A Spark Hire interview is a one-way video interview: you open the company's link, test your camera and microphone, record a practice video, then answer the company's questions on video, one at a time, before the deadline. There is no live interviewer, and Spark Hire is free for candidates. Before each question you see three settings the company chose: think time, how many takes you get (1 to 5, or unlimited) and the time limit for your answer. If think time is limited, you get one take. You can pause between questions, and the company does not see your videos until you finish, or how many takes you used. Some companies turn on AI transcripts, summaries and scoring, plus a flag for possible AI-generated answers.
Facts from Spark Hire's own pages, checked November 3, 2026. Employers can change settings, so your invitation email wins if it says something different.
| Format | One-way video interview: you record answers on your own time, before the deadline |
|---|---|
| Cost to you | Free for candidates |
| Before you start | The link page shows the job, the number of questions and the deadline; opening it does not start the interview |
| Think time | Set per question: 30 seconds to 5 minutes, or unlimited |
| Takes | 1 to 5, or unlimited; a question with limited think time allows 1 take |
| Answer time limit | 30 seconds to 5 minutes per question; you do not have to use it all |
| Practice | Record, watch and retake practice videos; they are not saved or shared |
| Pausing | Allowed between questions until the deadline, except during a question with limited think time |
| Skipping | Submits a blank answer, and the company is told you skipped |
| What the company sees | Your submitted answers, after you finish; not how many takes you used |
| Deadline | Set by the company; Spark Hire recommends employers allow 5 to 7 days |
| AI review | Optional: transcripts, AI summaries and AI Video Review scores (English answers only) |
| AI-content flag | Optional Proctoring flags possible AI-generated or scripted answers for a person to review |
| Devices | Computer with Chrome or Firefox, iPhone or iPad with Safari, Android with Chrome |
The company writes the questions, sometimes from Spark Hire's suggested question bank. These are the formats and question types you are likely to meet.
The question appears on screen with its think time, takes and time limit, and you record a video answer.
Tip: If think time is limited, the countdown starts when you click "View question & start countdown" and recording starts on its own, so be seated and framed before you click.
A short video of someone asking the question plays before you answer. Some companies use Spark Hire's professionally recorded video questions.
Tip: Watch the whole clip before you start planning your answer.
"Tell us about yourself" and "Why are you interested in this role?" usually open the interview.
Tip: Keep it short and end on why this job. Our HireVue questions guide has an example that works on any platform.
"Tell me about a time you handled a difficult customer" or "What would you do if a deadline slipped?" They test how you work, from your past or from a scenario.
Tip: Use STAR for "a time when" questions, and answer first, then explain, for "what would you do" questions.
Some interviews include a short form of up to 15 questions, such as dropdowns or checkboxes about availability or eligibility.
Tip: Answer honestly: companies can mark some options as incorrect, and those answers show up flagged.
A separate multiple-choice assessment some companies add: 118 questions about how you like to work, in under 20 minutes. There are no right or wrong answers.
Tip: Answer as you really are at work.
The company's hiring team watches your answers and rates them, often with 5-star ratings and a scorecard. Spark Hire provides the software and says hiring decisions are always made by the recruiting team, so it cannot tell you your status or give you feedback.
Companies can turn on Spark Hire AI for one-way interviews: a transcript of each answer, an AI summary of the key points, and AI Video Review, which scores answers on six core factors: communication, execution, comprehension, English proficiency, enthusiasm and motivation. AI Video Review works only on English answers, and some companies add ratings based on the job's scorecard.
Spark Hire says AI Video Review was tested on anonymized transcripts and real hiring outcomes, and its help centers do not describe any analysis of your face or eyes. Some companies even hide the video and review audio only; candidates are not told when they do.
Opening it does not start the interview. Check the number of questions and the deadline, and ask the company right away if you need more time or an accommodation.
Pick a quiet, well-lit spot, put your camera at eye level, silence notifications, and close Zoom, Teams or Google Meet so they do not hold your camera or microphone.
After the camera and microphone check you can record practice answers, watch them back and retake them. They are not saved or shared with the company.
