Why:
Some job interviews are now being conducted via video in order for hiring managers or teams to comply with social distancing requirements during the pandemic.
While you may now be able to attend interviews remotely, usually from the comfort of your home or a location less formal than the meeting or conference room of your potential new employer, it is important to prepare for it and treat it as you would in-person interviews.
This means getting the interview details and instructions right, ensuring that your appearance is professional, and being courteous to your interviewers.
Video interviews do pose some unique challenges for interviewees. Here are a few tips to help you prepare.
Do…
- Test your ability to access the video/remote meeting system prior to the interview, when possible.
- Choose clothing you would wear to an in-person interview (perhaps just a touch less formal).
- Check your surroundings and make sure the area is clean, well-lit, and conducive to conversation. Be aware that fans (even small ones) that are facing the microphone can create noise that may be distracting or irritating to the listeners. The same goes for crinkly/crunching noises from plastics and shuffling noises from paper being moved back and forth across a table.
Don’t…
- Keep looking around, off to the distance, or worse, gesturing or talking to people off-camera.
- Eat. Just as you wouldn’t in an in-person interview.
- “Ghost” the interviewer(s)! Coordinating the interview schedule, especially if it is a panel, can be challenging. Remember that interviewer(s) have to block off or maybe even rearrange their own schedule to accommodate this time with you. Be courteous and let them know as soon as possible if you can’t make it to the interview, and see if they can reschedule it for another time.