Practising recorded video interviews before the real one

Some hiring processes include a recorded video interview: you see a question, then record your answer on your own, with no interviewer on the call. Whether your process includes one, and how it works, is set out in your invitation or on the airline’s careers site; each airline’s page in our interview-prep directory lists the steps we found. This guide is about practising for that format at home.

Before you record

• Camera at eye level. Prop your laptop or phone so the lens is level with your eyes, not looking up at you.
• Light in front of you. Face a window or a lamp. A bright window behind you turns you into a silhouette.
• A quiet, plain background. Close the door, silence notifications, and move anything distracting out of frame.
• Sound check. Record a short test and listen back with headphones, so you hear echo or background noise before it matters.
• Dress as you would on the day. You will see how it looks on camera.

Recording a practice answer

Pick a question you have not rehearsed word for word. Give yourself a moment to collect your thoughts, the way you would in the real thing, then answer straight through without stopping. If you stumble, keep going. Your invitation or the recording platform may say whether retakes are allowed in the real thing; either way, practise finishing an answer without restarting.

Look at the camera lens, not at your own image on the screen. It feels odd at first, but on playback it is the difference between meeting the viewer’s eye and looking past them.

Reviewing your playback honestly

Watch each take once for content and once for delivery, rather than trying to judge everything at once.

• Content. Did the answer address the question that was asked? Was there a clear story with an outcome? Could you summarise your own point in a sentence?
• Delivery. Pace, filler words, where your eyes went, and whether your expression matched what you were saying. Try watching once with the sound off to see your body language on its own.

Pick one thing to change for the next take, not several. Changing everything at once makes it hard to tell what helped. The coaching note on reviewing a recording goes into what to listen for.

Knowing when to stop retaking

Retakes help while each one is noticeably better than the last. When a new take is no better than the one before, or you start to sound rehearsed and flat, stop for the day and move on to a different question. We suggest spreading your practice across many questions rather than polishing a single answer.

You can also practise answering out loud in the mock interview in our practice app. The preparation plan guide shows where recorded practice fits alongside your other preparation.