The year 2020 brought many things our way – one of them being is virtual interviews and remote hires. Virtual interviews are becoming increasingly popular, especially for your first round before meeting your hiring manager. For many, online interviews and working online has become the norm, but if you haven’t done a virtual interview yet and the idea sounds daunting, we’ve got you.
Here are a few ways you can prepare for your video interview and make it just as professional as an in-person meeting.
Get your software sorted early.
The very last thing you want to be stressing about on the day of your scheduled interview is whether you’ll be able to download the necessary software in time or set up an account on a platform you’ve never used before.
To prevent this last-minute tech-panic, make sure you know what software is required for your meeting, and spend some time familiarizing yourself with it.
This will help you feel much more confident when the time comes and also prevent any unwanted delays that may reflect negatively.
Find the best lighting.
This might seem like such an ‘extra’ thing to worry about on top of everything else you’re dealing with but it’s truly one of the most important things.
Make sure to find a spot with natural lighting. Your face should be towards the light source. If you can’t find good natural light, try switching on a lamp in the room so that your face is clearly visible.
You want the interviewer to get a good look at your face so that they can remember who they spoke to and put a face to your name.
Stick to a simple background.
The last thing you would want is for an interviewer to be distracted by your pets running around your messy living room while you’re trying to convince them that you’re professional.
Instead, find a plain background. Try sitting in front of a wall or make sure that you tidy your living room and have your pets play in another room while you’re on the call.
The fewer possible distractions, the better.
Dress the part.
Dress to impress just as you would for a regular in-person meeting with a potential employer.
This will not only put you in the right headspace for the position you’re interviewing for but also show the interviewer that you’re serious about the role.
Don’t make the mistake of only dressing up your top half because you might need to get up during the interview to close a window or adjust your computer screen and what you wore to bed last night is definitely not something you want to share with your interviewer.
Pay attention to body language.
Even though you might not physically be with someone to shake their hand, eye contact is still extremely important.
Make sure that you’re not distracted by your own face on the screen and focus on looking at your interviewer just as you would have in a regular face-to-face situation.
If you can, adjust the height of your chair or put your laptop on a few books so that it sits at eye level. This just looks so much better than if you were to look down at the screen.
Remember to relax and practice not to fidget while you’re talking or answering tough questions that require some extra brain power.
