On-demand text interview questions

On-demand text interviews are a series of text questions Hirevue sends to candidates via text messaging. By default, candidates complete on-demand text interviews using their web browser. However, if your system is configured to allow candidates to reply using the SMS messaging functionality on their phones, then candidates who:

• Have a phone number in their candidate profile can choose to participate using either their phone or a web browser.
• Do not have a phone number in their candidate profile must participate using their web browser.

See an example of an on-demand text interview using SMS messaging functionality

If your system is configured to allow candidates to reply using the SMS messaging functionality on their phones, then candidates invited to an on-demand text interview receive both an email invitation and an SMS message invitation. The email provides a link users can select to begin the interview from their web browser, whereas the SMS message simply asks candidates if they are ready to begin.

Candidates who want to participate using their web browser start by selecting a link in their email invitation. Hirevue opens their web browser to a text messaging page, where candidates can type or select their responses, and then submit their interview. 

Candidates can complete a single interview from their web browser, phone, or both. For example, candidates can begin the interview on their phone, and then stop and resume the interview later from their web browser. The system keeps track of completed questions, making it easy for candidates to switch devices if necessary when completing their interview.

When candidates answer all questions and submit their interview, Hirevue sends an email thanking them for their participation. Candidates may also receive a text message, depending on your system settings, and whether their candidate profile includes a valid phone number.

On-demand text interviews are intended to be short, rapid exchanges with candidates to screen them for specific criteria. If you have questions that require longer responses, consider using on-demand voice or on-demand video interviews instead.

Questions

There is no limit to the number of questions you can add. However, when creating questions, keep the candidate experience in mind. In most cases, candidates will be answering questions on their mobile phone, using a smaller screen. Best practice is to include five to eight short questions that elicit an equally short response from candidates. To ensure delivery in a single message, HireVue limits on-demand text questions to a maximum of 160 characters.

Text question settings

• Question: Text field in which you type the question you want candidates to read and respond to. Questions must be 160 characters or less.

Example and candidate experience

You are recruiting soon-to-be college graduates at a campus recruiting event. You want to meet with candidates briefly at your booth, and then send eligible candidates a text interview to learn more about their graduation dates, degree, and type of position they are seeking.

To achieve this goal in Hirevue, you create an on-demand text interview with four text questions.

When you invite candidates to participate in an on-demand text interview using this job, candidates receive a text message inviting them to participate. They then read each question and reply using their phone keypad.

Answer format

When you create an on-demand text interview, you can configure questions to require either text or single select answers. Use text answers to elicit free form text responses from candidates and single select answers to require candidates pick one response from a list.

Select the following links to view information for each of the available answer types.

Text answers

Text answers require candidates type their response. Although candidates can type up to 1597 characters in their response, Hirevue splits long messages into 160-character chunks to meet carrier restrictions.

Best practice: When requiring candidates to respond to questions using a text answer, keep the candidate experience in mind. Ask short, direct questions candidates can reply to in few words. Asking candidates to answer text questions that require lengthy responses can lead to a negative candidate experience.

Single select answers

Single select answers require candidates select one response from a list when answering the interview question. When you use single select answers in an on-demand text interview, candidates receive a text message that contains a question and list of possible responses, each with a corresponding number. Candidates send a return text with the number that matches their response.

When you use a single select answer, you can also assign scores to each answer to help you to quickly evaluate and rate candidates based on their response. For more information, see Scoring.

Select the following links to learn more about settings you can use to customize the candidate experience for single select.

Single select settings

• Choice: Enter the options you want to candidates to choose from. You must enter at least two options for each single select answer you define.
• Score: Specifies the candidate score you want to assign to each answer selection. Candidates do not see assigned scores. For more information, see Assessments.

You can also select the trash can icon to delete a response or select and drag the handlebar to reorder the list.

Review format

Review format is the same for all interview types. For more information, see Interview questions (Review format).

Scoring

Scoring lets you assign values to candidate responses when creating multiple choice and multiple select answers. When you assign scores to a multiple choice or multiple select answer, then you can rate and prioritize candidates based on the answer they select. Scores are not visible to candidates.

For example, if you want to know if candidates are willing to travel, you can create a text question that asks candidates to select "Yes" if they are willing to travel, and "No" if they are not. You can then create a multiple-choice answer with two choices (Yes and No), and assign a score of 100 to Yes and 0 to No.

When reviewing candidates, you can rate, prioritize, or advance candidates by their question score. For more information about advancing candidates based on score, see Advancement.