. (Action) So, I decided to draft the training manual updates myself. The update took me about one week since I worked on it between other high-priority tasks. Once I finished the draft, I asked the Admin Manager to review and approve the changes. (Result) They were very impressed that I noticed the issue and took the initiative to make updates. The sales and customer service teams were also thrilled that I cared and took the time to streamline their work."

This question evaluates how driven you are to further your career and development. Someone who consistently goes above and beyond in their work performance, and makes going the extra mile their standard, is someone who has the drive and motivation to further their career. These individuals recognize that their success and that of the team are intrinsically united. When volunteers are needed to perform a difficult or less desirable task, someone who recognizes the greater need and shows initiative. Someone who sees a member of their team struggle and helps them with a growth opportunity does so for the benefit.

You need to deliver a recorded on-demand interview that the algorithm will forward to the recruiter, who will later review it. Therefore, it is important to familiarize yourself with the brand of innovators the company you are interviewing for is trying to recruit. Then examine, contrast, and compare your brand of innovation, and sincerely convey how you are their ideal match.

Before your interview, recollect instances of when you volunteered, saw something that needed to be done and acted decisively, or boldly chose to do the right thing, regardless of your personal cost. With each instance, examine each situation, the task required, the steps you took, and how the rest of your teams benefited from your actions. Give as much detail as you can within the allotted three-minute time frame.

Talk about the most difficult decision you have had to make recently. Describe the situation, your logic, and the outcome.

"(Situation) Choosing my major was one of the toughest career decisions I have made. (Task) I was on the fence between B2B Marketing and Consumer Behavior. (Action) After some contemplation, as well as interviewing alumni and existing students, I chose B2B Marketing as my major. (Result) Today, I am thankful that I made that choice. B2B strategies are changing fast, and I love to learn new ways to position my clients in this incredibly competitive marketplace."

The hiring company wants to know how to categorize your professional skill level when decisive action is required in difficult or complex situations. How you answer will indicate whether you're a novice at taking calculated risks and are risk averse, leaving such decisions to others, or if you are an expert and can anticipate how your leaders would approach such situations and act decisively. Highlight how you approached the decision and take the decision-makers through your critical thinking and decision-making process. Your goal should be to detail how your critical thinking skills have benefitted your employers in the past.

Objectify the situation, exhibiting an emotionally mature perspective, and how you navigated this terrain, ultimately leading to a successful resolution. Nonverbal cues for empathy are slightly tilting your head, nodding slowly, keeping your palms open, maintaining eye contact, smiling softly, and slightly raising your eyebrows. Posture yourself in a relaxed and comfortable position. Focus on the positives and how the overall outcome benefitted the team.

Once a question is posed, you'll be allowed roughly 20-30 seconds per question to formulate your response. You're allowed up to three minutes to record each answer. There are no retakes. You get only one opportunity to record your answers. Some questions may take longer to answer than others, but only take as much time as you need. Don't try to run out the clock or allow it to cut you off. Be as succinct as possible.

Please describe a time you had to change your course of action while working on an assignment. Describe the situation, your actions, and the result.

"(Situation) Last year, my company shuffled around our team members with no notice. (Task) This shuffle meant that, overnight, the team of 40 that I was leading became a team of 60. (Action) I had a great rapport with the current 40 and needed to develop a fast strategy for connecting with the additional 20. I threw a team-wide after-work event so everyone could get to know each other and make meaningful connections. (Result) My idea worked like a charm, and everyone clicked immediately, making the best of an abrupt situation."

HireVue defines Adaptability as "the ability to shift or change opinions, actions, or behaviors when faced with multiple demands, shifting priorities, rapid change, or ambiguity." When the assessment model evaluates a candidate's behaviors, they'll categorize them based on their responses and verbal and nonverbal cues. Those categories are Novice, Intermediate, and Expert. For example, they rate someone who reacts negatively to change and is concerned about the extra effort they will have to put forth to adjust to that change as a novice. They also state that a novice doesn't seek information to understand the need for change. Someone who does not effectively adjust their behavior as required to meet the demands of the situation, and someone who requires a supervisor or manager to make the necessary changes. Whereas someone of an intermediate skill level may be initially reluctant to accept the change but can see positive aspects after internalizing the change. They understand the change is needed as a part of the job requirement and adjust their behavior within a reasonable timeframe to meet the demands of a moderate to difficult change and require minimal guidance. Whereas someone who is an expert views change as a challenge and an opportunity to advance toward mutual goals. An expert possesses a positive attitude, shares their vision, inspires others, is a role model, and quickly modifies their plans accordingly.

The assessment vendor will study your performance for signs of discomfort or dishonesty. Verbal cues they'll analyze to identify if you're exaggerating or not being completely honest include repeating a question before answering, speaking in sentence fragments, displaying a change in speech pattern, irregular speech, and rising and falling tone. When your words don't match your gestures, your gestures will be seen as the truth. Some of the nonverbal cues the assessment vendor will scan your video interview for are your posture, such as slouching, folding your arms, or protecting your neck. It will monitor your facial expressions, eye and head movements, and hand movements. It will also scan tone for your vocal cues, such as placing stress or emphasis on certain words, stutters, or taking long pauses. So maintain eye contact and confident body language, be comfortable, and speak from the heart.