Before every question, check the think time, takes and time limit. If think time is limited, stay put: you get one take, and you should not leave and come back.
Spark Hire cannot tell you what a company will ask, so work from the job description. Prepare 5-6 true stories, shape them with STAR, and rehearse out loud.
Once you click Submit you cannot redo that answer, even with takes left. If you are happy with it, submit and move on.
The company sees each answer you submit, but only after you finish the whole interview. It does not see your practice videos, your discarded takes, or how many takes you used. It does see when you skip a question.
Companies can also turn on Proctoring, which is on by default when AI Video Review is on. It scans one-way answers for signs of AI-generated content or patterns uncommon in natural speech, such as unusual phrasing, overly formal wording or inconsistent delivery, and adds a "Possible misconduct" badge. Reviewers can confirm it with a reason such as "Reading scripted answers." Spark Hire says the flag does not block your submission or change your score; it is a signal for people to review.
No. Each company writes or picks its own questions, and Spark Hire says it cannot tell you what a company will ask or help you answer. Prepare from the job description instead: a few true stories, shaped with STAR, rehearsed out loud. OphyAI's AI mock interview can score them for you.
Interview Copilot in the desktop app has a One-way Interview mode for Spark Hire. It reads each written question as it appears on your screen, or when you press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A, hears a video question through system audio, and shows a suggested answer in a window hidden from screen sharing and recording. OphyAI's AI mock interview lets you rehearse first. Your webcam records you for every answer, and the window is hidden from screen capture, not from the camera.
It can flag it. When a company has Proctoring on, Spark Hire scans answers for signs of AI-generated content and speech that sounds unnatural, and marks the interview "Possible misconduct" for a person to review. Reviewers can also mark answers as read from a script or helped by someone else. A flag does not block your submission or change your score, but the company sees it.
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 Spark Hire interview. Its AI mock interview asks role-specific questions out loud, follows up, and gives you a scored review with a transcript, so you can tighten your stories before you record anything for real. The Free plan covers one 15-minute session.
Interview Copilot in the desktop app is the live option. When a Spark Hire video question plays, it hears the question through system audio and suggests an answer in a floating window that macOS and Windows leave out of screen sharing and recording. Its One-way Interview mode reads each written Spark Hire question as it appears on your screen, or when you press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A. Each session uses 15 credits.
Be clear on the limits. Spark Hire records your webcam for every answer, and Proctoring can flag answers that sound AI-written or read. OphyAI is hidden from screen capture, not from the camera or the person watching your video.
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 depends on the number of questions and the time limits the company set, and you see both before you start: the link page shows the number of questions and the deadline, and each question shows its time limit, from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. You can pause between questions, so you do not have to finish in one sitting.
Only while you have takes left. The company sets 1 to 5 takes or unlimited, and a question with limited think time gives you one take. Once you submit an answer you cannot redo it, even with takes left. If something went wrong, ask the company: it can invite you to retake specific questions.
No. Spark Hire says the company does not see how many times you attempted a question, and it does not see any of your videos until you finish the interview. It only sees the take you submit.
Skip appears once you have used all your takes. Skipping submits a blank answer, and the company is told you skipped, so treat it as a last resort.
Yes. You can leave and come back through the same link any time before the deadline, and you pick up where you left off. The exception is a question with limited think time: once you view it, stay and answer.
If the company accepts extension requests, the expired link shows a Request extension button; give your reason and you will get an email with the decision. If there is no button, contact the company directly. Spark Hire itself cannot extend deadlines.
Only if the company turns it on. Spark Hire AI can transcribe your answers, summarize them and, with AI Video Review, score English answers on six core factors. Spark Hire says the hiring team always makes the final decision.
Yes. Spark Hire is free for job seekers; only the companies that use it pay.
A computer with a webcam, or an iPhone, iPad or Android phone or tablet. Use the latest Chrome (recommended) or Firefox on a computer, Safari on iOS, or Chrome on Android, and a connection of at least 2 Mbps up and down (5 Mbps recommended).
Read on November 3, 2026. Spark Hire One-Way Video Interview is a product of Spark Hire; OphyAI is not affiliated with Spark Hire.
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.
