Congrats on moving to a person-to-person interview with a new company! You’ve beaten the algorithms and completed any initial phone screenings. You know you’ve got the skillset and the experience. Now’s your time to shine on the video call with the hiring team to show that you’re the perfect fit for the role.
Although you’re interviewing from the comfort of your own home, there are a lot of in-person interview best practices that you should remember for a video call. And, a few key considerations that you will need to address in your home-office to ensure your interviewers are focused on what you’re saying, not how you’re living.
At WorkReduce, we’ve been 100% remote since we launched 6 years ago. So, we asked our talent acquisition team for five tips they wish they could give candidates who are being interviewed remotely. In addition to the basics – where good lighting goes a long way, a decent camera always helps, and a stable internet keeps everyone focused– these are the tips our team recommend to be able to stand out (for all the right reasons) on a video interview.
1) Don’t be late! First impressions count in all interview situations so update your computer with the video conferencing software and test it in advance of the call so you’re not keeping your interviewer waiting.
2) Dress for success –even though you’re in your living room.
3) Try to maintain ‘eye contact’ with the ‘camera’ or screen –as you would do in an in-person interview. Too often we can be overly relaxed at home and start looking around the room which can come across as being distracted or disinterested.
4) Make sure your background is tidy. If your desk is in your bedroom, make your bed, remove the pile of laundry from the background, clear away drinks, kids’ toys and clutter from the view of the camera so you look like you’re in an environment that’s conducive to work.
5) Silence your cell phone and make sure you turn off all notifications on your laptop so you can give your full attention to the interviewer.
If you’re applying for a remote position, which is pretty typical these days, the video interview is able to show the hiring team how prepared you are for a remote working environment. If you’re working from home and get interrupted by pets or children (which happens to us all!) try not to get flustered. Acknowledge it, deal with it (possibly on mute), thank your interviewer for their patience and get back into the conversation.
Prepare questions for your interview that are tailored to the specific job you’re going for, not just the company or remuneration. We want to know that you want THE job, not just A job.
Don’t forget to thank the interviewer for their time, at the end of your video interview, as you would do with an in-person call. And make sure to send them a thank you email following the interview to reinforce your interest in the position.
All the best preparing for your remote interview. Don’t miss our next piece on how to prepare for a show-stopping interview. You got this!
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