Remote Interview Trends: Virtual, In-Person, and Hybrid Hiring

Current evidence on remote interview use, candidate perceptions, and the practical shift toward hiring processes that mix virtual and in-person stages.

Virtual and in-person modes now coexist

Survale’s 2025 Candidate Experience research found that 44% of candidates in its participant population interviewed live virtually and 44% interviewed in person. In-person interviewing had risen since 2022 but remained below the study’s 2019 peak.

The 2025 CandE benchmark points to mixed hiring rather than a complete return to one mode. A candidate may encounter video screening, remote team interviews, and an onsite final stage within the same process.

Recorded video is another category

A one-way recorded interview is not the same experience as a live virtual conversation. Survale reported that recorded video reached the same fairness NPS as live virtual and in-person interviews in its 2025 research, but the report also cautioned that the result may reflect the year’s candidate mix and broader difficulty getting employer engagement.

The appropriate conclusion is that recorded formats can be evaluated more positively under some conditions, not that candidates or employers universally prefer them.

Technical readiness remains part of access

NACE’s virtual interview guidance recommends testing the platform, power, connectivity, camera, microphone, lighting, and surroundings before the interview. A backup contact method and the recruiter’s information should be available if the platform fails.

Use the video interview checklist to complete this setup early. Technical preparation should reduce avoidable friction, not force candidates to hide a need for accommodation.

Evaluation should remain consistent across modes

Candidates can ask what competencies are assessed, who attends, whether the stage is recorded, and how remote and in-person evidence is compared. Employers may change the mode for logistics while keeping the underlying rubric stable.

For multi-interviewer virtual stages, the panel interview guide helps manage turn-taking and eye contact. Prepare the same factual evidence regardless of medium.

Judge the process, not only the platform

Clear invitations, reasonable scheduling, accessible technology, human contact, timely updates, and consistent evaluation shape the experience more than the video brand alone. Use the end-of-interview questions to clarify next steps and whether later stages change format.