Change is prevalent in the world. Often, change can take you out of your comfort zone, which is required. An example of positive change is when a company is progressing forward, staying relevant, and isn't afraid to change course when needed. As a professional, you should recognize the value of their vision and support your teams to move forward toward that goal. An example of a challenging change would be cutbacks or layoffs. But often, such events are just a part of life, and whether such situations impact you directly or indirectly, it is important to maintain a professional and mature perspective. Show that you can shift priorities and successfully adapt when needed, whether you supported the decisions or vision of the company or stayed positive and kept moving forward with the change instead of against it.

Take time to use the restroom before you begin. Make yourself comfortable. Have a glass of water ready in case you need it during the interview. Remember, the algorithm will evaluate your problem-solving skills and cognitive abilities. Regardless of which device you decide to use, ensure you've got the strongest Wi-Fi signal possible. Make sure your microphone is working properly. Close any unnecessary browsers or applications, silence notifications, and get your computer ready. Silence on your phone. Ensure you are in a relatively quiet room free of distractions with as little background noise as possible. If you're not home alone, give everyone a head's up that you are about to record your interview and ask them to be respectfully quiet. If this is not an option, wait for an opportunity to be alone. Remember, you can record your interview anytime, anywhere.

HireVue Interview Questions

Go Back

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Talk about a time you succeeded despite being under intense pressure. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the result.
3. Talk about a time you successfully contributed to a team goal. Describe the situation, the steps you took, and the outcome.
4. Tell us about a time you disagreed with a coworker. Describe the situation, your approach, and the outcome.
5. Tell us about a time you failed. Describe what happened, your approach, and the outcome.
6. How would you react if you knew a team member was being dishonest? What actions would you take?
7. Why are you looking for a new position?
8. Talk to us about your short-term career goals.
9. Tell us about your long-term career plans.
10. Talk to us about your proudest achievement. Why was this achievement important?
11. What are your greatest strengths, and how will they be a fit for our company?
12. What is your greatest weakness?
13. Why should we hire you?
14. Describe your work ethic.
15. Walk us through your education.
16. What are your salary expectations?
17. Describe a time you faced a conflict at work. Describe how you addressed it and the outcome of your actions.
18. Please provide a brief overview of your understanding of diversity and inclusion, and explain why you believe they are important in the workplace.
19. Are you applying to work for any of our competitors?
20. Describe a time you had to make a time-sensitive decision without all the information you required. What steps did you take, and what was the outcome?
21. When facing a difficult situation, how do you react? Describe your approach and the course of action you would take.
22. What makes our company different from others in this industry?
23. Talk about a time you received critical feedback from a leader or peer. Describe the situation, how you felt about it, and your response.
24. Why did you apply to work for our company?
25. How would your most recent leader describe you?
26. Describe your leadership style.
27. Talk about a time you used logic and common sense to solve a problem at work. Describe the situation, the steps you took, and the outcome.
28. Talk about a time you showed initiative at work. Describe the situation, your actions, and the outcome.
29. Talk about the most difficult decision you have had to make recently. Describe the situation, your logic, and the outcome.
30. Please describe a time you had to change your course of action while working on an assignment. Describe the situation, your actions, and the result.

HireVue Interview Questions

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Talk about a time you succeeded despite being under intense pressure. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the result.

3. Talk about a time you successfully contributed to a team goal. Describe the situation, the steps you took, and the outcome.

4. Tell us about a time you disagreed with a coworker. Describe the situation, your approach, and the outcome.

5. Tell us about a time you failed. Describe what happened, your approach, and the outcome.

6. How would you react if you knew a team member was being dishonest? What actions would you take?

7. Why are you looking for a new position?

8. Talk to us about your short-term career goals.

9. Tell us about your long-term career plans.

10. Talk to us about your proudest achievement. Why was this achievement important?

11. What are your greatest strengths, and how will they be a fit for our company?

12. What is your greatest weakness?

13. Why should we hire you?

14. Describe your work ethic.

15. Walk us through your education.

16. What are your salary expectations?

17. Describe a time you faced a conflict at work. Describe how you addressed it and the outcome of your actions.

18. Please provide a brief overview of your understanding of diversity and inclusion, and explain why you believe they are important in the workplace.

19. Are you applying to work for any of our competitors?

20. Describe a time you had to make a time-sensitive decision without all the information you required. What steps did you take, and what was the outcome?

21. When facing a difficult situation, how do you react? Describe your approach and the course of action you would take.

22. What makes our company different from others in this industry?

23. Talk about a time you received critical feedback from a leader or peer. Describe the situation, how you felt about it, and your response.

24. Why did you apply to work for our company?

25. How would your most recent leader describe you?

26. Describe your leadership style.

27. Talk about a time you used logic and common sense to solve a problem at work. Describe the situation, the steps you took, and the outcome.

28. Talk about a time you showed initiative at work. Describe the situation, your actions, and the outcome.

29. Talk about the most difficult decision you have had to make recently. Describe the situation, your logic, and the outcome.

30. Please describe a time you had to change your course of action while working on an assignment. Describe the situation, your actions, and the result.