Tips for a Successful HireVue Interview – For Nurses!

As I began the transition from 4+ years of travel nursing to staff nursing, I started to interview with various hospitals across the US.  One form of interviewing that I wasn’t previously familiar with was interviewing with HireVue.

HireVue is a hiring platform and in my experience, was a platform that was used as a sort of “first interview” in a series of interviews.  It’s a video interview where you’ll be asked a question on the screen and your answer will be recorded.  You don’t interact with anyone, but the people who review the interview will be able to see you and hear your answers.  It’s also important to know that your answers are timed so you won’t have forever to answer them.

As far as how the interview will go, each company that uses HireVue can manipulate the interview to their liking, choosing their own questions, and even allowing you to re-do (or not re-do) your answers.  While every HireVue interview will look a little bit different, below you’ll find general tips to nailing your interview with HireVue.

 

Tips for Interviewing with HireVue

As I mentioned earlier, as a nurse, HireVue was used as a “first interview” in a series of interviews.  The questions were pretty standard and what you would expect in a nursing interview.  Questions that will gauge how you behave as a nurse if a negative situation were to arise, behavioral questions, etc.  Once your interview is reviewed you will more than likely move onto a second interview where you’re actually speaking with the manager.  I believe that HireVue is used to weed out those who aren’t 100% interested in the job as well as weeding out bad candidates.

 

Tip #1:  Make sure your video and microphone works

Before the interview begins, make sure that your video and microphone both work.  You can do this by using Zoom or Skype to speak with a friend.  Make sure that they can see you clearly and they can hear you clearly.  I recommend making sure that you do this a few days ahead of time so that if there is an issue you can get it fixed.

 

Tip #2:  Dress for Success

Remember, although you aren’t speaking to anyone directly, whoever reviews your interview will be able to see you.  For this reason, I highly recommend dressing as you would in a normal interview.  Wear something plain, without a lot of print, and appropriate.  No cleavage showing and try to keep your shoulders covered.

As far as the background goes, I always like to try to face a window and keep the lights off for natural light.  You don’t want a window in the background because the back will be way too bright and your face will be shadowed.

 

Tip #3:  Be in a good interviewing environment

When you begin your HireVue interview, make sure that you’re in a conducive environment to interviewing.  I highly recommend finding an area that has a strong wifi connection, little to no background noise, and preferably nothing going on behind you.  Also, remember to turn off your phone and other electronics that make noise.

 

Tip #4:  Jot down notes ahead of time

I try to think of the most common nursing interview questions and write a few words down ahead of time to jog my memory and allow me to answer the question.  These types of questions usually include a variation of, “Tell me about a time you made a mistake”, “Tell me about a time you saw a co-worker make a mistake and what did you do?”, “Tell me about a time you didn’t agree with the plan of care”, “What’s your best quality”, “What’s your worst quality”, etc.  Because your answers will be timed, it’s a good idea to go through different nursing scenarios and jot down notes that will allow you to remember important things that have happened to you as a nurse.

 

Tip #5:  Act as if you won’t get a do-over

My biggest fail when interviewing with HireVue was thinking that I was going to be able to re-record my answers.  While you can sometimes do this, it depends if the company interviewing you will allow you to.  I was told that I would be able to re-record my answers but then when it came down to it, I wasn’t able to.  I strongly recommend acting as though you can’t get a do-over just in case this were to happen to you too.

 

Tip #6:  Relax, have fun, and roll with the punches

Video interviews are awkward – especially when you aren’t speaking with anyone directly.  I urge you to try to have fun with it and just roll with the punches.  Nobody expects you to be perfect and a little personality will go a long way in allowing you to shine and stand out from the crowd.  When you get to your last question, remember to thank whoever it is for allowing you the opportunity to interview.

 

Completing a HireVue interview was definitely challenging and my least favorite way to interview.  Now that it seems the entire world is becoming more and more digital, I don’t see this platform going away anytime soon.  Remember, in the end, if you’re the right one for the job and the job is right for you, no pesky interview system will stand in your way.  You got this!

 

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If you’re a new grad and/or looking for a new job, make sure to check out these posts:

6 Essential Tips for New Nurses

The Best Questions to Ask in a Nursing Interview

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