How to pass an online interview to leave a good impression

Online interviews have many benefits. At the very least, there is no need to waste time traveling and getting ready. According to a survey by the SuperJob site, 17% of respondents prefer to communicate with an HR specialist via video link. However, 46% of applicants would choose a face-to-face meeting. However, during a pandemic, this is a luxury, you have to tune in to online.

Let's figure out, together with HR professionals, how to get through a video interview with a minimum of mistakes.

How to prepare for an online interview

Part of the worries will be the same as before a personal meeting. But online interviews have their own specifics, which also have to be taken into account. It is mainly related to technical training and creating a working atmosphere.

Make sure the connection is OK

First of all, it is necessary to ensure the quality and stability of communication, so that everything is not canceled at the last moment.

Olesya Plotnikova Head of selection and adaptation at hh.ru.

It is worth making sure in advance that your interview will not fail due to unpaid internet or lack of traffic. If at home there is a risk of network “crash”, then it is better to find a coworking space nearby with good Internet connection and meeting room.

But going to a cafe with free Wi-Fi is still not worth it, experts are unanimous in this. Too much background noise.

Check the technical serviceability of the equipment

Make sure that the device you will be using for communication is charged, or rather plug it into an outlet. Be sure to check your camcorder. As an exception, you can be met and talked in audio mode. But the video will add points to you.

Marina Malashenko HR Director of OneTwoTrip travel planning service.

On one occasion, one of the technicians we reviewed successfully completed an online interview without video link. When we invited him to the final offline meeting, it turned out that he did not go through the previous stages, since the candidate could not answer the simplest questions.

For a video call, it will be optimal to choose a laptop or stationary computer with a webcam. It is usually easier to sit in front of them so that you look good in the frame. If only the phone is available, do not hold it in your hands. Otherwise, you risk starting to wave it with active gestures or excitement. Better to put the device on a tripod.

Install the programs you want and configure them

The interview is not always conducted in the application you are used to. Sometimes you have to download additional software. Finding this out five minutes before the interview can create problems. First, it takes time to install and register with the service. Secondly, usually everything goes according to Murphy's law: if difficulties can arise, they will arise. There will be irregularities with the installation, at the last moment the operating system will decide to reinstall … It is better to check everything in advance.

In the interview program, enter your first and last name and do not forget about the photo.

Elena Vorontsova CEO and co-founder of HR BRO recruitment agency.

It is very strange to go through an online interview with the camera turned off. But in case of any glitches, make sure that when you turn off the video, you have an acceptable avatar.

Turn off notifications

And not only on the device from which you will go online. Extraneous sounds, squeaks and vibrations will be distracting.

On the device itself, you should not just turn off notifications, but also close messengers and the like altogether for a while. Especially if there is a chance that you have to show the screen. It is unlikely that you want the interlocutor to see all the messages addressed to you.

In case of screen sharing, you should also close all compromising tabs, remove files with dubious names and an obscene picture from the wallpaper from the desktop.

Provide good sound

This is not only about the technical side of the issue, although it is, of course, important. To make the sound clearer, there was no echo and extraneous noise, it is better to use a headset or microphone with headphones. Moreover, it is worth testing in advance how it all works.

But this is not the only thing that matters for the conversation. It is worth warning household members to give up loud activities during your interview, close windows, turn off noisy appliances like a washing machine. The quieter it is around, the more pleasant it will be to communicate with you.

Remove distractions

On the question of household members: it is better to warn them so that they do not interrupt you from the interview. “Just ask” also counts. It is clear that everyone has some kind of personal life. But the employer still wants to see in front of him, first of all, a specialist who knows how to separate the work from the personal.

Natalia Menokhova Founder of Work & Wolf.

Sometimes candidates say: “I want to go to remote work. And children certainly do not bother me in any way”. But the refutation is visible right in the frame, when even a 30-40 minute interview the parent cannot stop the child's attempts to find out what is happening and take part in the discussion.

The same applies to pets. It is clear that it is difficult for them to explain why you are at home, but you cannot be approached for some time. But convincing an employer to hire you is not easy either. Therefore, you have to prioritize.

