Show Up A Few Minutes Early
You wouldnt walk into the building where a 3 PM interview was being held at exactly 3 PM or even at 2:59 PM, so you shouldnt cut it so close for a video interview either. Prepare your computer by closing all extra windows and tabs. And if you have a portfolio or anything similar youd like to be able to show via screen share during your interview, make sure that its ready in an easy-to-access, but minimized, window.
Open up the program where your video interview will take place a few minutes early. Before you fully enter the meeting, a lot of the common video interview software will give you a chance to check your shot. Then, relax, says Turner. Be completely in place a few minutes early and do a few breathing exercises. That way, when you click to join the call and the interview starts, youre already ready to go.
Add Numbers To Your Bullet Points
What good is updating your resume if you don’t show what you’ve accomplished since the last time you updated it? Take a look at your resume in its current state. Do all of your bullet points contain numbers? Do you have measurable accomplishments that prove you save or make companies money? If not, your resume still has some cobwebs. You still have some updating to do.
Breathe life back into your resume by quantifying your work experience. Add numbers to each bullet point in the “Work History” section of your resume. Think about what have you accomplished at work. Think about the service you provide as a business-of-one. What is your specialty? Do you get results? What have you accomplished that proves you’re a valuable employee? If you can’t quantify something, it doesn’t belong on your resume.
Including numbers on your resume not only shows hiring managers what you can do, but they also help your resume stand out from the competition. They give hiring managers something tangible to measure your success and potential on. If there’s one thing that can bring your resume back to life, it’s quantifiable information.
Ready To Open An Overseas Account
Now that you’ve hopefully aced your virtual interview, it’s time to think about your relocation. Leave your details on our quick form and we’ll get in touch to answer your questions and to help you open an overseas account.
If you’re moving abroad, there’s travel, accommodation and insurance to think about, too.
Don’t Miss: How To Prepare For Machine Learning Engineer Interview
Treat It Like Any Other Interview
The following best practices apply to both on-site and virtual interviews.
- Study the Job Description: Make an inventory of your skills and experience that align with each job requirement, and be ready to showcase them. Its okay if some skills are areas of growth for you. In these instances showcase your ability and agility to grow and learn new things.
- Research the Interviewer: Once interview attendees are confirmed, look them up on professional networking sites like to get familiar with their background. Identify questions based on their experience and interests.
- Practice and Prepare: If your interview process includes a panel presentation, be sure to practice! Conducting a dry run with family, friends, or peers can perfect your talk track.
- Dress the Part: Salesforce tends to be more casual, but this doesn’t mean there isn’t a time or a place to step it up a bit. Bring your authentic self to the interview. We want you to get to know you and what makes you unique.
For A Video Interview I Recommend Having:
You May Like: How To Prepare For Amazon Coding Interview
Tips To Ace Your Video Job Interview
Largely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home also known as WFH or remote working has become much more commonplace. At many companies, the job interview process has followed suit, with hiring managers leveraging virtual interviews to get to know job candidates. And while remote video interviews give these recruiters the opportunity to evaluate candidates qualifications and communication skills, they offer candidates the home-field advantage, as they can have this conversation from the comfort of their own familiar living space.
What do you need to know to ace a virtual interview? Be prepared, confident and engaging, just as you would if meeting someone face-to-face. Of course, you also need to address the technology. Here are some tips to help you think through your strategy.
The Basics of Virtual Job Interviewing
One of the most important things to remember when participating in a video interview is that in-person job interview best practices still apply:
There are also some differences between virtual and in-person interviews. Following are some tips that apply specifically to connecting electronically.
How to Dress for Your Video Interview
Set Up Your Virtual Interview Location
Test Your Technology
Make a Strong Connection with Your Interviewer
Stay Calm if Something Goes Wrong
Follow Up on Your Virtual Interview
Mention A Mutual Acquaintance
Whenever possible, it’s easier to start an introduction with the help of a mutual acquaintance. After the help of an introduction, it’s up to you to build rapport.
If you connect with someone who works for a company you want to work for, you may consider a message like, “I’m a former colleague of John Smith, who’s told me a lot about you and your work. I’m considering a position at 123 Company. Would you mind if I ask you some questions related to your experience with the application and interview process?”
The saying, “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know,” has never been truer. Take advantage of your current connections and use them to expand your professional network today.
