A one-way video interview, also called a recorded or asynchronous video interview, is an interview with no one on the other end: you open a link, read or watch each question, and record your answer on camera before a deadline. The employer sets the rules for each question (prep time, how long you can talk, and how many retakes you get), and the platform shows them before you record. Common platforms include HireVue, Spark Hire, Willo and VidCruiter; Modern Hire is now part of HireVue, and myInterview is now part of Radancy. People on the hiring team watch your answers, and some employers add AI transcripts, summaries or scoring.
From each platform's own help pages, checked November 3, 2026. Employers change these settings, so the screen before each question wins if it says something different.
| What it is | Recorded answers to set questions, with no live interviewer, on your own schedule before a deadline |
|---|---|
| Also called | One-way, recorded, asynchronous, on-demand or pre-recorded video interview |
| Who sets the rules | The employer, per question: prep (think) time, answer time and retakes |
| HireVue | Retakes unlimited, 1 to 5, a single take or none; three generic practice questions; optional AI scoring you can opt out of |
| Spark Hire | Think time 30 seconds to 5 minutes or unlimited; 1 to 5 or unlimited takes, but 1 take when think time is limited; free for candidates |
| Willo | Answers of 1 to 5 minutes; retakes set by the employer and shown as you go; submit within 12 hours of your first answer |
| VidCruiter | Recruiters set thinking time, recording time and attempts per question; optional browser locking and copy-paste blocking |
| myInterview | Now part of Radancy; myinterview.com redirects to Radancy's Screening & Scheduling product |
| Modern Hire | Bought by HireVue on May 9, 2023; modernhire.com now redirects to hirevue.com |
| Practice | HireVue, Spark Hire and Willo all offer practice that the employer never sees |
| Webcam | Records you for every answer; the reviewer sees your face and where you look |
Platforms differ in the details, but most one-way interviews mix these formats.
The question appears on screen and you record a video answer. This is HireVue's default question format.
Tip: On a timed question the prep countdown starts when you open it (HireVue's "Start Think Time", Spark Hire's "View question & start countdown"), so be ready before you click.
A recruiter records the question on video, or plays a clip for you to react to, such as an upset customer on the phone. HireVue, Spark Hire and VidCruiter all support video questions.
Tip: Listen to the whole clip, in a quiet room with your volume up, before you plan your answer.
You record on camera within a time limit and usually get to watch it back. On HireVue the employer sees your last take; on Spark Hire, the take you submit.
Tip: Do not burn retakes chasing perfect. A clear, complete answer beats a polished one you rushed to re-record.
Short typed answers, multiple choice, or a questionnaire about things like availability and work eligibility. HireVue and Spark Hire both support them.
Tip: Answer honestly: on both platforms, screening answers can be scored or flagged automatically.
Some employers add more: HireVue's game-based assessments and coding challenges, Virtual Job Tryout simulations (from Modern Hire), or Spark Hire's Predictive Behavioral Assessment.
Tip: If the invitation does not say what is included, ask the recruiter before you start.
Mostly the same as any first-round interview: tell me about yourself, why this role, "tell me about a time" behavioral questions and "what would you do" situational questions.
Tip: Prepare a few true stories and use STAR. Our HireVue interview questions guide has example answers that work on any platform.
People on the hiring team watch most one-way interviews. HireVue and Spark Hire both say the employer makes the hiring decision, and neither can tell you your status, so ask the company.
AI is optional and switched on by the employer. HireVue's AI scoring transcribes your answer and scores what you say against job competencies; you are told and can opt out. Spark Hire AI can transcribe, summarize and score English answers on six core factors. Radancy's screening product, which now includes myInterview, can transcribe video answers and factor them into a screening score. VidCruiter's AI scoring and fraud flagging can be turned on or off.
Neither HireVue nor Spark Hire says it scores your face. HireVue says its AI does not assess facial expressions, body language or tone of voice, and it stopped using facial analysis in 2020. Spark Hire's help pages describe no face analysis. The people reviewing your video can still see everything the camera sees.
On HireVue and Spark Hire, opening the link does not start the interview. Check the deadline and the number of questions, and run the system check. On Willo, you have 12 hours to finish once you answer the first question.
HireVue, Spark Hire and Willo all let you practice, and none of it is shared. Use it to check your light, sound and framing.
Cover a success, a failure, a disagreement, leading others, learning fast and helping a customer. Shape each with STAR and rehearse out loud.
Record yourself, or run an AI mock interview that follows up and scores your answers. Rehearse until you know the story, not a script.
Check the prep time, answer time and retakes before you start each question. Timed questions start counting when you open them.
Quiet room, light in front of you, camera at eye level, other apps closed. Everything the camera sees and the microphone hears is recorded.
Employers see the answers you submit. On HireVue that is your last take for each question; on Spark Hire it is the take you submit, and the company never sees how many takes you used. Practice recordings on HireVue, Spark Hire and Willo are not shared.