Ekaterina Dementyeva HR Director of the software developer "MyOffice".

Pets are often interviewed as well. One of the candidates had a dog barking and whining desperately for an hour. Our other recruiter was contacted by a job seeker who had a rook at home. And this rook sat on the candidate's shoulder during the entire interview and shouted, but he could not remove him due to the fact that "the bird will be nervous."

Pay attention to the background

We get used to the atmosphere of our home and do not notice many things. However, drying laundry in the background, an unfolded ironing board, or a hentai poster can spoil the experience.

Irina Stepanova Head of Video Solutions and Collaboration Accessories at Logitech.

Certainly, there should be no clutter and scattered things around you: it looks ugly and can undermine your authority. If you do not have a suitable background at home, the background-screen saver, which can be selected in the settings of the video conferencing office in some applications, will help out.

Choose the right lighting

The easiest way to get a good picture is to sit by the window so that no direct sunlight falls on you. It will be both light and beautiful. True, for this it is necessary that the interview takes place during the day, it was not too cloudy outside the window, but also not very sunny.

If you're unlucky, it's worth considering artificial lighting. The ceiling light is not enough. The light will fall from above, so strange shadows may appear on the face, mimicking bruises under the eyes.

Irina Stepanova Head of Video Solutions and Collaboration Accessories at Logitech.

Online interview format increases distance. Non-verbal information is sorely lacking, it becomes much more difficult to win over interlocutors.

When the “arsenal” of influence on the employer is less, the applicant should make the most of his opportunities: the face should be clearly visible, facial expressions should be expressive, emphasize intonation and semantic accents. Lighting plays an important role here. Ideally, there should be a bright lamp on the table. Let her light fall from the side, so as not to dazzle, but at the same time it is good to illuminate the face.

Find a favorable angle

At any interview, you want to show your best side. With online interviews, this can be done literally. Pre-move in front of the camera, evaluate which turns and tilts of the head you like the most. Knowing your strengths will give you confidence.

Inna Kostrikina HR-director of the educational company "Yaklass".

Do not show yourself in close-up, choose the optimal distance. Sit on the edge of a chair with one foot forward, a famous TV presenter's life hack. With this landing, the back is automatically straightened, and the upper body, along with the neck and head, looks straight and not stooped.

It’s worth looking good for another, less obvious reason.

Olesya Plotnikova Head of selection and adaptation at hh.ru.

Be prepared to be recorded: this is the practice in many organizations. Interviews can be shown to other interested leaders. However, it is your responsibility to notify you and to ensure the confidentiality of the video.

During a conversation, look at the camera, not at the screen, in order to communicate with the interlocutor, and not look away. Then you will make a different impression on the recording. This requires a little practice, because during an online meeting, you want to do the opposite.

By the way, a lot depends on how you installed the device. While the separate camera can be positioned however you like, the laptop will usually sit well below your head on the table. Because of this, you look down at the interlocutor, and the lower part of the face becomes visually heavy.

Elena Vorontsova CEO and co-founder of HR BRO recruitment agency.

An unobvious but useful recommendation is to adjust the position of the screen and camera so that they are exactly at the level of your eyes, not lower or higher.

Dress appropriately

If it seems obvious to you that you shouldn't show up for an online interview in a dressing gown or pajamas, don't jump to conclusions.

Ekaterina Dementyeva HR Director of the software developer "MyOffice".

Somehow the candidate communicated with our recruiter, lying in bed, with a naked torso. And there was also a job seeker who spent the entire interview in a hat and jacket, even though he was in the room.

Nobody expects a three-piece suit from you. But changing into something decent is still worth it. Whether it's just a clean T-shirt or a shirt with a jacket, it's up to you. After all, you are looking for the right employer too, so it is important to match up on decency.

Prepare additional materials

Unlike face-to-face interviews, the interviewee only sees what you are showing him. This means that you can leave various useful things behind the scenes that will help you answer more confidently.

Ekaterina Kotova Senior HR consultant at Hays recruiting company.

