A Willo interview is a one-way interview: an employer sends you a link by email or text, you answer each question on camera in your own time (some questions may ask for audio, text, a file or a multiple-choice answer instead), and the hiring team reviews your answers later. Willo needs no app or download, each video or audio answer has a limit between 1 and 5 minutes, and once you answer the first question you have 12 hours to finish and submit the whole interview. These facts come from Willo's support center, read on October 21, 2026.
Record your answers yourself and follow the employer's rules — use CoPilot Interview to practice beforehand. Below: how a Willo interview works step by step, the settings the employer controls, how answers are reviewed, and a short practice plan.
What is Willo?
Willo (willo.video) is candidate screening software. Employers use it to send the same structured questions to every applicant and review the answers when it suits them, which replaces many first-round phone screens. Willo's support pages call these interviews "assessments," so you may see either word in your invitation.
Willo doesn't decide who gets hired, and it doesn't write the questions: the employer does both. When creating an interview, the employer chooses from question types including video, audio, text, file upload, multiple choice, checkboxes and a digital identity check, and Willo recommends that employers ask 3 to 5 questions.
How does a Willo interview work?
Willo's candidate article Interview in 5 Easy Steps lays out the flow:
- Access the interview. Open the link from your email or SMS on a computer or phone, and click Allow when asked for camera and microphone access. Willo recommends the latest Chrome and asks you to close all other tabs and applications, or you may not be able to complete the interview.
- Practice. Click "Practice with a sample question" to see how recording works and check your sound and lighting. Willo says no data is saved in practice mode, and you can practice as many times as you like.
- Answer each question. Read the question, click Begin Recording, and answer within the time limit shown below the button (between 1 and 5 minutes for video and audio questions). You can stop early. Click Save & Continue to upload the answer. If the employer allows retakes, a Re-record button appears.
- Review all answers. At the end, you can play back every answer once more. Willo suggests listening closely to the audio and re-recording any answer where you can't hear yourself clearly, if you have retakes left.
- Finish. You may be asked for your availability over the next 5 working days for a follow-up. A completion screen and a confirmation email confirm that your answers arrived.
Willo interview settings at a glance
The employer configures each interview, so the screen in front of you is the final word. These are the rules Willo documents as of October 2026:
| Setting | Who decides | What Willo says |
|---|---|---|
| Answer time | The employer | Between 1 and 5 minutes for video and audio questions; you can stop recording early |
| Retakes | The employer, per question | Set to zero, your first recording is saved automatically. Willo suggests employers allow at least one, and you can see how many you have left at any time. |
| Completion window | Willo | 12 hours from your first answer to submit the full interview |
| Deadline | The employer | A closing date, time and time zone, after which you can't submit |
| Question types | The employer | Video, audio, text, file upload, multiple choice, checkboxes, digital identity check |
| Device | You | A phone, computer or tablet with a camera and microphone; no downloads |
| Browser | You | Latest Chrome recommended. Willo supports the latest 2 versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Opera on Windows and Mac; Chrome, Firefox and Safari on iPhone and iPad; Chrome and Firefox on Android |
| Internet | You | At least 5 Mbps upload and download |
| Language | You and the employer | You can switch the interface language in the footer; the employer's questions stay in the language they were written in |
The retake rules come from Willo's article on retakes, and the browsers and speed from its supported devices page. If retakes are limited and you need more, for example because of a disability, ask the employer before you start; Willo's guidance to employers notes that many neurodiverse candidates need additional retakes.
Is a Willo interview scored by AI?
Partly, depending on what the employer turns on. Willo describes its Willo Insights feature as evaluating applicants against the employer's own "Blueprint" of must-have and differentiating criteria, ranking the pool by alignment and showing the evidence behind each ranking. The same page says the hiring team makes every decision. Willo also offers transcripts and summaries of answers to reviewers.
Two settings can affect you directly:
- Benchmarks on quiz-style questions. Willo's guide for employers lets them set a minimum pass percentage for multiple-choice and checkbox questions with correct answers, and candidates who score below it are rejected automatically. Read those questions carefully.
- Criteria from the job description. Willo builds the Blueprint from the employer's job description, scorecards and competency frameworks. That makes the job post your best guide to what reviewers, human or AI, will look for.