Integrity tools vary by platform and by employer. HireVue offers tab and window tracking, copy and paste controls and photo snapshots. Spark Hire can flag answers that look AI-generated or read from a script. VidCruiter offers browser locking, IP address monitoring and copy-paste blocking. Willo asks you to close all other tabs and apps, or you cannot complete the interview.
Every platform records your webcam for each answer, and a person usually watches it. HireVue's research says reviewers can often tell when someone reads a script.
Not for your employer's questions. Each employer picks its own, the platforms hide them until you start, and HireVue checks for answers copied between candidates. What works is preparing your own stories for the common question types and rehearsing them out loud.
The desktop app has a One-way Interview mode for HireVue and Spark Hire style interviews. It reads each question as it appears on your screen, or when you press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A, and suggests an answer in a window hidden from screen sharing and recording. If the question plays as a video, it answers from what it hears. OphyAI's AI mock interview lets you rehearse first. The webcam records you for every answer and the window is not hidden from the camera.
Some can flag it. Spark Hire's Proctoring scans answers for signs of AI-generated content and marks them for review. HireVue tracks tab switches and paste, and its research says reviewers can often hear a read script. VidCruiter can lock the browser and block copy and paste. HireVue and Spark Hire both say their flags are signals for a person to review, not automatic rejections.
Compare every platform: Can online assessments detect AI?
The OphyAI desktop app for Mac and Windows shows live answers in a floating window that is hidden from screen sharing and screen recording, so it stays private even when you share your whole screen.
OphyAI helps before and during a one-way interview. Its AI mock interview asks role-specific questions out loud, follows up, and gives you a scored review with a transcript, grounded in your resume. The Free plan covers one 15-minute session.
Interview Copilot in the desktop app runs during the interview. It hears a question that plays as a video or audio clip through system audio and shows a suggested answer in a floating window that macOS and Windows leave out of screen sharing and recording. Its One-way Interview mode reads each written question as it appears on your screen, such as a HireVue or Spark Hire prompt, or when you press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A. Each session uses 15 credits.
The honest limit: a one-way interview records your webcam for every answer, so the reviewer sees your face and where you look. OphyAI is hidden from screen capture, not from the camera. Spark Hire can flag answers that sound AI-written.
Hears the interviewer through system audio, with no virtual audio cable or extra setup.
The desktop app has a One-way Interview mode for HireVue and Spark Hire style interviews. It reads each question as it appears on your screen, or when you press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A, and suggests an answer in the overlay. If the question plays as a video, it answers from what it hears.
The answer window is excluded from screen sharing and recording by the operating system (macOS window sharing set to none, Windows display affinity set to exclude from capture). Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams see what is behind it, not the window.
Free download. Each Interview Copilot session uses 15 credits. See everything it does
Hiding a window from screen share does not hide it from a camera pointed at your screen, someone in the room, or proctoring software that inspects running apps.
It is another name for a one-way video interview: the employer sends questions, and you record your answers on your own time instead of talking to someone live. "Recorded", "on-demand" and "pre-recorded" video interview mean the same thing.
It depends on the employer's questions and time limits. HireVue says most of its video assessments have 5-8 questions and take under 20-30 minutes. Spark Hire and Willo answers run up to 5 minutes each, and Willo gives you 12 hours to finish once you answer the first question.
Usually, if the employer allows it. HireVue's default is unlimited retakes, Spark Hire allows 1 to 5 or unlimited takes, and Willo shows how many retakes you have left. Timed questions can limit you: on Spark Hire, limited think time always means one take, and HireVue's timed "spontaneous" questions allow no retake.
Yes. On HireVue, the hiring team gets a link to your answers as soon as you submit, and Spark Hire says hiring decisions are always made by the recruiting team. AI tools, where employers use them, summarize or score answers to help people decide.
Sometimes, and only if the employer turns it on. HireVue's AI scoring rates what you say, not your face or tone, and lets you opt out. Spark Hire's AI Video Review scores English answers on six factors such as communication and motivation.
Willo is a one-way video interview platform. You open the link on a computer or phone with no app, practice with a sample question, and record answers of 1 to 5 minutes each. Close all other tabs and apps first, and once you answer the first question you have 12 hours to submit the whole interview.
VidCruiter calls its one-way format a pre-recorded video interview: you read or watch each question and record your answer on any device, with no app. Recruiters set the thinking time, recording time and number of attempts, and can turn on browser locking and copy-paste blocking. VidCruiter's applicant support team is available 24/7.
myInterview was bought by Radancy, announced in September 2025, and myinterview.com now redirects to Radancy's Screening & Scheduling product. That product still offers one-way video: you record answers to screening questions when it suits you.
HireVue bought Modern Hire on May 9, 2023, and modernhire.com now redirects to hirevue.com. Modern Hire's Virtual Job Tryout is now a HireVue product, so our HireVue guide covers what to expect.
Read on November 3, 2026. OphyAI is not affiliated with any test publisher named on this page.
Download OphyAI Desktop and bring Interview Copilot into your next video interview: it hears the question, or reads it on your screen, and suggests an answer in an overlay your screen share leaves out.
