Tips To Ace Your Video Interview
If you have an online video interview coming up, youre probably wondering what to expect or how best to prepare. While the questions and answers will probably be similar to what you would expect in a traditional interview, the added layer of technology can make it seem like a totally different experience.
Whether your interview is live or pre-recorded, take the time to read through each of the steps below. Youll learn how to ensure that you have the best audio/video quality, background and attire. And well offer help on ways to increase your confidence on-camera.
Do You Double Check The Topic In Zoom Meeting
Always double or triple check the recording on the meeting topic. By default, Zoom should put “Zoom Meeting” after the name, but this may vary depending on the application you’re using for scheduling. This makes it easy to differentiate your interviews so that you can start the right interview at the right time.
Prepare Ahead Of Time
Once youve landed a video interview, there are a few things you can do to prepare. Like a traditional interview, youll want to have answers to commonly-asked questions ready to go. Be prepared to introduce yourself, talk about your experience and provide examples of job-related successes that showcase your skills.
Also, be prepared to talk about technology use and your ability to work remotely.
For a lot of remote jobs and online interviews, part of the interview is probably going to be around your comfort with technology, says Brie Reynolds. Expect some of those questions in addition to how youll actually do this job and perform as a professional in your chosen career.
In addition to having an idea of what you plan to say, be sure to gather as much information as possible about the company and interview process ahead of time. The details may not be as clear for an online job interview, so its important to seek them out beforehand.
Brie recommends that you ask how many people will be in the interview, double-check the time zone and get your interviewers contact information. This will help you know what to expect, ensure you dont miss the interview and give you a way to reach your interviewer if you encounter technical difficulties before or during the interview.
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Tips On How To Succeed In An Online Job Interview
Changed to an online interview. Job hunter trying to make an impressive presence online.
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Debbie lives in Seattle, where she is a 56-year-old marketing manager. She just called seeking some interview coaching because T-Mobile had changed her in-person interview to an online one. She started out saying, “I really want this job. I’ve been prepping, but with the coronavirus spreading here in Seattle, T-Mobile has now asked its employees to work from home. That’s why my interview is changed and now going to be online. I’m rather camera shy. Can you help me get ready, so I don’t blow this chance?”
Since I live in Seattle, I understood her dilemma. With so many local employers now asking employees to work from home, online interviews with start popping up here and in other parts of the country dealing with this health issue. In a survey put out by OfficeTeam, it was discovered that 63% of human resource managers use or have used video interviewing recently in the hiring process. Moreover, 13% of hiring managers plan on using it even more in the future.
Being on camera makes everyone nervous. It also is tricky because you can easily make mistakes. Online interviews using Skype, Zoom, or Go-To-My-Meeting have been popular in specific industries, especially for colleges and universities, for quite a while.
Here are 7 tips to help you excel in your online interviews.
Prep For Optimal Eye Contact
Have you ever had a conversation with someone where they seemed to be looking over your shoulder or away from you entirely? Did you feel like you connected with that person? Probably not. So while actual eye contact isnt possible in a video interview, youll want to get as close as possible. Looking at someones face is usually enough to show that youre listening and engaged with what theyre saying.
To that end, make sure youve found a comfortable distance that allows you to look straight ahead rather than down at the camera. And place the window where your interviewer will appear on the same monitor as your camera and move it as close to the camera as possiblecentered is best. That way, when you look at them, as you naturally will during your conversation, youre also looking at the camera.
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Your Body Language Is Still Important Even More So
With less of you to focus on and less of an environment to be distracted by your body language actually becomes even more important on Zoom, according to Graham. This is why recording yourself in advance and watching it afterwards are so important.
I know its painful I do, says Graham. But I think we often dont recognize the gestures that we have for example, playing with our hair or drinking a lot of water. When youre in a conference room, those things might not be noticeable, but when youre on a Zoom screen and youre literally in this little box, a lot of those natural body movements tend to be very exaggerated. Its not that you cant drink water during an interview, but you can seem nervous if youre constantly sipping away. Its also not the time for you to bring out your What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas mug.
