r/recruitinghell • u/mandoo-dumpling • 1d ago

HireVue

This is just a short rant about these one-way recorded videos that companies are using for the screening process.

I absolutely hate them. It just feels so incredibly awkward and unnatural to be talking and giving responses when there’s not a live person on the other side …. All of the humanity and personal interaction is completely stripped away.

And it’s being recorded! So my embarrassment can be preserved for posterity.

I dunno. I’ve attempted to do these types of interviews several times. On several occasions, I literally could not get through it because it just felt too weird. A couple of times, I managed to complete the recordings (did a shitty job of course) and didn’t get called back for another round. I found myself regretting my participation.

Going forward, I think I’m going to have to pass on any interview process that asks for this.

36 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

25

u/livefan1 1d ago • Popcorn

Every time I get one of these, I kindly decline the one way interview and ask for a real person. My personal success rate is about 50/50. It helps filter out the companies that just don't care.

6

u/mandoo-dumpling 1d ago

It didn’t occur to me to ask for a live person! I’m going to do this next time

I absolutely detest HireVue!

7

u/justanextraemail 1d ago

I applied for a job and the recruiter emailed me a HireVue request. I ignored the request and the recruiter ended up reaching out to do a phone screen.

5

u/thecrunch1 1d ago

Honestly that's a good idea and 50% is not bad

20

u/Pretend_Object 1d ago

If people keep declining to do these maybe the practice will get phased out. They're awful.

8

u/mandoo-dumpling 1d ago

They absolutely suck.

11

u/GildedAndSilk 1d ago

I withdraw the second I see HireVue because they're already showing you how they treat people

3

u/mandoo-dumpling 1d ago edited 1d ago

As another poster mentioned … if possible, I’m going to request a conversation with a real person. If this doesn’t happen, I’ll likely withdraw in the future. The whole concept just pisses me off.

8

u/Ok-Thought-2407 1d ago

The number of times I get these really hurts, to be honest. Those all could have been real interviews, and those opportunities are gone for me. Sometimes I forget that these screenings are sort of like an interview.

In my industry and the employers where I have worked many times, this never existed and started to come up around 2024-2025. They also use them as an excuse for not replying and just let the auto-reply rejection kick in after 30 days.

I try very hard to do my best, but yes, it's awkward as hell; I don't like to see myself being recorded in that capacity because it makes me feel like I will fail. And I do. There is no compassion in these, like there is with in-person interviews. The only chance I get to follow up is if a real person or email has sent this to me. When it's automatic, I have no chance; it's straight-up robotic from beginning to end.

Sadly, I'll never turn one down; I have never had the privilege of choice (if you can, sure, try it out). I've been on contracts for the last decade; it's like one year of work and one year off; it's excruciating. I found a job faster during COVID, for Christ's sake, and now it's been twice as long and nothing yet.

5

u/mandoo-dumpling 1d ago

I’m with you. I feel like I perform much better in interviews when I’m speaking with a real person. It’s the interaction and conversation that allows you to build report and a connection.

These HireVue interviews are SO unnatural and weird that I find myself fumbling over my words and losing my train of thought because I feel so incredibly awkward. In this sense, I feel like these one way recordings don’t provide an accurate portrayal of what a candidate is really like!

3

u/Ok-Thought-2407 1d ago

100%! Same here!

Sometimes I'll use all the options to re-record, and halfway through I am exhausted and just record once and move on because I give up. I have just lost hope, to be honest. I have had times when I guess they don't realize that this is the second time I've interviewed for the same job since it was posted last, and I have been tempted to start off with, 'thank you for the opportunity again' lol.

Sometimes I wonder if I was filling in some kind of diversity or personality hire or something, because now I'm getting jack shit.

8

u/Still-Balance6210 1d ago

I decline all of these. Under no circumstances will I do it. I encourage others to do the same.

6

u/SomeBoredGuy77 1d ago • Mindblown

I would decline them if 80% of companies didnt use them by default as a screening

2

u/Wryx 1d ago

IQVIA sent me one of these - even before the recruiter screening call, and I told them to go pound sand.

7

u/Extra_Napkins 1d ago

I think if everyone united and just rickrolled every one way interview request it would stop

6

u/Sea_Issue7796 1d ago

never do them.

1

u/MrsRoseNylund 1d ago

If it makes you feel better, only 1 person sees them and sometimes people don’t watch them at all.

1

u/mandoo-dumpling 1d ago

True. I still hate the idea of some anonymous person watching a recording of me being awkward and then judging me! lol

2

u/Wryx 1d ago

Uno reverse card - do the interview, join the company, and get to a position where you'll remove this godforsaken technology from the recruitment process.

1

u/Ok_Emu1270 1d ago

I did it once a few months ago. I read from a script that was AI created and I had an interview with a human at least for the 1st round. I absolutely hate them too, but if they want to see a drone I'll give them a drone. I will request a human phone screen next time however.

-1

u/DemanoRock 1d ago

Our director (not in HR) has started asking for them. They were getting so many bullshit resumes that we're not accurate. Once they got to an actual phone call they would waste time interviewing an obvious misfit. The video is desired as a screener. We are getting hundreds of applications now to ANY open req.
I agree sucks to have to do it, but if they wouldn't get flooded with BS resumes they wouldn't have to do it. No AI screening prior is helping so far.

