Attending The Interview Late
If you’re not on time for a job interview, you’ll be late. This is especially true when it comes to Zoom interviews. If you go on the phone a few minutes early, you won’t have to worry about last-minute technological issues derailing your efforts. Nothing is more stressful than going into a job interview anxious and preoccupied.
To ensure that you arrive on time and prepared, confirm your interview information before the day of your appointment.
Look For A Place With Enough Of Light
During your Zoom interview, your interviewer must be able to observe your body language and facial emotions. Choose a room with adequate illumination so that people can see you well. Setting up your interview area in front of a window that allows in a lot of natural light is a wonderful approach to stand out. Setting up in front of a window will cast shadows on your face, making you appear to be a silhouette.
How Would You Describe Yourself
While this question is similar to, Tell me about yourself, its best answered with a shorter response. To prepare, pick two or three key positive adjectives that youd use to describe yourself and your work, and be ready to explain why.
Example answer:
I would describe myself as careful and hard-working. Im persistent, and my work ethic is something I take pride in. But I also like to work carefully and ensure that Im not committing mistakes or having to redo my work. Ive found that by slowing down and working carefully and methodically, you can often save yourself a lot of time and hassles in the long run.
Don’t Miss: How To Prepare For A Facebook Interview
Use A Computer If You Have One And Plug It In Before The Meeting Starts
Sherry Sims, the founder and CEO of Black Career Womens Network, is a fan of using cameras rather than smartphones or tablets . Desktop and laptops offer stronger wireless signals, so youre less likely to drop the call during a critical part of the interview, she explains. Additionally, mobile phone and tablet batteries can drain and die quickly when using video, so theres an even greater chance youll get disconnected during the interview.
Along with improved connectivity, Sims says the webcams on desktops and laptops also supply prospective employers with better visuals. They provide a more balanced view of you and your surroundings from the waist up, instead of just a face shot, she says. If all you have available to you is a smartphone or tablet, be sure to plug it in before your call begins. Or if you and other members of your household share a tablet and laptop, ask the them if you can reserve the laptop for a given hour.
Dont Ask For Feedback On The Spot
Ive seen people recommend that you ask for feedback or concerns at the end of the interview. Something like this: Based on what weve discussed, is there any reason you wouldnt consider me for this job? Horrible advice. Never ask this. Ever. Or anything like it.
First of all, they just finished interviewing you. Give them time to think. Youre going to go home and decide whether youre interested, they need time to think too. Dont put them on the spot like this.
Also, youre bringing the negatives to their attention. Youre literally asking them if they can think of a reason thatd stop them from hiring you. Even if they do think of something, they wont tell you for fear of a lawsuit.
I like to say something like this instead: If you need any more info from me or have any questions later, dont hesitate to contact me.
Read Also: How To Prepare For Coding Interview
Think About Facts Figures And Accomplishments You Can Talk About
Hiring managers love this stuff. You should already have this on your resume, but either way prepare specific stories and facts/metrics you can share.
Dont just say in my last job I was responsible for ___.
What did you accomplish? Give exact data. Did you exceed your goals? By how much?
Did you help the company make money, save money, save time, etc.? How can you quantify this? Thats how to impress them and get noticed.
Powerful Job Interview Tips From A Recruiter: How To Pass An Interview
- /
If you think most hiring decisions are based on your experience and qualifications, then you better keep reading. Your resume gets you in the door, but how you interview determines whether youre offered the job.
This article will teach you proven job interview tips to help you pass a job interview and get the job you want. Heres what were going to cover:
- Part I: Job Interview Preparation Tips everything to do before your interview
- Part II: Interviewing Tips the best strategies to use during your interview to stand out
- Part III: Tips for After Your Interview how to make sure you get the job offer after your interview is over
These are the best interview tips that I know, from close to 5 years working as a Recruiter.
After you finish this article, youll know how to stand out from other job seekers and pass a job interview a majority of the time.
You May Like: What Are Questions That Are Asked In Interviews
The Date Time And Timezone Of The Interview Should Be Double
The last thing any candidate would want to do is miss the interview because of a timezone mix-up. So, you should double-check the email from the employer and be sure that the meeting calendar is set at the right time and right day.
This is a very simple step and avoids a lot of potential embarrassment and hassle.
If the interview is missed, it needs to be rescheduled, and it is a very inconvenient situation for both the interviewee and the interviewer.
So you should properly check the time zone and date of the interview and attend it on time.
