Mirror The Dress Code
It’s always important to research the company thats interviewing you. A key part of that research during the interview process should be its culture, including the dress code. You can lean on your recruiter as a source for this kind of information, as they want you to feel comfortable and provide you with all the information necessary to be successful. Once you know the dress code, mirror it as much as possible for your video interview. The interviewer is likely approaching this interview the same way theyd approach an in-person interview, so you should as well.
Be Aware Of Your Body Language At All Times During The Interview
Another important tip to succeed a job video interview is to be aware of your body language. Body language is key in face-to-face communication, and it is not different during a video interview. However, it is important to consider that the interviewer can only see what is on the video frame, so gesturing too much can be distracting or give the wrong impression, especially if your internet connection is not very good. Show interest, smile, listen and look at the camera from time to time to ensure you establish some kind of eye contact with the interviewer . Looking at the picture on the screen will not give the impression that you are looking directly at the interviewer, so remember to look at the camera whenever you can.
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.
Read Also: System Design Interview Preparation
Familiarize Yourself With The Platform
Whether it’s Google Meet, Skype, or Zoom, take the time to familiarize yourself with the video interview platform that youll be using. If youre unsure which platform the employer uses, feel free to ask your recruiter this when they’re outlining next steps to you.
I recommend connecting with a friend or family member to get feedback on your audio and video quality to ensure youll be presenting yourself as intended. Doing this on the same day of your interview can help you feel more confident so youre able to communicate effectively during the interview.
Taking the interview on a laptop or desktop is preferred, but if those are unavailable, your phone or tablet can be effective tools as well. If you do use your phone or tablet, find an area that has stable internet access as these devices are more susceptible to technical difficulties. If youre concerned about technical difficulties, reach out to your recruiter while the interview is being scheduled to ask who you should contact in case those difficulties arise.
What To Do After A Remote Interview
The best thing to do after an interview â a remote interview included â is sending your interviewer a thank-you note for their time and help. You can send a thank you via email and should hit send within 24 hours of the interview.
In addition to saying thank you to the interviewer, take the opportunity to reiterate why you would be perfect for the role, focusing on what you can do for them and the company, and telling them again how excited you are for the potential opportunity to join their team.
You May Like: Interview Questions For A Cfo
Use Professional Body Language
Because interviewing via video or phone limits the ability to communicate with body language, it is important to utilize body language in a clear, professional way. For example, if you get a question that is unexpected, make sure to stay poised and take a moment to collect your thoughts.
Sit up straight and ensure your camera is placed so your face is in the middle of your screen . In most interviews, you shake hands with your potential employer at the beginning and the end of the discussion. It’s an important body language cue that helps you establish the relationship. Instead, find other ways to greet and exude enthusiasm, like smiling and giving a confident wave with eye contact.
Think About Your Background
You probably wouldnt invite your future boss over to your house if it were strewn with socks, right? So dont let them see that on video! Find a clean, quiet area of your living space where you can take the call. Be sure to speak with any housemates in advance to ensure that nobody will walk behind you or make loud noises while youre in the middle of discussing your professional strengths and weaknesses.
Don’t Miss: What To Wear For An Interview Women
Dont Perform A Monologue Spark Conversations
Zoom calls are more monotonous than their in-person alternatives. Your main challenge during the interview itself will be keeping the conversation lively.
Be interested: Eighty-nine percent of the successful candidates in our study conversed with their recruiters in a natural, candid way. How? They showed genuine interest in their interviewer by asking questions. Our research found some of the most engaging questions were: How does the team communicate right now? What tools do you use to collaborate? How do you monitor remote work? Does the office have a virtual Friday happy hour where I could meet new colleagues? Some of the least engaging questions were questions that one can easily find answers to online, such as, Where is the company based? or What awards have you recently won?