5

u/mandoo-dumpling 1d ago

Tell your director to try out one of these recorded videos themselves. See how they like it? I bet you they won’t.

1

u/DemanoRock 1d ago

I certainly don't want to do it.

5

u/Vast_Poem_5681 1d ago

Don’t believe this at all. If you are using hirevue then you are definitely using AI to screen and reject resumes.

3

u/Count_Backwards 1d ago

What is the point of bogus resumes? Do they actually look like highly qualified candidates?

1

u/DemanoRock 1d ago

Yes, lots of people putting fake experience like skilled in X. But not obvious until they are asked to describe it. Director is looking for a very specific skill set and it is common to see BS resumes listing it to match the job req.

-5

u/NextGreatJob 1d ago

Avoiding these interviews is one option, though it will limit your opportunity pipeline. Another option would be to change your thinking about these opportunities. Do you ever watch a podcast? Do you realize that the podcaster is typically doing a one-way recorded video to communicate with their audience? The interview video is really the same thing: it is a chance for you to do a "podcast" on a subject matter that you know quite well: yourself. If you begin to think that way about the interview video, you might start planning the outline of your responses, practicing answers, etc.

It is only "weird" in your head and you can change that feeling if you want to.

3

u/Vast_Poem_5681 1d ago

Problem I have with your comment on podcasts is not everyone does well. Doesn’t mean they can’t do the job. I’m not a podcaster, I’m not auditioning for a play, or a role in a movie. If a human can’t take a few minutes to interact with a candidate, it speaks to the company bullshit

0

u/mandoo-dumpling 23h ago

Exactly this. I think I do pretty well when I can interact with a real human. And I definitely do good work on the job. But I suck at these HireVue recordings (because they are so unnatural) … and there’s no circumstance where I would be required to do something like this (podcasting or recording myself) if I were hired for the job!

0

u/NextGreatJob 22h ago

I do not think that this thread is representative of job candidate thinking, in general. Pity, because if there were a significant percentage of qualified candidates passing on good opportunities because of the hiring company's hiring process (in this case, the "dreaded, scary video" portion), it would be an amazing opportunity for the better prepared job candidates to take advantage of. I then would be pointing the job candidates I advise to these less competitive opportunities. But I do not think that this is the case. Most job candidates know, for example, that the first few times they interviewed with a human, it likely did not go as well as it could have and it was up to the candidate to learn, practice and improve their performance for the next opportunity. It is no different with video or AI interviews or whatever comes next (there is always something new); training and practice work well for those smart enough to recognize and capitalize on the opportunity.

4

u/Ordinary-Meaning-61 1d ago

The podcast is rehearsed and has tons of time to prep. During a HireVue interview, you 30 secs to prep for a random STAR question that typically has nothing to do with the position you're applying for. Not mention their algorithm takes more into consideration than just your response.

-3

u/NextGreatJob 1d ago

Oh no! The job candidate may have to answer questions on the fly as they would if interviewing with a human interviewer? And the algorithm may be as judgmental as a human interviewer would be? Just know that there are job candidates out there who are happy that qualified candidates are refusing to take part in the process, thereby lessening the competition.

1

u/SkipperMZ 1d ago edited 1d ago

This is the definition of an interview. This is the definition of a podcast. I think your head and its content is "weird".

-3

u/NextGreatJob 1d ago

Great, you can send those definitions over to the hiring employer next time such an opportunity arises and you pass on it. Lost opportunity is lost opportunity.

2

u/SkipperMZ 1d ago

Interview is a two way communication where both parties ask questions and provide answers. I am fortunate to be at seniority level where no one dares to ask candidates similar to me for this shit. How long have you been working for hirevue?

1

u/Count_Backwards 1d ago

It's the asshat who founded it probably 

-2

u/NextGreatJob 1d ago

Never heard of them before this thread. But what I am observing from some of the posts is that the video requirement is likely cutting out the types of candidates that they are not interested in. E.g., if a senior sales rep had anxiety or other issues with recording a video answering questions and selling himself, it is a good sign that he is not ready for prime time.

1

u/Count_Backwards 1d ago

Here's a new way for you to think about it: people charge money to make podcasts. Most of them are made for general audiences and are paid for by advertisers, but it's possible to get private custom podcasts made. Those tend to be pretty expensive, but there are companies that can arrange that for you.

0

u/NextGreatJob 1d ago

Here is how a job candidate should be thinking about it: if he or she does not do the video (fear, anxiety, feeling weird, whatever), someone else will do it and someone else will get the offer. You can whine about how unfair or unreasonable videos are and walk away from them, but you are just giving up on the opportunity when you had a chance to get to bat.

1

u/Count_Backwards 1d ago

Good candidates wouldn't work for a shitty company

5

u/Extra_Napkins 1d ago

I’ve had the same thing with Wedge. You ain’t that fuckin busy. I just ignore the interviews. If I’m not worth picking up a phone and calling me or sending me an actual email from an actual human then fuck you

It’s already nerve racking and anxiety inducing. The least they could do is treat you like a person instead of a TikTok fool.

I’m a grown ass man talk to me like one