14 Mar How to nail a video interview
With the increase in jobs that can be done remotely, so much work happening mostly online, it is not surprising that the interview process is not happening at the office.
Gone are the days of not being able to land a job because you can’t go for an interview, or because the job is in a different city, a different country, or in a different time zone.
Enter the video interview: where you open up a whole new field of job opportunities – but only if you nail the interview.
Treat it like the real thing
When it comes to doing an interview that is actually happening in your living room, the tendency is to think “great, I’ll just leave my pajamas on, and maybe even sneak my computer into my bedroom and interview from my bed.”
Sorry, but that isn’t going to work out very well for you.
The trick with successfully completing a video interview is to treat it like a real interview:
- act professionally, not overly casual
- take your computer to an environment that has minimal background noise
- turn off sounds and notifications on your computer and phone to eliminate disruption
- aim to have the best quality internet connection and equipment that is available to you
Frame yourself from the chest up
Typically interviewers will only see the top half of your body and the background in this area.
You can think of this as the stage – and whatever shows up on that stage is going to affect what the audience thinks of the show.
This means it is important for you to choose a neutral background that is not distracting or full of people walking around.
Dress professionally and do not wear a hat.
Consider the lighting and make sure that your face is completely visible at all times.
Don’t forget to think about the body language you emanate from your face, shoulders, and hands as you speak – they may come across differently in the video than they would in person.
Be prepared
Just like you need to treat it like the real thing when it comes to your professionalism and environment, you also need to treat it seriously when it comes to preparing.
Don’t rely on notes or papers that you have on your desk, and especially not those which you have on your computer desktop.
More than that, keep eye contact with the interviewer throughout the video as much as possible and allow for a slight pause after you are finished speaking to account for connection lag.
While video interviews open up a whole new world of opportunities in terms of work location, flexibility, and job autonomy, one thing remains the same: you have to ace the interview in order to get the job.
Use these tips to help you act on video just like you would in person and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a new employee!
