What is Indeed Interview?

Indeed Interview provides a secure platform for employers to conduct their interviews virtually right on Indeed instead of via third-party video conferencing applications.

Any video interview or phone call you make on Indeed is powered by this technology, which is designed and built for live video interviewing. Since it’s built to help you hire, it provides a frictionless experience for employers, candidates, interviewers and recruiters alike.

Our technology provides several features that make the virtual interview experience more straightforward, including the candidate’s resume (if they’ve agreed to share it) and the job description.

You can customize candidate welcome messages, communicate with candidates waiting in your virtual lobby, preview resumes, save notes and document candidate disposition data, all within the same tool.

Key features of Indeed virtual interviews

There are two key virtual spaces unique to Indeed Interview: the Lobby and the Interview Room/Convo Room spaces. Below, we’ll explore how to use each of them. 

Using the virtual lobby

The virtual lobby functions like a reception area where candidates wait to be let into their interview. Employers can join the lobby up to one hour before interviews begin and stay as long as needed (up to six hours after the final scheduled interview).

Once in the lobby, employers can:

• Start interviews
• Set their status to “Ready to interview” or indicate when they’re on a break
• Download resumes that have been shared by the candidates
• Post real-time announcements for candidates (US only)

Inside the Virtual Interview Room

The interview room is where employers and candidates meet and communicate during their scheduled virtual interview.

In the interview room, employers can:

• Chat with candidates
• Blur their background (Chrome desktop only)
• Take private notes (not visible to candidates, but shareable with other interviewers)
• Share their screen (desktop only; not available on mobile or phone relay)
• Record the interview (available to interviewers only)
• Enable live captions to improve accessibility (US only) 

Benefits of conducting virtual interviews on Indeed

There are several other benefits to conducting virtual interviews on Indeed:

No apps to download or links to manage

Employers and job seekers don’t have to pay for a third-party subscription, or download a third-party application. Indeed virtual interviews can be conducted on any device within the browser and are free to use with Indeed products. 

Built specifically for interviewing

Indeed Interview includes features like resume access and private note-taking to help employers make more informed hiring decisions.

Quality candidates

Whether it’s the early stages of conversations or the last steps in the hiring process, interviewing on Indeed helps get you one step closer to the right hire. 85% of SMB employers who conduct individual interview sessions on Indeed positively rate their candidate. And overall, employers in general positively rate 73% of interviewed candidates on Indeed.

Access to a large candidate pool

Many candidates are already comfortable and familiar with using Indeed. Indeed has hosted 18.8M interviews, and over 17.9M job seekers have scheduled interviews on Indeed.

Seamless engagement with candidates

Automatically greet candidates with a welcome message and make quick announcements to everyone in your virtual queue.

Faster connections

Get to know many candidates quickly without the work of coordinating place and time. Some employers even find that doing virtual interviews allows them to skip the phone interview, and other steps in their process. Time-to-interview on Indeed is on average 16% faster than in-person interviews or virtual interviews with a third-party app.[3] 

Quick and easy access to candidates

Employers have access to candidate information and an interview platform all in one place. You can seamlessly connect, schedule and manage conversations with candidates directly from your dashboard or phone.

Our phone-relay feature also helps you to connect to a candidate’s phone while remaining on the platform, creating a more seamless experience free from issues created by unstable internet connections.

Fast and convenient interview management

Invite hiring managers to interview directly and conduct multiple one-on-one interviews at the same time. You can also queue up interviews in the lobby if you need to conduct several back-to-back interviews – just invite candidates into the interview room whenever you’re ready.

Straightforward employee lifecycle management

Automatic attendee tracking provides you with useful data to inform your hiring processes. Indeed also partners with applicant tracking systems (ATS) to allow scheduling of interviews directly from the ATS, making it easier for you to manage your hiring processes. 

Post-interview management

After virtual interviews on Indeed, you can document and organize candidate feedback to enhance easy collaboration between different members of your hiring team. Post-event recap features help keep candidates in the loop post-interview, and provides key data to help you assess the impact of hiring efforts.

