Video interview practice

Video interview practice for Zoom, Teams and Google Meet

Get your camera, light and background right before the call, then practise answering on camera with feedback on eye contact, posture, pace and filler words. Free, and private to your computer.

What's different about a video interview

On a video call, the interviewer sees a small rectangle: your face, your shoulders and whatever is behind you. Small things get magnified. A laptop camera pointing up from the desk, a bright window behind you or a cluttered shelf can distract from what you're saying before you've said much at all.

Eye contact also works differently. Looking at the interviewer's face on screen feels natural, but to them it looks like you're looking down. Looking at the camera is what reads as eye contact, and it takes practice.

Step 1: run the video-call check

Open Device check in Kayavak and choose For a video call. Alongside the usual checks of your camera, light, framing and microphone, it looks at the things that matter most on a call:

• Camera height: whether the camera is level with your eyes. If it's below them, it suggests raising the laptop on a few books, because looking down into the camera is the least flattering angle.
• Room above your head: whether your head touches the top of the picture.
• Lighting: whether it's too dark, whether a bright light is behind you, and whether the light falls from one side.
• Framing: whether your face is in the middle of the picture, whether you're too close or too far, and whether your shoulders are in view.
• Background: whether it's busy or calm. A plain wall or a tidy shelf keeps the attention on you.

Each item tells you what's wrong and how to fix it in plain words. The picture is looked at in memory only; nothing is shown or kept.

Step 2: practise answering on camera

1. Close other camera apps such as Zoom, Teams or Meet, so Kayavak can use the camera.
2. Choose Interview, or a Mock interview where the questions are asked out loud.
3. Answer to the camera. An eye-contact meter and gentle nudges such as "Come back to the camera" help you keep your gaze in the right place.
4. Review your report to see how much of the time you looked at the camera, and where you drifted.
5. Retake your weakest answer and compare it side by side with your first try.

What Kayavak gives feedback on

• Eye contact: how much of the time you looked at the camera, which is your interviewer.
• Posture and gestures: slouching, crossed arms, hands near your face and how open your gestures are.
• Pace and pauses: words per minute for each answer, and stretches that rush or drag.
• Filler words and hedges: every "um" and "I think maybe", highlighted in your transcript.
• Answer length: answers that were too short, or long enough to lose the interviewer.

For flagged moments, Kayavak shows a corrected version of you over what you did: sitting tall, eyes on the camera, arms open.

Tips for eye contact on video calls

• Put the call window near the camera. The closer the interviewer's face is to the lens, the less your eyes have to move.
• Look at the camera when you make a key point, and at the screen when you're listening. You don't need to stare at the lens the whole time.
• Raise the camera to eye level. It's easier to look into a camera that's straight ahead than one below you.
• Practise with the one-minute Eye contact drill. It gives you a clear pass or fail, and it's short enough to do every day.

A recording of a real call?

If you have a recording of a video interview or meeting, import the MP4, WebM or MOV file. It's analysed on your computer, the video isn't kept, and you get the same report.

Private by design

Kayavak runs on your Mac, Windows or Linux computer. It never stores your video: it keeps only movement points and replays you as an avatar. Speech is transcribed locally, nothing is uploaded, and there's no account. Read the privacy policy to see every time the app uses the internet.

Questions

Does Kayavak join my Zoom or Teams call?

No. Kayavak is for practice before the call. Use it to set up your camera and rehearse your answers, then close it before your interview starts.

Can I practise for a phone interview instead?

Yes. Choose Voice only and no camera is opened. You get everything about your words and voice.

What questions can I practise?

There are question sets for common questions, behavioural (STAR) questions, many job roles, campus placements and HR rounds, or you can paste a job description to get questions for that interview. See interview practice and our guide to the STAR method.

Is it free?

Yes. Every feature is free, with no paid tier and no limits. See the FAQ for more.