Modern Hire Interview: How It Works, Questions, and Tips

If you applied for a job and got a "Modern Hire" link, you are taking a HireVue product. HireVue bought Modern Hire in 2023. Most people meet it in one of two ways: the Virtual Job Tryout, which is a job simulation, or a recorded video interview.

The Virtual Job Tryout shows you common tasks and situations from the job and asks what you would do. Candidates report sections on work situations, your work history, and your work style, and report that it takes 30 to 60 minutes. The recorded interview works like any one-way video interview: a question on screen, time to think, and a timed answer.

Modern Hire is now part of HireVue. HireVue bought Modern Hire in May 2023, and modernhire.com now sends you to hirevue.com. Modern Hire was formed in 2019 when Montage (video interviews) merged with Shaker (the Virtual Job Tryout).

Who uses it: Large employers that hire many people at once. Prep sites name Walmart, CVS, and USPS among the employers that use the Virtual Job Tryout. Your invite may now say HireVue instead of Modern Hire.

1. Open the link in your invite. Check whether it says Modern Hire or HireVue. Both are the same company now.
2. Read what the invite includes: a job tryout, a video interview, or both. Set aside an hour if it includes both.
3. For the job tryout, read each situation and pick what you would really do on the job. Answer as yourself on a good day at work.
4. For the video interview, use the practice question first to check your camera and sound.
5. Answer each recorded question with a real example: what was going on, what you did, and how it ended.
6. Finish before the deadline. If something breaks, contact the employer. Only the employer can reset the interview.

The employer writes the questions. Candidates report customer service, teamwork, and "tell me about a time" questions most. These are typical ones, with what each one tests.

1. Tell me about a time you helped a customer who was unhappy. (Customer service)
2. Tell me about yourself and why you want this job. (Motivation, communication)
3. Tell me about a time you had to work with a coworker you did not get along with. (Teamwork)
4. Describe a time you had too much to do. How did you decide what to do first? (Priorities)
5. Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work. What did you do? (Honesty, ownership)
6. What would you do if you saw a coworker break a safety rule? (Judgment, integrity)

Answer each one with a real example: what was going on, what you did, and how it ended. The STAR method guide shows the shape.

Specific to Modern Hire:

• In the job tryout, pick what you would really do on the job, not what sounds best. It is built to show how you work, so answer as yourself.
• Read every situation all the way through. The details (a line of customers, a manager who is busy) usually point to the best choice.
• If your invite says HireVue, the HireVue guides on this site apply to you too.

For any recorded interview:

• Put the camera at eye level and the light in front of you, not behind.
• Use the think time to pick your example, not to write a script.
• Aim for 60 to 90 seconds per answer. End on how it turned out.
• Do it early in the window. If something breaks, you still have time to ask for a new link.

Modern Hire is HireVue now, so the video interview works the same way: a think timer, an answer clock, and retakes only if the employer allows them. The Virtual Job Tryout is the main difference. It is a job simulation with no AI scoring, and HireVue keeps it separate from its games.

Got a HireVue invite instead? See free HireVue practice and the HireVue timing guide.

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New to recorded interviews? Start with the one-way video interview guide. Need a resume for the application? Build one on your phone, free to preview.