Flexibility

Since you and your candidates don’t have to be in person for an interview, you’ll have more scheduling flexibility, which can help reduce cancellations and interview no-shows.

The increased flexibility for your candidates can also help you save on travel costs and reach candidates in more locations. Interviews on Indeed report 19% fewer candidate “no-shows” on average compared to in-person interviews. (Indeed data, Worldwide).

How to conduct video interviews with Indeed

Indeed offers employees several different ways to interview their candidates:

• Scheduling interviews through Indeed Hiring Events
• Manual interview scheduling through Hosted Jobs
• Indexed jobs via Indeed Apply

In these next sections, we’ll explore the benefits of scheduling interviews using these different options before moving onto a step-by-step guide to scheduling an interview.

Scheduling interviews through Indeed Hiring Events

Indeed Hiring Events automates sourcing, screening, scheduling and interviewing, and ultimately helps you start interviewing candidates faster. 

Employers can pick a session date and choose to opt in their already posted jobs or fund a “session” using Sponsored Jobs. Candidates then have the opportunity to RSVP for an interview time, which is added to the posting. 

Manually scheduling interviews on Indeed

Once you post a job on Indeed, you can schedule interviews with any applicant directly from the Candidates tab. After selecting a candidate, you’ll be able to send them an interview invitation. 

Using Indeed Interview for jobs from your career site or ATS

If your job was originally posted on your company’s career site or through an ATS, you’ll need to enable Indeed Apply to use Indeed’s virtual interview tool. Once enabled, the job functions like a standard Indeed posting, and you can schedule interviews directly from the Candidates tab using the same process as above.

Scheduling the interview

Here’s how to schedule an interview using Indeed:

1. Go to the Candidates tab and select the candidate you’d like to interview.
2. Click the blue “Set up interview” button. (Note: This option appears only after a job is posted and candidates have applied.)
3. Next, you’ll be taken to the interview scheduling screen, where you can set:
   • One or more date(s) and start time(s)
   • Your time zone
   • Interview start time
   • Format (video, phone or in-person)
   • An optional message to the candidate
4. Choose either Indeed video call or paste a link to a third-party video conferencing tool.

Once everything is set, click Send interview request. You’ll be ready to join and conduct the interview, which we’ll cover in the next section.

Joining and conducting the interview

Here’s how to join and run your virtual interview on Indeed:

1. Join the interview via the candidate’s page on Indeed, the confirmation email or the calendar event.
2. Once the candidate checks into the lobby and at least one interviewer sets their status to “Ready to interview,” a “Start interview” button will appear under the Waiting to interview tab. Any interviewer can click this to begin.
3. Candidates must pass an audio-video test at check-in. If they can’t, they can request a phone call instead. In this case, their entry button will show as “Call” instead of “Join interview.”
4. When the interview starts, both the candidate and interviewers move to the Interviewing tab. Additional interviewers can join by clicking “Join the interview” or you can send them a link to join. You’ll also see who else is in the room.
5. Conduct the interview. If the candidate experiences connection issues, they can switch to a phone fallback option. Either the interviewer can initiate a call or the candidate can request one.
6. After the interview ends, interviewers will be prompted to provide feedback via a pop-up called a Disposition. You can also review Dispositions and notes later under the Interview tab or Interview list.

Tips for preparing for Indeed video interviews

Treat Indeed video interviews like onsite interviews, but spend time preparing your technology, physical space and interview questions. Here’s a quick checklist to help you prepare for your next Indeed video interview:

Develop a standardized rating system

Just like with in-person interviews, develop a standardized scoring system to rate each candidate’s qualifications for the position. Use a scoring sheet to keep track of how each candidate performs during the virtual interview process. Once you have completed all virtual interviews, use your rating system to determine the most promising applicants.

Review the candidate’s resume

If a candidate has agreed to share it, you can access applicant resumes both before and during the interview. Read the candidate’s resume beforehand to help you create interview questions. Make notes on the candidate’s resume to expand on or clarify during the interview.

