The On-Demand Smart Interview | Understanding SHL's New and Popular Interview Format

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• What is the SHL AI Interview?
• Sample questions
• Tips and Insights
• FAQs

After submitting your CV to a company for consideration, you open your email inbox to see a cryptic invitation to a series of assessments, branded as SHL tests, on an online platform named "Talent Central".

If this scenario sounds familiar, you are one of thousands of job candidates being tested with SHL, one of the world's leading talent management firms. 

Unsurprisingly, the AI-race has not skipped over SHL. The On-Demand Smart Interview is an artificial-intelligence-driven interview platform that, in recent years, has slowly been added to the recruitment process of many major companies using SHL. Let's talk about what it is and how to tackle it.

The Smart Interview On Demand (ODSI) is an AI-based interview platform. It is provided by SHL Testing and is often administered alongside other SHL assessments, such as cognitive or personality tests.

The "On Demand" part of its name references its asynchronous, pre-recorded nature. While traditional interviews require both the employer and the candidate to set aside a designated meeting time, the SHL On-Demand Interview can be conducted anytime, anywhere, with the employer receiving a simple report at the end.

This may be excellent news to busy HR and recruitment departments, but it leaves many candidates puzzled and searching for answers to questions like:

• How should I dress for a pre-recorded interview?
• Will I receive prep time before each question?
• Does my body language still matter on video?

So, let's dive into what the test looks like, starting with likely questions.

The questions on the SHL Smart Interview can be custom-written by the hiring company or taken from a library provided by SHL.

In the case of library questions, you might expect 3-5 typical interview questions (some examples are provided below). For custom questions, you will likely be asked competency-based questions, which basically means you will need to prove your credentials and experience as they relate to the specific role. For these, it is helpful to prepare 1-2 STAR-based responses before taking the interview.

So what kind of questions are you likely to see on the SHL ODSI?

The question library is vast, and employers will likely choose questions suited for the role they are interviewing for. This means there is no way of telling exactly what will be featured.

With that said, most employers will likely choose at least one motivational question (e.g. "What attracted you to this role?", "What motivates you to work for this company?". Additionally, you can expect a scenario-based (situational judgement) question, where you will need to respond to a hypothetical situation in the workplace.

Let's look at some examples:

Here are some of the most important things to know before accepting your interview invitation:

SHL's platform allows individual employers to tailor interviews for their needs.  This means not all interviews will be the same.

However, you will most likely face 3-5 questions, as recommended by SHL itself.

You will have time to prepare between seeing the question and recording your response. This prep time varies by employer, but SHL caps it at 2 minutes. The responses themselves will need to be between two and three minutes long.

First and foremost, treat it like a regular interview. There is a good chance your recordings will be reviewed by human eyes, especially if you are shortlisted by the AI analyzer. This means you want to look sharp, as you would for any interview, in business casual or smart casual, depending on the company culture.

Similarly, both human reviewers and the AI itself will be paying attention to your body language and tone.

Likewise, make sure you are in a quiet place with no distractions and that you have a stable internet connection before the interview.

You can still take advantage of the interview being pre-recorded, though. Consider making a note with key points you want to discuss and sticking it to your screen for reference during the interview. Use bullet points, not word-for-word planned speeches, because those seldom work as planned.

As with in-person interviews, your recruiter will be looking for company-specific responses that prove you are not only skilled at what you do, but also a good match for the company culture and values.

A cursory Google search will typically reveal each company's self-styled mission statement and values statement. You can go one step further and read about the organizational culture by browsing user-generated platforms like Glassdoor or Reddit.  You can learn about current company priorities by reading recent company news, blogs, or leadership interviews.

Try to use the interview questions as an opportunity to highlight why your workstyle, personality, and work ethic are a unique match for this exact company.