Why candidates prefer a chat based interview over video interviews
TL;DR
- A chat based interview gives candidates a lower-pressure, more inclusive first step than asynchronous video.
- Research presented by Sapia.ai at SIOP 2024 found higher satisfaction and stronger completion rates for chat interviews than video interviews.
- Candidates often describe chat as more comfortable, reflective, and easier to complete in their own time.
- Video can still play a role later in the hiring process, but chat is often the stronger option at the top of the funnel.
- For employers, that means better candidate experience, more efficient screening, and a fairer first interaction.
As companies vie for talent, a candidate’s initial interaction with a potential employer sets the tone for their entire relationship, both as potential employees and consumers.
Research by Sapia.ai, presented back in 2024 at SIOP Annual Conference, revealed that candidates prefer Asynchronous Chat Interviews scored by AI. These interviews offer a less stressful and more inclusive alternative to video interviews.
The importance of a positive candidate experience
A positive candidate experience is not just about making a good first impression; it has tangible business implications. Studies have shown that candidates with a positive experience are more likely to accept job offers, recommend the company to others, and even become loyal customers.
At Sapia.ai, we measure the brand advocacy of every candidate to ensure that their experience translates to positive brand association from both an employer and consumer brand perspective. On average, 84% of candidates applying for roles with a consumer brand are more likely to recommend their products/services due to their Sapia.ai Chat Interview experience.
Conversely, a negative experience can lead to candidates severing ties with the company and spreading negative feedback, harming the employer’s brand and bottom line. We all remember the Virgin Mobile study in which they lost 7,500 customers and approximately $5.4 million in revenue due to dissatisfaction with their candidate experience (Talent Tech Labs, 2017).
Asynchronous interviews
Many employers have introduced asynchronous interviews to make the hiring process more scalable.
This makes sense. In high-volume recruitment, hiring managers and recruiters need to engage large numbers of candidates efficiently, often across multiple locations and roles. Asynchronous interviews reduce scheduling friction and allow candidates to complete the first step in their own time.
But not every asynchronous interview format creates the same experience.
Video interviews have become popular because they promise speed and efficiency. Employers can ask standard interview questions, candidates can record answers, and hiring teams can review responses later. On paper, that sounds like a useful time saving tool.
In reality, video interviews often create pressure.
Candidates may worry about eye contact, body language, facial expressions, background noise, speech clarity, or whether they are properly equipped to record themselves in a formal setting. They may spend more time thinking about how they look and sound than about the actual interview questions.
That changes the nature of the interview.
Instead of focusing on the quality of their answers, many candidates focus on performance.
AI-scored chat interviews
AI-scored Chat Interviews are structured interviews conducted over chat. The candidate is asked several standardised interview questions through a chat interface and writes their responses, which the AI then analyses and scores.
Sapia.ai’s research reveals that candidates perceive AI Chat Interviews as cutting-edge, empowering, and convenient. The approach aligns with the instrumental-symbolic framework, suggesting that perceived innovativeness is key to employer attractiveness.
Examining candidate reactions
This study provides compelling insights into candidate satisfaction and completion rates when comparing both Video Interviews and Chat Interviews for over 1 million job candidates. The data shows that AI Chat Interviews have higher satisfaction ratings than Video Interviews. Additionally, candidates are more likely to start and finish a chat interview, whereas candidates are more hesitant to start a video interview, leading to lower overall completion rates for Video Interviews. In contrast, chat interviews have nearly double the completion rates in the first 24 hours and significantly lower non-starter rates. This suggests that candidates have a higher preference for engaging with and completing chat interviews.
Gender inclusivity in interviews
An interesting aspect of the study is the examination of completion rates by gender. The findings indicate that women, in particular, are more likely to complete chat interviews than video interviews. Additionally, while both genders had higher candidate satisfaction scores for Chat Interviews than Video Interviews, this effect was more pronounced for women.
