I am writing this blog because I’ve interviewed many candidates throughout my ten years of working in career development. No matter how confident or experienced the applicants are, there’s always a little bit of hesitation and nervousness going into a first interview. After all, the initial conversation is a chance for an aspiring co-worker to make their first, best impression. For students making the transition from eight hours of school time to full-time employment in any XYZ company, nailing the preliminary interview is often a make-or-break moment. Many times where you land the job defines your career. No pressure, right?
Many agencies are searching for talent from across the country, so scheduling in-person interviews with out-of-town candidates has become a costly and time-consuming affair. On top of this, Covid has put a dent in in-person interviews in situations where it was easier to do it before the pandemic. But I would like to say thanks to a growing number of technologies that facilitate online video interviews, this has made it easier to conduct interviews anywhere in the world and reduced the time and cost. It’s no longer an absolute requirement to meet in person for the all-important first interview.
With the growing popularity of online video interviewing platforms, anxious job seekers have a few more challenges to overcome, aside from first impressions. How can I scale the interviewer’s reactions to my responses if I can’t see them? Am I making the perfect impression through video alone?
With more companies using new technologies like Sparkhire, Ducknowl, or eskill to speed up the recruiting process for high-volume roles like Coder, marketing manager candidates wonder how they can stand out and make it past the first round. Instead of winging it, here are five tips that will help improve your video interviewing skills and, hopefully, help you land your next first job
Make sure the system should be good:
First of all, Test the system (computer, camera, audio) you will be using to make sure everything is in working order. You will need a laptop with a webcam and a marvelous speed internet connection. Make sure your Wi-Fi works well. Do you have an Ethernet cable and the appropriate adapters if you need to be hardwired? How does your audio sound? Does your microphone work perfectly? Does your webcam work perfectly? You want to figure out all things well before your interview, not at the last minute of the interview.
Make arrangements to have your interview in a secluded and quiet location.
Before the interview starts, you should find a quiet and calm place for the interview. If you are interviewing from home, try to find a soft, clean, and well-lit room. If possible, have pets and your family members in another room or out of the house to ensure they don’t interrupt the interview.
Be aware of your body language.
You’re doing an interview remotely that doesn’t mean you should be lounging on an interviewer as you answer the questions. It would help if you had your computer/desktop placed on your desk, framed to show yourself from the chest up, and you must maintain a professional posture with open body language.
Be Confident
During the video interview, your ultimate goal is to demonstrate to the interviewer how you can benefit their organization. It’s essential to relax enough to give them a favorable view of the “real you are” and to be able to talk about your skills and past experiences with ease. You’re being interviewed for a reason, so be confident in yourself. Positive posture, proper eye contact, and a friendly smile give the impression that you are comfortable and satisfied with the video interview process and your ability to succeed at your potential new job.
Read More: Seven ways to boost confidence at a job interview
How should you dress for a video interview?
Arrange a video interview with the same expertise and priority as a face-to-face interview. It will help if you look your best by being appropriately dressed and groomed. Avoid large plaids, stripes, and busy prints, which may be overemphasized on the screen. During the video conference call, the interviewer will look for neatness in your dress and how you hold yourself.
Show your personality and have fun with it!
Make sure to answer a question with a smile. Get enthusiastic about sharing the story about the time you led a team through a challenging project and came out on top. Incorporate a humorous, random detail about yourself into your response.
The recruiter who watches your video interview has more than likely been watching dozens — if not hundreds — of interviews on any given day, and even the most minor thing can help you stand out in the sea of hundreds of other videos.
Once you’ve submitted your video interview, now you wait to hear the following steps from the company, and you can do so knowing that you submitted a great video interview into consideration.
