Hacker News Reader

Comment by warpwoof | Hacker News Reader

My initial response is definitely skeptical. If I'm asked to record a video for an interview question, I'm going to write down my answer first, and then read it in a casual way.

You're going to be judging my skill at speaking into a little square at the top of a computer. I hope this isn't treated as a tool to judge interpersonal skills.

What value is added, beyond making it easier to dismiss people based on appearance and personal preferences? I guess judging based on a perceived personality is kosher, but let's be realistic about the purpose here.

I think a live video-call is totally fair-game, but something about this definitely rubs me the wrong way.

View on HN

Agreed. I'm pretty good in interviews because I can interact with the interviewer, making a personal connection that calms me down and then I'm just myself.

This sounds of little value beyond evaluation of acting skills. Might be of some use for a sales position.

I appreciate your skepticism :) We think there's actually a lot you can learn about someone by watching and listening to them speak, particularly when they're talking about what they're passionate about or why they want to work at your company.

Another advantage is that, for some people at least, it's a lot easier to just record yourself speaking for 60 seconds than to write a cover letter (which have become engineered to point of being pretty bland, IMHO).

There's also the exact opposite issue for some people. I don't really have a problem opening up or making a personal connection in person. I cringe hearing or seeing myself on video. I can't stand it, even if I'm seeing a video of my son and I playing which I love. A company requiring a video recording as part of the application process would be an instant pass for me since you wouldn't be getting me, you'd be getting the extremely uncomfortable self conscious version of me.

Ditto. This strikes me as great for extroverts and terrible for introverts.

By nature I'm somewhat of an introvert, so I have to apply a conscious effort to speak out at parties and other social events. I see this as a great excuse for myself and others like me to keep practicing and improving. The fact that your personality type is "introverted" doesn't mean you actually have to remain an introvert.

you don't need to be introverted to find the idea of trying to convey your personality to an unknown, unseen interviewer a little awkward.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com