Not Carrying On A Real Conversation
Even when theyre conducted in person, job interviews can feel like interrogations. The interviewer asks questions you answer them. You ask questions the interviewer answers them. Rinse, repeat. Video technology can exacerbate this problem by shrinking your visual field down to two screens and ratcheting up the tension with the threat of technical difficulties.
To overcome these issues, remind yourself that a good job interview is a conversationno more and no less. You and the interviewer are not on opposing sides, but on the same team, working together toward a common goal.
Focus on listening instead of waiting for your chance to speak. Youll demonstrate a valuable soft skill as well as communicating better and learning more about the job. Best of all, youll make a more positive impression on the hiring manager, which is essential to helping you land the job.
Also Check: How To Practice For A Job Interview
You Probably Need More Friendsheres How To Make Them
2. Try to level the playing field. If you interview one candidate by phone, another by video and a third in person, you may evaluate them differently. Since it may be hard to interview candidates in the same format, standardize as much of the interview process as you can to help mitigate bias. For instance, proximity bias favors those closest to you, i.e., in-person interviewees. Here are some suggestions:
Develop structured interview questions that are pre-set and pre-ordered for all interviewees to ensure a more equitable process.
Create clear, consistent rating scales the whole interview team can use to score interviewees, their qualifications and their answers.
Make sure any information, be it positive or negative, is backed by objective information. Don’t just say the interviewee seemed bored explain that the interviewee was constantly looking at their watch or needed you to repeat questions.
Finally, if possible, dont hold a group evaluation of candidates until each interviewer has completed and submitted a thorough evaluation of individual candidates in writing, through a scoring system or to a neutral party.
3. Turn off distractions. We are all tempted to check e-mails or respond to chats during a phone or video call. Its best to turn off all distractions so you can record more meaningful data and engage in substantive discussion.
Zoom Interviews Are Still Interviews
When you don’t even need to leave your living room to go to an interview, it can be easy to forget the gravity of the situation. But just because you’re still at home doesn’t mean your interview isn’t a serious business meeting.
For example, you still need to dress the part. If you wouldn’t wear pajamas to an in-person interview — and you definitely should not wear pajamas to an in-person interview — then you shouldn’t wear them for your Zoom interview. Even if you’re positive the camera won’t see your bottom half, things happen if you need to stand up for some reason, it’s best to be wearing nice pants .
However, it’s not just for the interviewer’s benefit that you should dress appropriately. How we dress can actively impact how we feel. If you’re dressed professionally, you’re more likely to conduct yourself professionally. Being put together can also help boost your confidence, which is always helpful during a stressful job interview.
Besides dressing appropriately, you also want to do all of the same preparation you’d do for any job interview. Research the industry, the company, and the role for which you’re applying. And have a few questions about the job written down so you don’t look like a frozen screen when the interviewer asks if you have any of your own questions.
Don’t Miss: How To Watch Oprah Meghan Markle Interview
If Your Camera Can See It Your Interviewer Can Too
When you log into any video chat app, you usually have a little preview box that shows you what your camera sees. That is the same image the interviewer is going to receive.
It’s a very good idea to do a little testing long before your interview to make sure your camera isn’t picking up something you wouldn’t want someone else — or, at least, someone you want to hire you — to see. This might be something as benign as dirty laundry, or maybe it’s the, er, “questionable” poster left over from your college dorm.
Whatever the case, clean up your background. If you can, choose a neutral location in your home that has good lighting and little clutter. And no, you can’t just rely on Zoom backgrounds to cover your messy surroundings. If the background glitches or fails for some reason , you could be in trouble.
How Much Money Are You Looking To Earn
This question is left off of many lists of common job interview questions, yet its extremely important and the wrong answer can cost you thousands of dollars.
The best answers to this question follow one rule: DONT say a specific number or even a narrow salary range that youre targeting.
Why? You have the least amount of leverage possible at this point in the job interview and job search process. You havent finished interviewing with this employer, and they dont even know if youre a good fit for the position.
So you cant command a high salary right now. Theres nothing to gain by answering salary questions so early, and quite a bit to potentially lose.
If you go too low with your desired salary range, it could limit the offer you receive later, even if they would have offered more normally. Or, you could worry them that youre not at the level they were hoping for!
Meanwhile, if you share a number or range thats too high, you could scare them off before they get to know you and see your worth! Whereas, after talking with you in a few interviews, they might have been willing to stretch their budget to hire you! Ive seen this happen frequently as a recruiter.