How to prepare for a Willo interview
Willo's own tips are to prepare exactly as you would for an in-person interview: research the company, study the job description so you can show where you meet or exceed the requirements, choose a quiet spot where you are the only person on camera, dress as you would in person, and follow every instruction on screen. To that, add a plan for your answers:
- Map the job post. List the four or five requirements it repeats. Prepare one short story for each, structured with the free STAR story builder.
- Prepare the predictable questions. An introduction, "why this role," a challenge you handled and a strength. Our guides to tell me about yourself and why should we hire you help.
- Fit the time limit. With a 1-minute limit, you need the answer in your first sentence. With 5 minutes, aim for 60 to 90 seconds anyway; you don't have to use the full time.
- Check your light. Willo suggests a lamp slightly above your face and behind the camera. On a phone, prop it on a steady surface, charge it, and remove a case that muffles the microphone.
- Rehearse out loud and get scored. CoPilot Interview's desktop Mock Interview builds questions from your résumé and the job description, reads them aloud, scores each spoken answer out of 10 with what worked, what to fix and a model answer, and ends with a report card. The browser AI mock interview needs nothing installed.
A three-day practice plan
| Day | What to do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read the job post; write an introduction and one story per key requirement | Answers for the questions you're most likely to get |
| 2 | Do a scored mock interview, then record two answers on your phone with a 1-minute limit | Scores, and one habit to fix (pace, filler words or length) |
| 3 | Test your browser, camera and connection with Willo's practice question, then complete the interview in one sitting | A submitted interview inside the 12-hour window |
An example answer we wrote
Question: "Tell us about a time you handled a difficult customer." A 60-second answer: "At the garden center where I work weekends, a customer came back angry because a plant we'd recommended died within a week. I listened first, then asked how it had been watered, and found our care card had the wrong instructions. I replaced the plant, rewrote the card that afternoon, and told my manager so we could fix the rest of the stock. The customer came back the next month and asked for me by name." Situation, action and result, all inside a minute.
Common mistakes in a Willo interview
- Starting before you have time to finish. The 12-hour window begins at your first answer.
- Leaving other tabs and apps open. Willo says this can stop you from completing the interview.
- Assuming you can redo answers. If retakes are set to zero, your first recording is saved automatically.
- Skipping the final review. A muted microphone or a cut-off answer is easy to catch on playback.
- Rushing the multiple-choice questions. Some employers set a pass mark that rejects automatically.
- Trusting a lookalike link. Willo lists its official domains as willo.video and app.willotalent.com (plus regional versions), and says it never asks candidates for payments, software downloads or passwords. Report anything else through Willo's safety page.
For the format in general, see what a one-way video interview is. For more on rehearsing aloud, read how to practice interview answers out loud, and if you have a similar invite from another platform, our Spark Hire interview guide covers think time and takes.
Practice before your Willo interview
CoPilot Interview's free AI mock interview reads each question aloud and scores your spoken answer out of 10 with what to fix and a model answer. 15 minutes every day, no account and no credit card needed.
Try a free AI mock interviewFAQ
How long do I have to complete a Willo interview?
Once you answer the first question, Willo gives you 12 hours to complete and submit the whole interview. The employer also sets a closing deadline, after which you can't submit.
How long can my answers be in Willo?
Video and audio questions have an answer time between 1 and 5 minutes, set by the employer and shown below the record button. You can stop recording before the time runs out.
Can I re-record answers in a Willo interview?
Only if the employer allows retakes for that question. You can see how many you have left at any time. If retakes are set to zero, your first recording is saved automatically.
Do I need to download an app for Willo?
No. Willo runs in your browser on a computer, phone or tablet with a camera and microphone. Willo recommends the latest Chrome and at least 5 Mbps upload and download speed.
Can I practice in Willo before the real questions?
Yes. Willo offers a practice sample question before the interview, and it says no data is saved in practice mode, so you can check your camera, sound and lighting as often as you need.
Does Willo use AI to rank candidates?
Employers can turn on Willo Insights, which Willo says evaluates applicants against the employer's own criteria and ranks them by alignment, while the hiring team makes the decisions.
How should I practice for a Willo interview?
Record your answers yourself and follow the employer's rules — use CoPilot Interview to practice beforehand. Prepare one short story per key requirement in the job post and rehearse fitting each answer into a 1-minute limit.