Find common interests: Do some pre-work to see if you and your interviewer share any interests. Most companies will tell you who you are meeting with ahead of time. This means you can, and probably should, Google them. Explore what kind of articles they post or share on LinkedIn, what groups theyre a part of, what conferences they spoke at, or what kind of voluntary work they do. When the conversation starts to dry up, ask them about these things. Eighty-one percent of the unsuccessful candidates we observed had trouble filling dead air, missed social cues, and gave monologue-style answers to questions without engaging the other person at all, which ultimately bored their interviewers.
Make Sure You Use A Professional User Name
You may already have an account with the video conferencing software you are going to use for the interview, or you may need to create a new account. Either way, it is important to check that your user name is not something that could be deemed ridiculous or offensive. What may seem funny when you are interacting with friends may not be appropriate during a job interview.
Also Check: Prepare For System Design Interview
How Does The Artificial Intelligence Hiring System Work
The artificial intelligence hiring system has changed the way companies discover, develop, and hire talents. By merging video interviews with predictive and validated occupational science, such as personality tests and checklists, the artificial intelligence system augments human decision-making in workers’ hiring process.
Therefore, when you submit your CV to a company that engages in an artificial intelligence system, what happens is that the employers make use of video interviews to analyze your data points and that of thousands of other applicants. The determining factor for you and other candidates is your speaking voice, facial movement, and word selection.
The system automatically gathers data in these areas and creates an estimate of your skills, behaviors, personal stability, attitudes and willingness to learn. The general idea is that the systemusing the information generated about youcompares you against existing success stories and predetermined qualities of the job position.
How To Stand Out In A Virtual Interview
Once you have your quiet corner with reliable internet picked out and a laptop charged and ready, youâre almost ready to wow your interviewer. But consider these things for the big dance:
- Look into the webcam! I know that might feel unnatural, but it will give the interviewer the sense that youâre making eye contact and paying attention to what theyâre saying.
- Donât move! Okay, so thatâs not entirely reasonable, but try not to fidget, swivel your chair, type on the keyboard, or leave the frame of the video chat. Itâs distracting and feels off-putting.
- Set any note-taking expectations. Taking notes during an interview is encouraged, but if you plan to type notes on the same device from which youâll be taking the call, let your interviewers know so theyâll know you arenât being rude or distracted.
- If something happens with the connection, be honest! Everyone understands that a video call can have some glitches, so itâs always okay to ask someone to repeat something because the screen froze temporarily.
- Have fun. Smiling, laughing, and showing youâre enjoying the video chat are absolutely encouraged.
Read Also: Interview Questions To Ask A Cfo
Record In The Right Environment
When you think about how to succeed in pre-recorded video interviews, it’s important to start from the background of your recording. Record in front of a wall with neutral colors, avoiding wallpapers and distracting, patterned walls. All the focus should be on you not the background. Additionally, ensure that your workplace is tidy and clean before starting the video. You don’t want those reviewing your videos to notice a mess.
When it comes to recording, position your webcam so that it’s at eye-level when you sit down, and be sure that you have sufficient lighting in the room so you can be clearly seen without shadows or too much backlight. Turn on all the lights in the room if possible, and close the curtains to prevent glare if you’re recording in the daytime. Your recording space should also be quiet, so try to eliminate any possible distractions. Turn off your mobile phone and any other devices in the room that may create ambient noise. Also make sure that you have a great internet connection to prevent disruptions.
Practice Calling On Zoom
Arrange to call a friend or family member using Zoom. Practice using all the features, including mute, screen sharing and raising your hand.
Ask whether your friend/family member can see and hear you, adjusting the lighting and sound settings as needed.
If they report hearing an echo, Zoom has an audio echo troubleshooting guide. This will guide you through how to fix the problem.
Don’t Miss: Questions To Ask The Cfo In An Interview
Tips From A Recruiter: Mastering The Virtual Interview
Many organizations have changed how they conduct business as a result of COVID-19one of those adaptations is moving from in-person to virtual meetings, including interviews. If youre unfamiliar with this type of interview, it can be confusing to know how to prepare for and succeed at it.
As a recruiter, Ive learned specific ways candidates can prepare themselves for an engaging and successful virtual interview. In this article, well explore ways you can set yourself apart from other candidates in your next video interview.
