I’m of two minds on this.
As a hiring manager, I really like the idea of seeing and hearing a candidate before committing to a formal interview. It can help surface strong candidates who may not shine as much on paper.
But as a candidate, I used to really dislike those video interview requests. In fact, I often chose not to do them. There are just so many ways a person can be judged—age, gender, accent, weight, style—before they've had a fair chance to show their skills. And let’s be honest, bias can absolutely creep in when you're staring at a screen instead of reading a resume.
Eventually, I came to see it a little differently: if a company is going to knock me out of the running because of how I look or sound, they're probably going to do that in the first round of live interviews anyway. So in some ways, the one-way video just gets me that answer faster: is this a place that’s going to see my value, or not?
That said, I still think it creates a barrier—especially for folks who aren’t comfortable talking to a camera or who don’t have the right tech or camera setup. And your concern about how the video is stored and used is 100% valid. If a company is asking for recorded video responses, they should be upfront about how they’ll use the data and how long it will be retained.
Ultimately, it's a personal decision. If it doesn't feel right to you, trust your gut.
Share your insight
Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.
5 Comments
Join the conversation