Most of us are not completely accustomed to being on camera, so use your practice time to get more comfortable so your personality still shines through. That can be as simple as redirecting where youre looking.
Conducting A Mock Interview Online
If you want to make a good impression during an interview, you should do a little preparation first. When preparing for an online interview, you want to get used to this non-traditional interview format. One way to do this is by asking someone to do an online mock interview with you. In this article, we explain what a mock interview online is and how you can benefit from one.
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Strategies For Effective Virtual Interview Questions
The best questions help decipher whether or not a candidate has the requisite skills.
Remember, the aim of an interview to assess whether or not a candidate possesses the requisite skills and experience that your company needs to be successful. The questions posed during the interview should reflect those needs, as specifically as possible.
Additionally, they should be used as a means to determine whether or not the candidate in question is aligned with your companys values and vision. Ambiguous and generic questions wont provide you with the insight thats necessary to assess the profile of interviewees and ultimately determine whether or not they should be hired.
A word on generic questions: The utility of boilerplate interview questions is debatable. On the one hand, its likely many candidates will have rehearsed answers to these questions by the time they meet with you. For this reason many hiring managers avoid these questions. Altogether.
On the other hand, if a prospective employee is unable to give a thoughtful and articulate response to a standard question, its likely they also lack the more nuanced soft skills youre looking for.
Bottom line: Generic interview questions are useful as long as you have realistic expectations about what they tell you. If you use them as a way to assess the most basic soft skills, great! If, however, they significantly influence hiring decisions youre likely overvaluing them and could benefit from dialing back those expectations.
What Are Good Tips For The Interview
7 interview tips to help you hire, practice, and prepare. Review typical interview questions employers ask and practice answering them. Contact the interlocutor. In addition to sharing what you know about the company, you should also try to connect with the person you are talking to. Study the company and show what you know. Prepare in advance.
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How To Impress During An Interview Video For Students
You can’t laugh enough, especially in a virtual interview. A positive attitude is a prerequisite for most jobs and it certainly helps. Use humor to break the ice and show your positive personality. If you don’t have body language to get your message across, make sure your face speaks well and often.
Prepare Your Technology To Avoid Glitches
Conduct a technical trial run of your video conferencing platform common ones include Skype for Business and Zoom a day or so beforehand, giving yourself enough time to adapt if anything isnt working. Check your computer camera, microphone and internet connection, and make sure you know your login information, especially if you havent used the videoconferencing application or tool in a while. If youre using your laptop or tablet, check your Wi-Fi connection and ensure your equipment is charged and ready to go.
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Remember To Stay Responsive After You Wave Goodbye
After you end your call, be sure not to ghost your interviewer. Download the Handshake app to ensure that you respond to recruiter messages promptly, and check your email at least twice per day to stay abreast of any outreach or next steps that might land in your inbox!
With these tips in your back pocket, youll have all the keys to succeed in your video interview. Now all you have to do is find the right opportunity! Check out this helpful advice for finding a job or internship online, and discover ways to make the most of a remote internship once youve got an offer.
Create A Strong Presence
In any job that youre going for, you have to create a strong presence for yourself, whether that be online, on paper or in person, and those three things have to be congruent. First of all, youll send your CV, how does that present? Theyre going to look at your LinkedIn profile, how does that present? Then theyre going to see you either in person or in a virtual interview, and these three things all have to be strong. Never forget that its not just about the interview, its the build up too thats important.
Before Covid 60% of hiring managers and recruiters used video technology. In 2021, 86% of organisations are using virtual technology as part of their recruitment process
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Tips For Mobile Video Interviewing
The health and well-being of our candidates, customers, associates and communities is our top priority, especially given the current uncertainty around the spread of the coronavirus . While we continue to monitor this quickly-evolving situation, we made the decision to move entirely to virtual interviewsan approach that ensures consistency in our interview process, supports fairness in our hiring process, minimizes potential health risks and reduces travel-related anxiety for our candidates. We want to support you throughout your virtual interview process, whether on a computer or if that’s not possible, your mobile phone. If you are interviewing on a mobile device, read the following tips to ensure that the process goes a smoothly as possible.
