During the pandemic, many employers are turning to video calls for their job interviews. For job candidates, the convenience of interviewing from home can be a major bonus! It can save you both travel time and money.
If you prepare for a video interview in advance, it can also be less stressful than interviewing in person.
Here are some tips on how to prepare for an interview over video call:
1) Get familiar with the software being used
Whether it's Zoom, Facetime, Skype or another type of video conferencing service, download the software in advance and test out its use on your own. This will help alleviate stress going into the interview, as you will know how things from a technical standpoint will run. This is where you will get the basics down of how to create an account (if required), log in, and any sound and visual issues you may need to address.
2) If required, create a professional username.
For some of these video conferencing services, you will need to create an account with a username. Make sure you don't use anything that can be taken as unprofessional; your best bet would be to use your first and last name, or some sort of variation on that.
3) Be mindful of your lighting.
Be sure you have enough lighting to avoid any heavy shadows, whether it be setting up near a window or turning on the lights if needed. The interviewer should be able to clearly see your face. You can figure this out in your testing of the software phase.
4) Be mindful of your background.
Your interview will not only be able to see you, but whatever is in the background of your call. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of your backdrop. If possible, pick a bare wall as your background or an area with minimal distraction. In some of these softwares such as Skype or Zoom, you also have the option to select a different background.
5) Know who is contacting whom.
Before the interview, make sure it is clearly understood who will be calling who for the interview. If you are suppose to be reaching out, make sure you get all the information that is required; username, email, phone number, etc.
6) Prepare as you would for an in person interview.
Just as you would for an in-person interview, research the company beforehand, practice common interview questions and dress professionally. Once you've tackled the technical side of learning how to use a video conference service, the interview will run very similarly to an in-person interview so prepare yourself as you would regularly.