Therefore, its a lose-lose to tell them your salary target before you know theyre interested in hiring you. When youre preparing what to say in a job interview, especially an early-stage interview, salary goals should not be a part of it!
Dont:
Example answer:
Read Also: How To Prepare For Amazon Coding Interview
What Is An Interview Zoom Call
An interview Zoom call is when you interview for a position using Zoom. Zoom is a type of video software that many companies use to connect with others remotely. It has various tools such as screen sharing, text chat, video recording and muting. Once you learn how to properly use these tools, you can use them to your advantage during your next video interview.
Related:Video Interview Guide: Tips for a Successful Interview
Be On Time But Not Early For The Zoom Meeting
Since Zoom is new as compared to Skype, many employers are also new in scheduling Zoom interviews. They may use the same meeting room or link for multiple job seekers as per the time slot allotted. So, if you join much early, then there are chances that you may be entering a meeting room that was being used to talk to another job seeker before your time slot.
So, it is recommended that you should be entering your Zoom meeting or interview 5 minutes before the scheduled time, but no sooner.
Also Check: How To Close An Interview
Be Cautious To Choose Your Interview Outfit
As has been mentioned above also, one of the zoom interview tips is that you should dress professionally. It should be similar in the way that you would have chosen for an in-person interview.
It is recommended to pick out an outfit ahead of time, and it should be professional business attire. It should look clean and wrinkle-free. Keep it ready before your scheduled interview time.
Check The Interview Time
Of course, you need to make sure that you know the exact date and time of your Zoom interviewer. However, you also need to carefully check the time zone, especially if you are interviewing for a role in a large company. There is a good chance that the interviewer could be in a different state or another country altogether.
The last thing you want is to miss your Zoom interview because you got the time zone mixed up. If the time zone is not clearly stated, it is best to check in advance to make sure. Do not simply assume that the interviewer is in the same time zone.
Also Check: How To Ace A Virtual Interview
Do You Have Any Questions For Us
If you dont ask good questions in each interview, you might be costing yourself job offers. Asking questions shows interest in the position and shows employers that youre looking for the right fit, not just any job. This will make them trust you more and want you more.
You can ask about the work, the training, the challenges youd face, the overall direction of the company.
Dont ask about salary, benefits, time off, or anything that isnt related to the work. Wait for them to bring it up, or until you know they want to offer you the position.
Here are 105 of the best questions to ask the interviewer.
Example answer:
Yes, I have a couple of questions actually. The first thing I wanted to ask: Is this a newly-created position, or did somebody hold this role in the past? And if so, what did that person go on to do after this position?
UPDATE:
If you have interviews coming up and dont want to leave anything to chance, Ive created a new guide where you can copy my exact step-by-step method for getting job offers. You can get more details here.
Have A Plan For Interruptions
Sure, were all working remotely at the present time, which means distractions abound, but a job interview is the one time you dont want to be interrupted. Lock the door if you have to, says Diane Baranello, a New York City-based career coach. Dont allow distractions like a family member, dog or child to enter the room while youre being interviewed. The same goes for street noise. If theres noise, like sirens, coming into your space, close the window. Every minute of the interview is precious time for making the best possible impression, Baranello adds. No childcare? Tap a neighbor whos been quarantining for help or, worst case, its a-OK to rely on a screen if you need it.
You May Like: What To Ask A Cfo In An Interview
Using Zoom For Interviews
More and more departments are using Zoom to schedule employee interviews. With a few steps, you can make sure you are using the Zoom settings that will get the interview off to a good start!
This blog post already assumes you are familiar with the steps for scheduling a meeting in Zoom.
Once you have your candidate emails and the dates/times for the interviews handy, complete the following steps.
Prepare For The Common Questions
Employers ask a lot of the same questions in every industry. Practice so that youre not caught-off guard by anything in the first 5-10 minutes.
Questions you NEED to be able to answer if you expect to get hired:
- What do you know about us?
- Why are you job searching right now?
Questions like why did you leave your last position? are extremely common.
So be ready to explain any past job changes, layoffs, promotions, or other moves youve made either within a company, or between companies.
So as a final step, pretend youre the hiring manager looking at your resume, what would they ask about your work history? Thats what to be ready for!
Example: Lets say you had a Manager position, and then changed companies and became an individual contributor and no longer managed anyone. Theyre probably going to ask why.
Its not bad that you made this move, but its bad if you cannot explain it. Maybe it paid more. Maybe management isnt your strength and you wanted to develop other skills, etc. But be ready to explain!
Don’t Miss: How To Prepare System Design Interview