These findings are crucial, considering the potential inclusivity concerns associated with video interviews, such as fear of human bias or discrimination. The higher completion rates and candidate satisfaction for Chat Interviews across genders, with a more pronounced improvement for women, highlight their potential to enhance inclusivity in the recruitment process.
Additional independent research has found that Sapia.ai interviews can improve the participation of women significantly in tech based roles.
Chat wins by a mile
Thematic analysis of the open-ended feedback from candidates is overwhelmingly in favour of chat interviews. Candidates find them less stressful, easier to navigate, and more comfortable.
A staggering 78% of candidates who mentioned a preference for one type of interview over the other expressed a preference for chat over video. This preference is especially pronounced among candidates who may feel self-conscious or anxious in video interviews, such as those with low self-esteem or social anxiety.
Further examining comment topics revealed that the top 3 themes for Chat Interviews were:
- Flexibility and relaxed nature of the interview format with no time limit or pressure;
- Thought-provoking, reflective, interesting, and enjoyable experience;
- Desire and enthusiasm to work for the company and appreciation for the ability to showcase their skills.
Video Interview themes, while the majority were positive, included examples of candidates expressing nervousness and discomfort with the video platform. The theme with the largest difference between Chat Interview and Video Interview was candidates mentioning a preference for face-to-face interviews, with the vast majority of these comments coming from Video Interview candidates, over 3X the prevalence for Chat Interview candidates.
All asynchronous interviews are not created equally
The research by Sapia.ai highlights a clear trend: candidates prefer AI-scored chat interviews over video interviews.
Employers can offer a more inclusive, less stressful, and more efficient interview process by adopting asynchronous chat interviews at the start of the hiring process.
While video interviews have a place as a secondary step for shortlisted candidates, the benefits of using chat at the top of the hiring funnel are clear.
Read the full whitepaper here.
Why on-point human participation matters for employers
For employers, this is not just a question of format preference. It affects hiring outcomes.
A chat based interview can improve:
- candidate experience
- completion rates
- efficient screening
- early-stage inclusivity
- brand perception
- the quality of first-step insights
It can also reduce the number of non-starters, which is one of the biggest hidden problems in asynchronous hiring.
When candidates hesitate to start a video interview, employers lose good people before the process has really begun. Chat helps remove that hesitation.
That means better access to talent and a smoother path through the hiring process.
Concluding thoughts on job interview tactics
A chat-based interview is not just a lighter version of a video interview. It is a different experience altogether.
It gives candidates a more comfortable, flexible, and inclusive way to engage with employers. It helps employers gather stronger early-stage evidence without creating unnecessary pressure. And it creates a first interaction that feels more human, even when AI is involved.
Video still has a place, especially later in the process. But when employers want a stronger top-of-funnel experience, chat consistently performs better.
That is why more employers are rethinking how they start the interview process.
Sapia.ai helps organisations run structured, AI scored chat interviews that improve candidate experience, increase completion, and support fairer hiring decisions at scale. Book a Sapia.ai demo to see how it works.
FAQs for your hiring manager
A chat based interview is a structured interview delivered through text chat rather than video. Candidates answer interview questions in writing, usually in their own time, and responses can be scored against a consistent rubric.
Many candidates prefer chat interviews because they feel less stressful, more flexible, and easier to complete. Chat removes pressure linked to video calls, body language, eye contact, and recording in a formal setting.
Yes. A chat interview is still a real interview. It asks the candidate to respond to structured interview questions and gives employers meaningful responses they can assess consistently.
In many cases, yes. Research from Sapia.ai found higher satisfaction and completion rates for chat interviews than video interviews, suggesting that chat creates a more positive candidate experience for many job seekers.
Yes. A chat interview works particularly well in high-volume hiring because it supports efficient screening, reduces scheduling friction, and makes it easier for more candidates to complete the first step.
Not necessarily. Video can still be useful in the next round or later in the hiring process. But for the first step, chat is often more inclusive, easier to complete, and better suited to large candidate volumes.
AI can support fairer early screening when the process is structured, transparent, and based on consistent interview questions and scoring criteria. The key is using AI to support human decision-making, not replace it.
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