Don’t Miss: How To Interview A Manager
How To Ace The Virtual Interview
Interviews for campus-leadership positions have shifted entirely to video, in our Covid-19 era of travel bans and social distancing. Many of the clients I work with as a campus search consultant expect that shift to remain a trend, even after our shelter-in-place era passes. Video interviewing has its advantages it saves money, for one but it also creates a unique set of stresses for candidates.
In more than 100 administrative searches, Ive seen an array of video snafus: cameras angled to focus on shiny foreheads, cameos by pets and naked toddlers, unmade beds clearly visible in the background. Ive seen candidates thinking they were on mute shout at a spouse to be quiet and tell a child to go pee. Ive seen committee members thinking they were on mute talk about a candidate. Ive watched candidates put on their eye makeup, sneeze into the screen, and bring in their kids to help manage the technology.
Some of those mistakes are recoverable and some arent, yet most are entirely avoidable. The following video-interview tips can help even the most senior and technologically savvy candidates navigate popular videoconferencing services like Zoom, BlueJeans, Webex, Google Meet, or Skype.
Prepare Like You Would For An In
Just because your interview is happening over Skype , doesnt mean its not a real interview. Other than preparations to travel to the interview, you still need to prepare the same way you would if you were going into the office. That means researching the company and role, preparing to answer common interview questions, and coming up with questions to ask your interviewer in return. Your interviewer is still looking for someone they can see themselves working with and who is passionate and knowledgeable about the role theyre applying tobe ready to show them why thats you.
Also Check: How To Practice For A Job Interview
Bonus Tips For Virtual Presentations:
If your interview includes a virtual presentation, youll likely need to seamlessly interact with your video call attendees while sharing your screen. Weve outlined steps to help you do just that, regardless of the platform you may be using.
1. Use Presenter View Not Present ModeBy default, most slide creation tools will open your deck in full-screen mode when you click Present. If this happens, you wont be able to see anything else including your audience and text chats in the meeting. By opting for Presenter View you can access other windows while still sharing slides at 100% scale. Weve gathered Presenter View tutorials for common presentation tools:
Start Off With A Digital Handshake
When you interview in person, theres a period where the interview has started, but it hasnt started. You and your interviewer are physically meeting, shaking hands, walking into the room, and sitting down. Even if youre not making small talk, theres still some time to settle in. For a video interview, this isnt always the case, so you need to focus on making an initial connection even more than usual, Eonnet says.
Try a digital handshake, she says. After you say hello, look right into the camera to forge a connection, do a small head nod as if to say yes!, and add a smile, which translates warmth and openness.
You May Like: What Are Some Good Responses To Interview Questions
Have Notes At The Ready
The good news is that your interviewer is unable to see your desk or table where your laptop or computer is located. That means you can have a few notes with you to act as prompts. This is a good idea if you tend to get nervous or flustered during interviews. Simply write down a few one or two word notes to help prompt you if you become stuck. Dont write an essay as you need to keep eye contact with your interviewer and avoid looking down for long periods. A quick glance at your written prompts will allow you to maintain eye contact without distraction.
Tips For Acing Your Next Virtual Interview
As technology continues to evolve, the workplace has been quick to follow suit adopting new innovations that save time and increase efficiency. In fact, fifty percent of employers surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management said they use virtual interviews as a way to narrow their applicant pool. Video conferencing software, such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts, has helped recruiters reach a more diverse, global group of candidates, and offers a cost-effective way to screen prospective hires.
Due to current events like the Coronavirus pandemic and the sudden need to bring many positions online, virtual interviews have also become a necessity when traditional interviews cannot take place face-to-face. Many professionals are now working from home or pursuing new positions remotely, and the hiring process has become increasingly virtual as a result.
Mastering the virtual interview is often one of the first steps toward a follow-up interview and subsequent employment. Heres how you can increase the likelihood that an employer asks you to come in for round two of an interview.
Read Also: How To Do A Group Interview
Determine What To Wear To Dress Up
When picking out what to wear to a remote interview, give yourself that test run and see how youll look to the interviewer. Remember to avoid distracting prints or stripes, which may look funny on screen.
If youre in an industry that expects professional and formal dress, keep in mind that youll only be seen from above your waist. If itll help you mentally feel ready, dress up from head to toe.
Helpful Tip
Wear shoes, too! Being barefoot can make you feel too comfortable. We recommend some ideas for flats for women in our ladies shoes guide.
