Does Toyota use a video interview? What to expect

Most likely, yes, at least for early-career roles. Toyota Great Britain is featured in a published Willo case study about its apprentice, student, and graduate hiring, and candidate accounts describe a one-way video interview early in that process. You record answers to set questions on your own time, with no live interviewer. Hiring processes change, so confirm with your recruiter.

That is the honest short answer. The rest of this page explains where that video step tends to sit in Toyota Great Britain’s process, what the case study and candidates say it is actually like, and how to prepare without over-reading the invitation.

What the data actually shows

The company-to-tool pairing behind this page comes from a published Willo case study, in which Toyota Great Britain describes using Willo’s one-way video interviews to bring candidates’ CVs to life across its emerging talent programs, the apprentice, student, and graduate routes. The case study frames it as a skills-based, more inclusive way to screen, giving candidates with lighter CVs a chance to show how they think rather than being filtered out on paper alone. Public candidate accounts about Toyota GB’s graduate and apprentice schemes corroborate this, describing a one-way video round as a real stage in the process.

Two caveats matter, and they matter a lot. First, this reflects recent data, roughly 2023 to 2024. A case study is a snapshot of how a process worked at one point, and employers adjust their hiring often, so this is a real signal that a video step has been used, not proof that your specific application today will include one. Second, this is specifically Toyota Great Britain, the GB sales and marketing arm, and its emerging talent hiring. It does not tell you how a different Toyota entity, region, or experienced-hire role runs its process. The only reliable source for your situation is the invitation email and instructions you personally receive, so read those and ask your recruiter if anything is unclear.

What to expect in Toyota Great Britain’s process

For apprentice, student, and graduate routes, candidate accounts describe a multi-stage process, with the video interview sitting near the front.

Application first

The early-career schemes typically open with an online application form, often during an autumn-to-winter window. Your application is reviewed, and clearing that initial screen is usually what unlocks the next stages, which is why a Willo invitation generally means you have already advanced past the first filter.

Online tests

Candidate accounts describe an online test stage, sometimes a session of a couple of tests taking around an hour, that sits alongside or just after the early rounds. The exact mix and order vary by scheme and year, so treat this as part of the general shape rather than a fixed sequence.

The Willo one-way video interview

This is the stage most people are searching about. It works like any one-way interview: you get a link, you answer set questions one at a time on your own schedule, and you record each response within a time limit, with no live interviewer present. One candidate account mentioned a set of around eleven questions, though that is a single report and your set can differ. Per the case study, Toyota Great Britain described using the round to ask role-specific questions and let candidates describe their approach and experience, so expect prompts that invite real examples rather than rehearsed lines.

One useful thing to know about Willo specifically: it is not always video-only. The tool can ask for a recorded video answer, a voice-only answer, a typed answer, or an uploaded file, and a single interview can mix these. Check the format on each question before you start so nothing catches you off guard. Retakes and timings are configurable by the employer and shown on the start screen, so read that screen before you hit record. Our Willo candidate guide walks through the full mechanics.

Later stages

Candidates describe a later interview, often a panel that uses a structured competency framework to assess fit. For many graduate and apprentice tracks this is where a more in-depth, human conversation happens, and it may run virtually or in person. The specifics vary by scheme, so treat this as the general direction, not a fixed itinerary.

A note on the AI question

Willo records and organizes your answers and offers optional AI features, including transcription and scoring against criteria the employer sets, that a company can switch on. Whether your particular round is AI-scored is Toyota’s configuration choice, and it is not something you can see from the candidate side. The practical point: on a well-run process, AI sorts and summarizes while a person makes the call on the answers that count, so you are not performing for an algorithm. Answer the actual question clearly and you are covered either way. If the AI question is on your mind, is it an AI interview covers how to tell what is actually automated.

How to prepare

The format is the thing most people get wrong, not the answers. Talking to a camera with a countdown running and no interviewer to react to is its own skill, so practice recording yourself answering questions within a time limit before the real thing. Our Willo candidate guide covers retakes, response types, and pacing to a clock, and how to prepare for an asynchronous interview gives you the wider checklist for setup and nerves.

For the content of your answers, lean on structured, specific stories from your own experience rather than generic statements about Toyota. That is exactly what the case study says the round is for, surfacing the experience your CV does not capture, so a part-time, volunteer, or coursework example that shows real customer service, teamwork, or problem-solving lands better than a polished line about the brand. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is the right backbone for these behavioral prompts. Because these are early-career routes, our page on one-way interview questions for graduates gives you realistic prompts to rehearse with. Either way, test your camera, lighting, and internet before you start, and keep the recruiter’s contact handy in case the session glitches.

A note on how current this is

This page is grounded in a published Willo case study about Toyota Great Britain’s emerging talent hiring, roughly current to 2023 to 2024, plus public candidate accounts of its graduate and apprentice schemes. Toyota Great Britain adjusts its process over time, and a case study captures one moment in it, so treat everything here as a well-sourced snapshot, not a live rulebook. Your actual process is defined by the invitation and instructions you receive, and a quick question to your recruiter is the single most reliable way to confirm whether a video interview is part of your specific application.