Before COVID 19 video conferencing interviews were slowly gaining popularity within recruitment. They were a great way to save time for everyone, especially for first interviews. But post COVID19, this is now one of the main ways of interviewing. The end of severe restrictions are in sight and people are trickling back to their workplaces. Hopefully, soon we will be seeing the end of all restrictions. I’m sure we will see an increase in people back at offices, but will that mean fewer video interviews? Our take is there may be less, but we think that the first interview will still be dominated by video conferencing. It makes sense for both parties, we feel the second interview will see an increase in face to face activity, but with companies now realising they can employ anyone remotely and they can work from anywhere, then even a second interview may still stay online.
Getting It Right The First Time!
As we think that first interviews will still be dominated by video conferencing getting your online interview nailed is essential. You can't get to the coveted second interview if you fail at the starting blocks! Establishing a good video interview style is an essential tool for your career prospects. With this in mind, we have produced the following tips for you to prepare correctly for your next video conferencing interview!
1- Get Comfortable With The video conferencing Platform
Whether it's Zoom, Skype, Facebook or any other video conferencing platform, you need to feel comfortable with how it works. There is nothing worse than being totally blindsided by accidentally pausing a meeting and not knowing why or how you can get it back. Or all of a sudden you can't hear someone because you have leaned on your keyboard! This can really throw the whole meeting off balance for you. If you are not familiar with the software or app, download it and play around with it first! Call some friends and see what happens when you hit buttons or click on features, look at scene sharing and all the other features it has.
The fact you are using video conferencing software for your interview means that you are more likely to have technical faults or problems. If this happens, don’t stress. The interviewer understands that there may be issues, so try and stay calm and don’t be afraid to end the call and call them back if you need to. By staying calm and collected, you are showing them how you would act in a stressful situation, which they are likely to notice. Just make sure you know your software or app inside out before you do your interview, it may be a simple thing but it could be the make or break of the interview.
2- Ensure That Your Username Is Professional
If you already have a Zoom or Skype account from a few years ago or are in the process of setting up a new one, make sure your username is professional and not embarrassing. It's so easy if you have an old account to forget your avatars or user names that are already set within it. We don't want any beerMonster305's or PresecoQueen52's to degrade your interview before it starts! You want to look professional, so it's time to be boring and just use your full name or something close to it.
3- Get Dressed!
Although you don’t have to go into the office space for your interview, that doesn’t mean that it’s okay for you to stay in your pyjamas or sweats. Get changed and ready with clothes you would wear as if you were going in for a face-to-face interview. Also, don’t just dress professionally from the waist up (which can be tempting if you know they’re not going to see your bottom half!) Psychologically it plays a role to be dressed properly, you feel different and ready for the interview and you never know if you’re going to have to get up or move around. Just think, you wouldn’t go into a face-to-face interview without any trousers on, or just a jacket, shirt and jogging bottoms would you?
4- Think About Your Location
Make sure you have somewhere you can do the interview. Don’t do it from bed or a slouched position! If you can, sit at a desk or a table, that will really help. Turn the camera on and look at what is in your background. Make sure there is nothing embarrassing and try if you can to frame the shot and make the background look nice, or just video it against a plain wall. Another tip is you want to sit somewhere that isn’t too dark - somewhere near a window with natural light or a well-lit part of the room. This will make the video look much better! Try and avoid public places if possible, but if you need to do the interview from a café because you don’t have an Internet connection at home, make sure you let the interviewer know in advance. That way they will understand that there may be some background noise.
5- Eye Contact
Although tempting, avoid just looking at yourself in the bottom of the screen, it's a natural thing to do but don't. It is much harder to actually have eye contact through a computer or phone screen but direct your answers to your web camera. A good tip is to put the interviewers' video image right by your webcam, so when you are looking at them to speak your eyes are looking close to the camera. Then when you start talking look straight into the middle of the webcam lens. This way the interviewer will feel like you are giving them good eye contact. This is harder to do than you would expect, so practice with a friend first to get used to it.
6- Make Sure There Won’t Be Any Distractions Or Interruptions
Everyone remembers that interview with Professor Robert Kelly on BBC News when his kids interrupted him! You don’t want there to be any distractions or interruptions so make sure anybody who lives in your house (whether that’s your housemates, spouse or your mother) knows that you’re going to be in a video conferencing interview and that they shouldn’t interrupt you. You’ll also want to turn your phone off if you are not using it for your interview and shut down all other programs on your computer! If you have a Mac turn off your notifications, all these little things can trip you up in the interview.
So there you go, these are our top tips to help you completely nail your Skype interview! Of course, there is much more to learn generally with interview techniques both face to face and online, so it is worth looking at all our resources that will help you in any interview situation.
Two great articles to start with are our comprehensive guides How to Find a Job and our Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Dream Job! These go into a lot more than just interview techniques, but go through them and pick the relevant sections that you feel will help you. Then we have some great shorter blogs on interview techniques below. Have a look at all these and you will be set! Remember, 'Luck favours the prepared! We wish you all the luck and success in the future!
Top 10 Interview Questions You Should Always Prepare For.
Research You Should Consider Before An Interview
Ultimate Guide to Preparing your CV
How To Completely Nail Your Zoom, Skype or any other Video Conferencing Interview!
What questions should you never ask in an interview?
How to Answer the Question: What are your Strengths?
How to Answer the Question: What motivates you at work?
Finding a New Job? - It's Time To Clean Up Your Social Media Presence
Nerves and how to deal with them for an interview
Can Changing Roles Within Your Company Be Better Than Looking For a New Job?
The Definitive Guide to Starting a New Job
Also, remember if you are attending interviews you may get rejected, do not take this personally! A lot of things in life are a numbers game, meaning the more you get rejected the closer you will come to getting the job. It is simple maths, the more you do the better the chance of success. It is a healthy part of the process so read the article below and don't let rejection slow you down!
10 Top Tips for Coping With Those Soul-Destroying Job Rejections!