The Video Job Interview
How to make a virtual connection and get the gig
By Robin Roberts
Can you hear me now? If you’re prepared, you shouldn’t have to ask that during your video job interview. Just as you would plan ahead for an in–person interview, so should you for a Skype or FaceTime chat – and more so, since you’re dealing with sometimes-testy technology. Sarah Jane Dowling, HR director with Ontario’s PBL Insurance, conducts numerous online interviews a year and offered these five tips – via Skype, naturally – to help you make a great connection.
1) Prep and practice. Do a test run with a friend to ensure your audio and video is clear and your internet connection is strong to avoid buffers, lags and cuts. And stay still! Moving around in your chair or fidgeting is bad enough in person, but continually moving out of the frame could move you out of the running. Also be sure the camera is not too far back, which makes you look very small and distorted, says Dowling. “Avoid too much back light because that distorts as well.”
2) Clear the decks. Ensure the space around you is neat, neutral and orderly. Your thong hanging from a door knob or a crumb-strewn desk say more about you than you might have intended. “Ensure there’s nothing overly personal around you, as in a lot of photographs of your family, because you could be inadvertently giving away something about yourself that is not relevant to the position,” says Dowling.
3) Say again? Pick a place that is quiet with no distractions, such as construction, ringing phones or barking dogs. If you’re at home, warn your family not to barge in, crank up the tunes or drop the baby. “One of my colleagues was doing a Skype interview when suddenly there was a noise and the candidate jumped up and ran away,” says Dowling. “She came back a few minutes later to say her baby had fallen out of bed.” The tot was fine, and they continued the interview.
4) Play the part. “Put on the whole outfit,” advises Dowling. “I had a candidate who spilled something while we were talking and he stood up and . . . lo and behold, he had on a business shirt and pajama bottoms. Saw your fluffy jammies!” But keep in mind a suit may not be appropriate if you’re applying for a construction job. Avoid white or busy patterns. Dowling also recommends having a professional–sounding email or Skype address. “I really don’t want to interview somebody with the address sexymama69,” she says.
5) Smile, you’re on camera! The advantage of a video interview is so that you and the interviewer can gauge if you’re a good fit. So, just as you would in person, ensure you’re prepared, relaxed, personable, focused, engaged and engaging. Smile, make eye contact, sit up straight, listen, and don’t panic. “You’re going to encounter a technology glitch from time to time, but that’s OK,” says Dowling. “It’s how you cope with it and react to it that’s important.”
Robin Roberts 