The three steps
- Open our email.
It arrives before the interview, separately from the meeting invite, and carries a download button and an interview code. There is no account to create and no password.
- Download and run InterviewWatch.
One file, currently Windows 10 or 11, no admin rights needed. It does not install anything: the candidate opens the downloaded file and the app runs.
- Paste the interview code and click Connect.
The code is in that email, in the form IW-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. Once the app connects, the interviewer can see that the candidate is set up.
The consent screen
Before any monitoring starts, the app shows a consent screen listing exactly what it observes. The candidate has to tick I consent to monitoring for this interview and click Start session. Nothing is collected until they do, and the consent itself is recorded as a signed event at the top of the session record.
A candidate who does not consent simply does not start the session. That is a conversation for you and them, not something the product decides.
What is and is not monitored
| Observed | Never collected |
|---|---|
| Active applications, devices, and network connections | Screen, audio, or video recording |
| Window titles and focus changes | What the candidate types, or any keyboard input |
| Display setup and virtual device changes | File contents or clipboard contents |
Paste activity is a good example of the line: the agent can see that a large paste happened and roughly how big it was, and it never sees the text that was pasted.
Monitoring stops when the candidate closes the app. It only ever runs during the interview session they agreed to.
During the interview
Once connected, the candidate uses the Join interview button inside the InterviewWatch app to open the meeting, and leaves the app open for the whole round. Closing it early ends the session and finalises the report where it stands.
If a candidate closes the app by accident, they can run it again and paste the same code. The session continues, and the gap shows on the timeline as a break in coverage rather than being papered over.
A wording template for your invite
Paste this into your interview confirmation, replacing the link:
This interview is monitored with InterviewWatch, which helps us keep
the process fair for everyone.
Before we start, please open this link and follow the two steps:
<we email the candidate directly>
You will download a small app and paste in your interview code. It
takes about two minutes, needs no admin rights, and there is nothing
to sign up for. The app shows you exactly what it observes and asks
for your consent before anything starts. It never records your
screen, camera, microphone, keystrokes, or files.
Please get set up 10 minutes before we meet, and join the call from
the button inside the app.Common candidate problems
Windows SmartScreen warns about the download
Choose More info then Run anyway. SmartScreen shows this for any executable it has not seen often yet. Download only from the link in our email, never from a copy someone forwarded.
The app says the interview was not found
The code expired, or the meeting was cancelled. Codes stop working once the interview is over. Ask the interviewer to send a fresh invite.
I closed the app by mistake
Run it again and paste the same code. You will land back in the same interview, and nothing needs to be re-sent. Only the End session button finishes an interview early.
The code is not accepted
Codes belong to one specific interview. Make sure it was copied from the email for this interview, with no trailing space. Copy it rather than typing it.
The page still says "Waiting for agent"
The app has not connected yet. Check it is actually running, that the code was pasted and Connect pressed, and that a corporate VPN or firewall is not blocking it. More in troubleshooting.
They are on a Mac
The agent is Windows 10 or 11 only. A candidate on a Mac cannot be monitored today, so either they use a Windows machine or that round runs without us.