How to Prepare for a Video Interview

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The interview is stressful. Video interviewing is doubly stressful. On the way to your dream job, there may be connection problems, background noises, and a blurry image. Eleven tips to help you pass a Skype interview and make a good impression.

1. Check your internet connection in advance

A slow internet will negate the most thorough preparation. You can be a great specialist, but if the picture and sound periodically disappear, the impression of you will not be winning.

2. Prepare additional equipment

These can be stands for a smartphone or tablet if you plan to use gadgets. Or working headphones to help minimize background noise. You don't have to run after expensive headphones. A headset from a phone with a built-in microphone will do.

3. Check the software

Check plugins, audio inputs and outputs, settings of the service that you plan to use for a video call in advance. If necessary, download the application in advance or create an account to work. Practice hitting the Mute button, check the video settings in the app, try screen sharing.

4. Prepare the "film set"

Think about the position you will adopt during the conversation. Will you be comfortable? Check what you have in the background. Practice looking directly into the camera so that the other person has a sense of direct eye contact. If you are going to use multiple monitors, set them up so that the other person can see your face, not the ear or the back of the head.

5. Use front lighting

One of the most common mistakes is to sit with your back to the window.

Aim the light source directly in your face.

6. Choose a quiet place for conversation

The coffee shop around the corner is actually quite noisy. Children trapped in the next room can suddenly break free and ruin a serious conversation with joyful shouts. Therefore, find a place in advance where no one will bother you.

7. Turn off sound notifications

Before video chatting, turn off the sound on gadgets, instant messengers and social networks, close the tabs in the browser if they can suddenly make a sound, and pick up the intercom handset. A sudden postman or update notification can interrupt you at the most important point.

8. Warn the interlocutor that you are going to take notes

We're talking about electronic notes. If you are going to write something down during the conversation, warn the interlocutor. The knock of the keys can cause him fair bewilderment and even annoyance: you might think that you decided to write to a friend in the chat in the middle of a conversation.

9. Make a test call

Practice making video calls and speaking in advance, as well as pressing the necessary buttons during a call. This is especially useful if you have no experience with video calling. On the day of the video interview, also make a test call to check connectivity, sound, connection, and how you look on the screen. It's a good idea to prepare a plan B: agree with the interlocutor that you will be contacted by phone if the connection is lost.

10. Dress up

It is tempting to interview in your home clothes. It's better not to do this, though. It is not necessary to dress up, it is enough to look clean and tidy.

11. Behave naturally

But don't overdo it. You should not spin on a chair, roll it around the room, periodically leaving the frame, or do something like that. Smile and show that you enjoy the conversation. At the end of the day, you have to show the product, that is, yourself, with your face.