Test your tech

Before the Indeed video interview, we’ll email you a link to test your internet connection, webcam and microphone. As we previously explained, you can switch to phone as a fallback. Starting the call early ensures there are no technical issues.

Also try:

• Conserving bandwidth by closing other tabs and applications
• Plugging your device into a power source
• Using an Ethernet cable to improve your network quality

Remove distractions

Consider closing any non-critical windows, tabs and programs on your computer and phone. Candidates will see whatever is behind you so conduct the interview in a clean, professional environment.

With Indeed Interview, blur your background by clicking the ^ symbol next to the video icon and clicking the toggle for Blur Background. (Note: This feature is only available on Chrome and Desktop.)

Adjust your lighting

Experiment with lighting by adding a lamp, turning on more lights or opening the curtains, making sure the light source is in front of you, so the candidate can clearly see your entire face.

Prepare a list of video interview questions

Consider asking behavioral questions using the STAR interview format. Starting with some fun interview questions can also help put candidates at ease and make video interviews more comfortable. 

Want even more interview questions? We’ve also compiled a list of opening and closing interview questions to help you get to know candidates better.

Video interview FAQs

Are video interviews on Indeed live or pre-recorded?

Video interviews on Indeed are live, which means both the interviewer and the candidate have to be present for the interview to happen. Once you’re connected, you’ll be able to see and speak with the candidate in real time.

How do job seekers receive a link to the interview?

Job seekers will receive a confirmation email when they accept your interview invite. To help prevent no-shows, we’ll also send them a reminder email/text message the day before the interview.

Can I conduct the interview on my phone?

Yes. With Indeed Interview, you can conduct interviews on your phone, tablet or desktop.

Does Indeed Interview integrate with ATS platforms?

Indeed partners with applicant tracking systems (ATS) to allow you to choose Indeed Interview as your virtual interview platform. This integration is currently available on platforms such as CATS, Breezy HR and ClearCompany.

How to tell if someone is using AI in an interview?

With advances in AI technology, interviewers should be aware of potential signs that a candidate might be using AI-generated content or even deepfake technology during interviews. These might include: 

• Unnatural speech patterns: AI-generated answers may sound overly polished, repetitive or lack personal anecdotes.
• Delayed or inconsistent responses: AI tools sometimes produce responses with unusual pauses or timing that don’t match natural conversation flow.
• Audio-video sync issues: Audio may be slightly out of sync with lip movements.
• Overly smooth or static backgrounds: Artificially generated videos sometimes struggle with realistic backgrounds or lighting changes.

Read more: How Employers Can Spot Fake Interviews and Other Interview Scams

What should I do if I’m having trouble connecting to Indeed’s interview platform?

If you’re having trouble connecting to Indeed’s interview platform, try:

• Making sure that your browser and device are compatible. We recommend using a desktop/laptop with Chrome. 
• Checking you’ve allowed camera and microphone access when prompted. If you didn’t, you can re-enter the video and do this again.

How many interviewers can join a video interview?

Indeed Interview now supports multiple interviewers in the same interview room (up to 50 participants).

Interviewers can add other interviewers via a link. If an Interviewer joins via a link, they’ll have Guest permission and will be able to screen share, use the chat feature and blur their background. However, they will not be able to use the Notes, Record and Resume features.

Will the video link be updated if an interview is rescheduled/re-confirmed?

Yes. Whenever a job seeker requests to reschedule an interview, we’ll cancel the original interview and ask you to send a new interview request. Once accepted, we’ll send new video interview links to both you and the candidate.

What happens if someone has technical trouble during a video interview?

If the candidate has trouble joining the video conference or experiences technical issues at any point during the interview, you’ll get a notification in the video conference window prompting you to call the candidate on the phone.

What should I do if I don’t get an email with the video link?

Go to the Candidate details page of your employer dashboard and click on the Interviews tab. This is where you can see all of your upcoming interviews. Check that the status is Confirmed. If not, there won’t be a link yet, and you should follow up with the candidate. If so, you’ll see a link next to the interview time.