Recruiting & hiring
What to ask candidates in a 60-second screening video
A video request is only useful if the answers are comparable. Vague prompts produce rambling intros. Tight prompts produce signal you can score in a minute.
Rules that keep videos usable
- One question — not three
- Hard time limit — 45–90 seconds
- Same prompt for everyone in the same role
- Written in the email so they can prepare
Prompts that work well
- “Walk us through a project you’re proud of and your role in it.”
- “Why this role, and what would you focus on in the first 30 days?”
- “Describe a hard problem you solved recently — what did you try?”
- “Tell us about yourself and why you’re interested in this team.”
Prompts to avoid
- Open-ended “anything you want to share” with no time limit
- Multi-part questions that force a 5-minute answer
- Culture riddles or brainteasers on video
How to review quickly
Score on three things only: clarity, relevance to the role, and genuine interest. If those three are weak, a longer interview rarely fixes them.
Send candidates a single recording link. No app, no account — just record, get a link, reply. That reduces drop-off and keeps your process light.