An online interview allows you to write yourself a cheat sheet if you're worried about forgetting to tell the interviewer something important. Write a plan for self-presentation, highlight the required points. Write in abstracts and in no case make essays out of them, otherwise you will simply read out the text prepared in advance and will not make the most pleasant impression on the interlocutor.

Important numbers, indicators, answers to popular tricky questions, a portfolio - all this can be kept close at hand and periodically looked there. Just let them literally be "at hand". If you search for every document - paper or electronic - for a long time, you will hardly be able to impress the recruiter.

What to do during an online interview

There are several nuances worth paying attention to.

Focus completely on the interview

When you come to a face-to-face interview in someone else's office, you feel collected and tense. Unusual surroundings and strangers around you also have an effect. Video interviews can feel a little make-believe. But although the conditions are different, you need to completely immerse yourself in the conversation.

Marina Malashenko HR Director of OneTwoTrip travel planning service.

When scheduling an interview, it is important to structure your current work so that you can actually talk and not be distracted. We had a situation when a candidate tried to work and communicate at an interview. Of course, he did not look at the screen, at the same time typed something during the conversation, made long pauses in his story. On our question about whether we interfere, he answered indistinctly.

Follow the rules of business etiquette

Even if you go online from your apartment, try not to behave at home during the interview, but to remember the norms of business communication.

Ekaterina Dementyeva HR Director of the software developer "MyOffice".

There have also been stories of applicants vaping into the camera during the interview so that the smoke was like a rocker. However, there were also ardent supporters of healthy lifestyle in our interviews. One of the candidates was training on the sports ground right during the interview, interrupting his run.

There was one that forgot himself during the interview and poured himself a beer. For almost the entire meeting, it was not in the line of sight of the camera, and it was not clear what he was pouring and drinking there. At the end of the call, he took a mug, and everything became clear. When the young man realized that he was "lit up", he was not at a loss and said: "Oh, well, today is Friday, it's already possible."

Check periodically that the meeting is ongoing

Even if you have checked the connection, prepared in the best way, no one is immune from problems on the line or at the other side.

Olesya Plotnikova Head of selection and adaptation at hh.ru.

Pause periodically during the interview and ask if you can be heard well. Or just let the interviewer respond during the pause. Pay attention if the image of the interlocutor is not frozen.

There are unpleasant situations when it seems that the interlocutor has been silent for a long time, because he is delighted with your eloquence, but in fact, you have been talking into emptiness for several minutes, because the connection has disappeared.

Provide an immersive experience

It feels like a video meeting is closer to a telephone conversation than a live conversation. Therefore, it may be tempting to do what you are used to during a call: draw some scribbles, wander around the room, walk from side to side. But in an online interview, as in a regular interview, it is important to maintain contact, especially visual contact.

Marina Malashenko HR Director of OneTwoTrip travel planning service.

One of our candidates connected to the call from his mobile. During the interview, he became agitated and began walking around the room from side to side. As a result, it was not always visible: the applicant completely disappeared in the dark, and when he approached the window, the image was lit up. Non-verbal communication was lost.

Maintaining eye contact online is more difficult: it is not clear where to look. Keep your gaze in the area of the camera, that will be enough.

Be a little bolder about yourself

Experts note that despite the convenience of online interviews, it is usually more difficult to acquire personal charm at such a meeting than with live contact.

Olesya Plotnikova Head of selection and adaptation at hh.ru.

Try to leave a good impression: of course, this rule is always important. But with a remote conversation - especially. Even if you use video communication, it does not give the effect of face-to-face communication. You are in a situation where your voice creates an impression of you - the tone in which you communicate with the interlocutor is of great importance. And careful choice of expressions.

The interlocutor is deprived of some assessment tools, and it is more difficult for him to understand what kind of person you are. You can draw conclusions about professional competencies from your resume and portfolio. But they are not only important. Therefore, be prepared to answer questions about non-core skills that can help in work - about those very stress resistance, communication skills, and so on.

Follow the offline interview rules

Internet meetings have their own characteristics. But the main task in the interview remains the same - to show himself as a good specialist who is ready for new challenges. We have already written how to do this correctly.