Video Interview Tips

Video interview Tips

With offices shut indefinitely, and people adjust to working from home, there is a necessity for recruitment methods to adapt. Video interviews are by no means a new thing, especially with an increase in remote working over recent years. However, a once useful tool to help coordinate long distance meetings will likely become the norm long after offices open back up. Throughout this post we will give some tips as to how you can prepare for video interviews, but many of these can also be used more generally if you are increasing your use of video conferencing technology.

1. Location

   Preparing for an interview normally includes having to locate where the meeting will take place, and this doesn’t change when changing face to face to video. Try to find a space that reflects you as a professional, with minimal distractions going on in the background. This may involve having to do some rearranging of your surrounds, or moving your set up in front of a blank wall. You want to make sure the person conducting the interview remembers your answers, and not pile of laundry behind you.

2. Lighting

   After you have found the perfect location, test out the lighting before committing to the space. Avoid sitting with a window behind you or having strong lighting coming from above; you want to make sure the person interviewing can see you clearly, and you don’t have strong shadows on your face. However, you should also avoid sitting in direct sunlight as you don’t want to be squinting or have difficulty viewing the screen. One of the best ways of combating this is to set up a lamp behind your laptop or computer.

3. Test your equipment

   Once you have your set up, make sure you test out the equipment before committing to the interview. Set up a test run with a friend or family member to check you have installed any programs correctly and check that your webcam is working effectively. Use headphones if you have any and test out the quality of sound. Another area people often overlook is your internet connection. Test out if you encounter any issues with your connection or freezing, and if this works better using a Hotspot instead of Wi-Fi. Finally make sure your set up of your laptop or computer create a good frame of you, avoid having it too low or close to your face. These are all issues you want to give yourself enough time to correct, avoiding any embarrassment during the interview.

4. Dress to impress

   What you wear is considered important when attending an interview, so don’t get sloppy when it is done over video. Although you can go for the ‘smart on the top, casual on the bottom’ approach if you really desire, try wear something that makes you feel professional and in the right head-space. Avoid anything too distracting, such as bold patterns or too much jewellery. Job search expert Alison Doyle advises “Certain colours, like many shades of blue—royal, navy, sky blue—look great on video, while others like reds and hot colours like magenta can be too bright,”.

5. Don’t get too casual

Remember this is an interview and not a Facetime with your friends, and as such you should act in the same way as if you were in an office environment. Maintain a good posture and keep eye contact with the interviewer. Don’t have a cup of tea in hand, if you need a drink keep a glass of water out of frame. Ensure you don’t have any distractions, leave your phone in another room and ask anyone in the house to keep quiet during the interview.

These are all our tips for preparing specifically for video interviews. We have also written a post for Interview Tips you may find useful in regards to preparation and research.

 Best of luck!