If you are looking for a new job chances are you will do the interview remotely over video call, so what do you need to look out for and how can you use this to your advantage?
I recently had two video interviews and got the job, from my experience and the research I did beforehand here are my top tips.
Firstly in most ways treat it as a regular interview, wear a suit, be on time, expect the same questions and prepare in the same ways you usually would. It felt odd but I got dressed into a suit and put make up on and everything, just to sit in the spare room. I did keep my slippers on though.
Here's the reality photo, the spare room has not been touched in the house renovation so whilst I managed to stage it to look pretty ok (of what they could see on the video!) it was basically me in a suit surrounded by chaos!
Make sure that your technical set up is sound. Test the WiFi connection and video work well. If you have pets keep them out of the room and make sure everyone in your household knows you need quiet. I set up the laptop a little higher so that I wasn't leaning down and it felt much more natural to talk that way.
Some of the things that work to your advantage can be seen in the photo above. I had a piece of paper taped to the wall with a few key reminders on it of why I want to work for them, my key experience, things I found interesting about the company etc. I actually didn't need to look at it but it was reassuring in case I had a mind block during the interview. I also had a pad next to me to make notes about the first interview so I could refer back to key points in the second interview. I wrote these down right after the interview ended as I didn't want to be writing during.
A big plus point for me was that I went into it much more relaxed as I was in my own space, I didn't have to worry about getting there and finding parking or buses being late etc. I could sit for half an hour before it started and drink a cup of tea, think about my key talking points and questions and generally felt really prepared and calm.
Another thing to prepare, and what I felt was a plus point but may depend on your living situation and how much you enjoy decorating as to how you feel about it, was having the opportunity to stage the background. You can portray yourself well and also show a bit of your personality. I went with this background.
They couldn't see the cat bed, it cut off after the third shelf down on the bookshelf. I just used things we already had and staged it so it looked like my nice home office rather than a spare room in desperate need of renovation!
Think about any mirrors as well, this was the reflection they had in the mirror not the unfinished door frame in the first photo.
You don't want the background to be too chaotic, make sure it is clean and tidy and looks like you have your sh*t together basically. Plants and books are good to use, I picked the plants up from Sainsbury's the day before. I used my medals and some travel photos to show a bit of my personal history and achievements. I wanted it to say I'm a woman who's been places and done things, I can do anything I put my mind to and I also have a lovely home, you should totally hire me.
Lighting is also important, you don't want the sun to be shining in your eyes the whole time or washing out half of your face and you also don't want it too dark. Set up your area and then see how the light looks on video before the interview.
So you are all set up and ready, what do you need to remember during the interview? On video calls you don't get a lot of body language so you need to be really clear about how you speak and what you say, don't rely on body language and nonverbal cues to reinforce your point or convey your tone. You also need to speak clearly and try not to talk over people, which can be easier to do on video calls as you don't always catch the body language showing that someone is about to speak.
Don't panic about technical difficulties, chances are someone will start getting feedback or internet will be slow. If it happens just stay calm and professional. If it's using a technology unfamiliar to you (they used WebEx for my interviews which I had not used before) a few practice calls to friends beforehand may be helpful to ensure you are confident using it.
There are some things that I missed about an in person interview. Not attending the offices meant I didn't get the insight into the company you usually get, just little things like how formal it is, how large the team is, how nice (or not) the offices are and whether there is parking or a bus stop nearby. Don't be afraid to ask these things prior to or at interview if it's important to you, I would ask the logistical questions beforehand when speaking to HR e.g. parking, public transport, but some questions about what the interviewers like about the offices, the size of the staff and the general ethos of the workplace or what kind of workplace it can be good questions to ask at interview.
If you have any more tips, comments or questions please feel free to leave then in the comments section below.
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