Related:
Prepare Some Template Answers
You may wish to spend some time researching the common interview questions asked during an interview for a similar job. Carefully considering and preparing some responses ahead of time can help you feel more confident when answering these questions during the actual interview. Preparing a response beforehand can allow you to design your answer to make it coherent and articulate. You may also wish to consider asking a close friend or family member to read your answers to ensure that they directly address the interviewer’s question.
You May Like: Top 10 Behavioral Questions
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.
Dress For Success Even Remotely
Make sure that you look polished and professional at least up top. Consider a button-up shirt or blouse, and be sure to groom just as thoughtfully as you would for an in-person meeting. Not only will this help you make a great impression with your interviewer, but wearing clothes that make you feel confident will also help you get your head in the game!
You May Like: Design Interview Preparation
Learn How To Excel At Your Next Virtual Interview With 7 Tips And Tricks
Virtual interviewing and remote working are quickly becoming steadfast features in todays job market. With more companies embracing the virtual interview, applicants need to be prepared for a whole different kind of meeting.
Just like with in-person interviews, virtual interviews require prep work. But there are many other factors that need to be taken into consideration. To make sure you put your best foot forward at your next virtual interview, here are some proven tips to help you succeed.
Related:How to conduct a virtual job search
Get The Hardware You Need
Whenever possible, always do your video call on a laptop with a webcam! Itâs a better experience for you and those on the other end joining a video call from a mobile phone can come across unprofessional if not done properly. If you have to take the call from your phone, try to get a stand to stabilize things.
Pro tip: Always wear headphones on a video call, especially if itâs an interview! Youâll get clearer audio, reduce the chances that youâll get an echo, and minimize surprise background noise. While you can go as fancy as youâd like on a headset, the earbuds with a microphone that come with most mobile phones will also do the trick.
How to position the webcam for a virtual interview
Try to position the webcam just above eye level and about two feet away from you. If youâre working with a smaller laptop and donât have a laptop stand, you can always sit your laptop on top of some books during your interview to get your webcam slightly above eye level.
Read Also: Questions To Ask Cfo During Interview
How To Sell Yourself In An Interview
A job interview is a chance to convince the interviewer or your potential employer why you’re professionally desirable and why it’s good to hire you. When preparing for an upcoming job interview, you may wish to present the best version of yourself to your potential employer or hiring manager. Learning how to sell yourself and highlight your experiences, skills and attributes which make you a good fit for the role may help increase your chances of success. In this article, we explain what it means to sell yourself in an interview, show you how to do it and share some interview tips on how to prepare for an interview.
Related:How to Prepare for an Interview
Ways To Succeed In A Virtual Interview
Virtual interviews are now a bigger part of our lives than ever before. As non-essential travel is currently banned, in-person interviews are being scrapped in favor of virtual interviews. This includes using video interviews to see each other and screen-share capabilities for the presentation .
As a result, we have reached peak 21st century interviewing and the virtual interview process is getting its time in the spotlight. Its a different style of interview to get ready for with a few nuances to prepare for that arent always at top of mind when putting your interview face on. Here are a few ways to help it go smoothly.
Recommended Reading: Preparing For System Design Interview
Question : What Are Your Greatest Professional Strengths And Weaknesses
In your answer to this interview question, make sure you share real, practical and relevant strengths. Go through the job description of the target position in question and remember to be as specific as you can be.
When it comes to talk about your weaknesses, be very careful not to mention anything that might disqualify you. Always try to show the interviewer that you are striving to perfect your weakness and constantly working upon yourself.
Use this curated list of top recruiters interview questions to ace virtual interviews without stepping out your home. Continue giving as many mocks as you can, this will help you identify your weaker sections and hone your interviewing skills.
- TAGS
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.
Recommended Reading: Cfo Interview
Ace Your Video Interview
Whether its your first remote interview or one of many, taking video interview tips into consideration can help you adjust to the intricacies of the remote hiring process. By knowing what to expect ahead of time, you can help ensure that you’re fully prepared and able to make the best impression possible.
