Video interview practice
One-way video interview
Many graduate employers start with a one-way video interview: a question on screen, a short time to think, then an answer recorded against the clock, with nobody on the other side. Practise exactly that, and get written feedback on every answer.
Like the real thing
Think, then answer
Choose your questions
A graduate first round, competency or strengths questions, sets for data analyst and data engineer roles, or a sector you’re applying to.
Check your set-up
A quick check tells you if you’re in frame, well lit and can be heard, before anything is recorded.
Think, then record
The question appears and the thinking time counts down. Recording starts when it runs out, with a clock for your answer.
Read your feedback
Written feedback on every answer: structure, content, pace and filler words, and how you came across on camera.
How a practice session works
You choose a set of questions, such as a graduate first round, competency questions or a set for data analyst roles, and check your camera, light and sound before anything is recorded. Then each question works like the real thing: you read it, the thinking time counts down, and recording starts on its own when the time is up. Answer to the camera, and stop when you’ve finished or when the clock runs out.
When you’ve answered every question, you get a written report. For each answer it shows how your answer was structured, what you said and how well it answered the question, your pace, filler words and pauses, and how you came across on camera, with a short outline of a stronger answer built on your own example.
What to practise before the real one
- Answering to a camera, not a face. With nobody nodding back, answers tend to drift or stop short. Look at the lens, and practise finishing on a clear point.
- Using the thinking time. Plan two or three points and the example you’ll use, rather than a script. Scripts sound read out, and fall apart when you lose your place.
- Keeping to the clock. Most people run out of time in the middle of their example, before the result. Practise getting to the result with time to spare.
- Your set-up. Light in front of you, the camera at eye level, a plain background and a quiet room. The set-up check before each session tells you if something needs fixing.
A one-way interview has no follow-up questions, so each answer has to be complete on its own: for worked examples of complete answers, read our STAR method examples, and for the short calls that often come before or after, the guide to telephone and first-round interviews.
For advice on the day itself, from setting up to what happens after you submit, read the video interview tips, from setting up to the day on Deeplink Coaching.
Questions to try
Start with the questions
Each has a free guide to what it’s really asking and how to structure your answer, and you can practise any of them on its own.
- Tell me about yourself and what has brought you to apply for this role.2 minutes to answer
- Why do you want this role, and what do you think it will involve day to day?2 minutes to answer
- Tell me about a time you worked in a team to reach a difficult goal. What was your role, and what was the outcome?Teamwork · 2 minutes to answer
- What kinds of tasks give you energy, and why?1 minute 30 seconds to answer
- Your manager needs a report by 5pm, but the data you depend on won’t arrive until 4pm. What do you do?1 minute 30 seconds to answer
- Explain the difference between an inner join and a left join, as if you were talking to a manager who doesn’t use SQL.SQL · 2 minutes to answer
Questions