Monitor Your Body Language
You cant firmly shake a hiring managers hand or as easily exude enthusiasm via video. But what you can do is monitor your body language.
The main way to communicate confidence is to sit up straight, smile, and keep the camera at eye level. Research shows that employers are more likely to remember what you said if you maintain eye contact, so keep your focus on the camera when talking, not on the image of the hiring manager.
Recommended Reading: How To Close An Interview
Minimize Interruptionsbut Take Them In Stride If They Happen
Do whatever you can to cut down on the chances of being interrupted. If you can, set up in a room where you can close the door and inform anyone you share a space with that they shouldnt disturb you during your interview Check your space the day before for any unexpected distractions. You dont want to be caught off guard by an ongoing construction project, for example. And make sure you turn off or silence your phone or any other electronic device that might make noise and pause any notifications on your computer.
However, if theres a high chance of you being interrupted by something outside of your control, mentioning it at the start can prepare your interviewer and show them youre proactive. It can also help settle your nerves about the situation. For example, if you have a dog in the next room that might start barking, you can make your interviewer aware of that possibility.
Its not about erasing the fact that youre in your home. Its about being as professional as you can given the circumstance, Eonnet says.
Read All The Emails From Your Recruiter Carefully
Your recruiter knows that a virtual interview might be a brand new thing for you. On top of sending your interview schedule, theyll be sending instructions on how to sign into your virtual interview. Be sure to review all of the instructions prior to your interview day so you can get your questions answered and make sure you fully understand the process. Youll also receive instructions on how to use our video meeting platform, Zoom. Youll definitely want to test it before the start of your first interview!
Recommended Reading: What To Ask A Cfo In An Interview
Don’t Ask For A Job On First Contact
Avoid sending your resume on first contact, or asking if your new connection knows of any job openings at their company. Your first message to a new connection should focus on starting a conversation, and you can effectively do that by asking for general advice rather than requesting for a job.
Also, remember to keep questions open-ended so you can build conversation, not end it.
Prepare For The Unexpected
Unlike traditional face-to-face interviews, virtual interviews can be conducted from the comfort of your home. Despite the familiar setting, you may still encounter some unexpected situations.
Master the platform: Become an expert on whatever platform is chosen for your interview . If you have not used it before, download the interface and practice the features by doing some mock calls with a family member or a friend. In 41% of interviews we studied, technology caused breakdowns. In one interview, the candidate appeared upside down the entire time, as they couldnt figure out the camera. In 22% of successful interviews, the candidates offered their interviewer tips for video call shortcuts.
Keep notes handy, but dont refer to them too often: During job interviews, its standard for recruiters to ask candidates for examples of their most impactful work. Dont let this unnerve you in the moment. Create a printout or Word document of notes with crisp bullet points highlighting a few projects you want to share. Sort your projects under two or three headers: accomplishments, research, and voluntary work.
We suggest no more than one page of notes. Forty-two percent of unsuccessful job candidates appeared overwhelmed by their notes, and were obvious when reading from them. They scrolled through documents on their laptops or continuously looked down at their desks. The goal is to refer to your notes minimally. Use them only to remind you of points you have already practiced.
You May Like: How To Crack Business Analyst Interview
Setting Up For A Virtual Interview
- Arrange a practical video conference set up. Set your camera to eye-level and make sure its stable and wont move during the call. If you need to use your computer to code or present information, arrange a comfortable working position.
- Test your computer and ensure your video and microphone are working before the interview takes place. Ensure your internet connection is stable and your computer is fully charged.
- Treat your video interview like an in-person interview. Dress professionally. This can boost your confidence and promote a positive first impression.
- Make sure you are in a well-lit space free from distracting backgrounds. No other people, pets, or personal items should be in view of the camera.
- Find a quiet area for the interview and use headphones if needed. Try to minimize background noise. If you have roommates or live with others, let them know about the interview and what time it takes place so they do not interrupt.
Choose Your Setting And Background
Before your actual interview, be sure to decide where youll be sitting and what your interviewer will see behind you. When it comes to your background, consider noise, lighting and color.
The main goal is to not distract people from your actual answers when youre doing a job interview, says Brie. You just dont want people paying more attention to whats behind you than what youre saying to them.
To get a better idea of what makes a good background, I asked Brie to critique a few different areas of my apartment in terms of how they would look for a video interview.
Also Check: How To Prepare System Design Interview
