One way interviews have become a staple in modern hiring. They give candidates the chance to answer structured questions on their own time, and they give hiring teams a fast, consistent way to evaluate responses. But there’s a strategic question every team faces when adopting them: should you invite candidates to a one way interview only after you’ve reviewed their resume, or should you ask them to complete one immediately after submitting their application?
Both approaches work, but they solve different problems. Choosing the right one depends on your hiring volume, team capacity, and the type of roles you’re filling.
Why timing matters
One way interviews can happen at two points in the funnel:
- Post-resume review: A recruiter screens resumes first, then selects candidates to move forward to a one way interview.
- Post-submission: Every candidate who applies is invited to complete a one way interview automatically.
This choice shapes the candidate experience, the signal you get as a recruiter, and the efficiency of your process.
When to use one way interviews after reviewing resumes
This model fits teams that:
- Have manageable applicant volume and can realistically review resumes before moving forward
- Care about maintaining a human filter to avoid overwhelming candidates with interview tasks
- Want to preserve a more traditional process where the interview feels like a second step rather than part of the application
The benefit is control. Recruiters can weed out clearly unqualified candidates before asking for more of their time. Candidates who make it to the one way interview stage often feel they’ve earned a shot, which can improve engagement.
The downside is speed. Reviewing resumes first adds friction, and top candidates might move on before you’ve had time to shortlist them.
Best for: specialized roles, lower applicant volume, or companies that emphasize high-touch recruiting.
When to use one way interviews right after submission
This model fits teams that:
- Face high-volume inbound applications where resume review alone is unmanageable
- Want to replace the resume as the first filter, focusing instead on communication skills, situational judgment, or alignment with values
- Need to make fast, consistent decisions without drowning in manual screening
Here, the one way interview functions as an enhanced application step. Candidates who apply automatically get a link to record their responses. Recruiters can then skim summaries, transcripts, or scores rather than hundreds of resumes.
The risk is candidate drop-off. Some applicants may be discouraged by an immediate interview request; especially if it’s lengthy. The fix is designing short, accessible interviews (5–10 minutes) and making clear why they matter.
Best for: internships, entry-level roles, or any role with overwhelming inbound volume.
Hybrid approaches are growing
Many teams don’t choose one or the other and blend both. For example:
- Auto-invite all candidates to a short two-question video screen, then send a longer one way interview to shortlisted candidates.
- Use qualification questions before the interview (e.g. “Are you eligible to work in this country?”) to filter candidates automatically, then trigger the one way interview for those who qualify.
This balances fairness with efficiency. Everyone gets the chance to show more than what’s on their resume, but recruiters still avoid being buried in irrelevant responses.
Candidate experience considerations
No matter when you use them, how you set up one way interviews matters:
- Keep them short (under 10 minutes)
- Offer retake options sparingly to reduce stress
- Allow text or audio alternatives to improve accessibility
- Be transparent about how recordings will be used and stored
These guardrails can make the difference between a fair, inclusive process and one that feels like an obstacle course.
The business impact
Choosing when to place one way interviews isn’t just a workflow detail—it affects hiring outcomes. Post-resume use may preserve candidate goodwill but limit speed. Post-submission use maximizes efficiency but requires thoughtful design to keep drop-off low.
The strongest teams see one way interviews as a flexible screening layer that adapts to role type and volume. In a hiring landscape where AI-written resumes are everywhere and recruiter capacity is stretched thin, timing your one way interviews effectively can mean the difference between finding the right people and losing them in the noise.
