Phone Interview vs Video Interview: What’s Better for Screening?

However, the choice between phone and video interviews has a direct impact on the quality of hiring decisions, the speed of the process, and the overall candidate experience.

Video interviews add an extra layer of context to the screening process. That additional depth can significantly improve decision-making, but it also introduces new challenges. Below, we break down the key parameters that differentiate video and phone interviews and discuss how to overcome the challenges of the screening process.

What is a screening interview?

Screening is an early stage of the recruitment process. At this point, a company usually has a large pool of candidates — fresh replies for the job opening and people who are already in the HR database. This can be dozens or even hundreds of applicants, and it’s simply impossible to interview everyone. Therefore, employers have to create a shortlist of candidates who are worth inviting to a full professional interview. If you need additional context on the stages of a hiring process, you can find it in the article Full cycle recruiting.

A shortlist that recruiters come up with has a dual purpose. First, it allows employers to filter out candidates who miss basic requirements for a job. Second, it highlights the best candidates who will compete for the position.

Shortlists can be compiled by various methods. The traditional one is reviewing CVs, but it is usually time consuming and not really informative. Another is to conduct a short preliminary interview. That is a screen or screening interview. Today, recruiters tend to conduct screening interviews remotely, using phone or video interview software.

What is a phone screening interview?

A phone screening interview is a quick chat via phone that allows employers to decide if they should invite a candidate for a full interview. That is the most common way of screening, as it saves time and effort. Conducting screening interviews in person would be inconvenient for both candidates and employers.

Phone screening allows employers to confirm basic information on candidates:

• The candidate is a real person and not an AI assistant. 
• The candidate matches the minimal requirements for a position.

Phone screening helps to quickly filter out candidates who are not a good fit. However, phone calls are very limited in terms of identifying the best candidates. Furthermore, employers can barely form an impression of candidates. How do they behave? What are their communication skills? Are there any obvious red flags? All these questions remain unanswered until employers meet the candidates in person.

What is a video interview?

Video interviews can be conducted as a screening interview, instead of a phone call, or as a full in-person interview instead of an offline meeting, which is especially popular for remote positions. Here, we focus on the screening stage, so let’s compare phone and video interviews from that perspective.

The pros and cons of video interviews compared to phone interviews

At first glance, the difference between a phone call and a video call may seem minor. In reality, video changes the screening process significantly.

Pro: More information for better decisions

The largest part of human communication is non-verbal. Seeing a candidate’s facial expressions, gestures, and body language gives much more insight into their communication skills, confidence and engagement.  In seconds, a candidate's appearance can reveal considerably more about their soft skills than they can themselves.

Pro: Greater engagement

While phone screenings are often conducted in less controlled environments, prompting candidates to be less concentrated, video interviews require more focus. Candidates are more likely to treat the interaction as a meaningful step in the process. As a result, they are more willing to express themself and make an impression. Therefore, it becomes more obvious whether they are a good fit.

Pro: Better time efficiency in the long run

At first glance, phone interviews seem faster. They are easy to schedule and require minimal setup. However, video interviews often save time later in the hiring funnel. Better early assessments result in stronger shortlists, fewer unnecessary follow-ups, and fewer full interviews with unsuitable candidates. Over time, this leads to a more efficient hiring process overall.

Con: Higher dependence on technical factors

While phone call quality can be good enough for a screening interview in almost any circumstances, video calls demand relatively high connection quality. 

Con: Lower scheduling flexibility

Phone interviews can be conducted on the go; candidates usually don't mind having a brief phone conversation whenever they are available. However, candidates are often more nervous about video calls and prefer to take time to prepare properly. This is because they understand what we have already mentioned: the first impression they make matters, as does their appearance.

What is a one way video interview?

One-way video interview, also known as an on-demand video interview or virtual video interview, is another way to do screening. During one-way video interviews, candidates answer questions prepared by employers, but instead of filling in an application form, they do it by recording short video responses to employers' questions.

One-way video interviews completely remove the scheduling problem. Applicants record their videos at any convenient time. Recruiters, as well, can review them whenever they want. Neither side depends on the other's schedules.

As for dependence on technical factors, you can minimize it by using proper video interview software.

What is video interview software?

It’s possible to run virtual video interviews via email or messaging apps, but this quickly becomes messy. Managing video files, links, and candidate data creates unnecessary complexity.

Specialized video interview platforms solve these problems and make the process much easier. VideoApply is one of such platforms. It is important to highlight that this kind of video interview software allows you to get rid of all of the cons of screening video interviews that are mentioned above

Final thoughts

Phone screening interviews are still the fastest way to confirm basics — whether a candidate is available and meets the minimum requirements. But that’s it. Phone interviews help filter out some candidates, but they hardly help to identify the best. After all, time saved on calls may cost you delays in later stages of the hiring process.

Video screening adds the missing layer: real communication. Employers see candidates’ behaviour, sincerity, engagement, and red flags that would otherwise stay hidden until the full interview. Live video interviews take more scheduling and preparing, but those problems aren’t a reason to step back. They’re a reason to use the right format.

That’s where one-way video interviews become a smarter alternative. They keep all the advantages of video, while removing the biggest drawbacks. With proper video interview software, screening becomes both scalable and insightful — structured for recruiters, convenient for candidates, and far more accurate than a quick phone chat.