Tips For After The Interview
When the interview is over, give yourself the best chances of moving forward by doing the following:
20. Ask about next steps. After your interview, it is appropriate to ask either your interviewer, hiring manager or recruiter about what you should expect next. This will likely be a follow-up email with results from your interview, additional requirements like an assignment or reference list or another interview.
21. Send a personalized thank you letter after the interview. Ask for the business card of each person you speak with during the interview process so that you can follow up individually with a separate thank you email. If you interviewed in the morning, send your follow-up emails the same day. If you interviewed in the afternoon, the next morning is fine. Make certain that each email is distinct from the others, using the notes you took during the conversations.
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Prepare For These Online Interview Questions Related To The Pandemic
You are likely to be asked some online interview questions related to the COVID pandemic. The world of work has changed and this will be referred to in your interview. Here are some pandemic-related interview questions that you can prepare for ahead of your online interview:
How have you adapted to working from home?
What have you found to be your greatest challenge during the pandemic?
How have you handled stress associated with the pandemic?
What have you learned about yourself ?
How To Prepare For An Online Interview: The Day Of The Interview
Its easy for an interviewer to get a sense of your personality, presence, and even enthusiasm for the position with an in-person interview. While more than 50% of companies in the U.S. are trading in traditional, face-to-face interviews for video and phone calls, the latter present a unique set of challenges. As a candidate, youll have to be especially mindful to show an employer who you are and why youre a great fit for their company, while staying aware of your devices and environment. Below are some tips for making sure the day of your interview is a success.
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Make Sure Your Tech Is Working
The last thing you need during an online interview is for your laptop or tablet to start playing up.
The distraction of malfunctioning hardware will only make you feel more nervous.
Not only that but, even if a glitching device isn’t your fault and it will happen from time to time, it may cause a prospective employer to wonder whether it may be a regular occurrence.
Make sure to check your Wifi connection, that your devices are updated and working quickly, that you have a backup device in case your first choice fails, and make sure you have installed, updated, and know how to use the program on which your interview will be conducted.
From knowing how to change the volume on the software to ensuring your camera and microphone are connected, make sure you test everything out well ahead of the interview it may even be worth testing this out with a family member or friend.
Show A Clear Image Of Your Face
Set your webcam up for a test run. Hows the lighting? Your face needs to be well lit, but if you have light skin a direct light could leave you looking ghostly. You may need to bring in a couple of lamps and light yourself from several angles. Keep experimenting until the webcam image is impeccable.
Oily skin can develop a shine on camera, so wash your face before the interview. If you wear makeup, keep it light and simple.
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Eliminate All Technical Hitches
Sorry, I just cant get the webcam working! the words an interviewer least wants to hear. Test your equipment in advance to avoid the kind of embarrassment that could throw you off balance. If possible, do a trial run with the exact application youll use in the interview if its a Skype interview, set up a Skype call with a friend. This is less easy to do if the call comes via the companys web conferencing software youll just have to make sure your camera and mic work in other applications and keep your fingers crossed.
A decent internet connection is also vital. Organise a backup location at a friends place in case your broadband has a bad day.
Want a practice run? Take Bright Network’s free video interview practice assessment.
And Your Clothing Too
If youre not used to being on camera, you should evaluate your interview attire through the lens of whether it works on video or not. Record yourself in what youre going to wear, says Graham. If you have very sparkly jewelry or have horizontal lines or a very complex pattern, that can be very distracting. In particular, tightly striped patterns can create a strobing effect. Another factor to consider: What youre wearing should contrast with your background , and you also dont want it to interact strangely with your Zoom background if youre using one.
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How Do You Do A Zoom Interview At Home
These interview tips from Zoom can help you master this video software and show employers you’re the right candidate: Use the mute button. Look at the camera when you speak. Choose a professional route. Find a well-lit room. Choose a quiet place. Mute your phone. Concentrated. Turn off notifications.
