HireVue interview questions and how to answer them

HireVue is the platform many banks and large employers use for recorded first-round interviews. Goldman Sachs, for example, opens its process with one. You answer on camera with nobody on the other side.

How it works

• You receive a link and a deadline, usually several days.
• A practice question lets you test camera and sound.
• Each real question appears on screen with about 30 seconds to prepare.
• You record an answer of up to two or three minutes.
• Usually there is one attempt per question.
• Some interviews add written questions or short games.

Questions that come up

Motivation

• Why this firm? Why this division?
• Why do you want this role?

Competency

• Tell me about a time you worked in a team.
• Describe a time you led something.
• Tell me about a failure and what you learned.
• Describe a time you had to meet a tight deadline.

Commercial

• Tell me about a recent deal or news story and why it matters.
• What is a challenge facing our industry?

A structure for every answer

1. Headline in one sentence.
2. Two or three points or a short story: situation, what you did, result.
3. Link back to the role.

Aim to finish ten to fifteen seconds before the limit. Being cut off mid-sentence is the most common avoidable error.

Using the 30 seconds

Decide the headline and which story you will use. Do not try to script the whole answer.

Set-up checklist

• Laptop, not phone; camera at eye level.
• Light from in front, plain background.
• Headphones with a microphone if the room echoes.
• Notifications off, other tabs closed.
• A glass of water and a sticky note with three keywords by the camera.

Practise

Record yourself answering five common questions with a timer. Watching one recording teaches more than rehearsing ten times in your head. For how answers are assessed, see AI video interviews.