10 Awesome Video Chat Job Interview Tips

Thanks to the increasing quality of free and accessible online video communication, together with the highly competitive job market, video job interviews are becoming more and more common. At all levels, including executive level, video conferencing or Skype will often be used as part of the first round of candidate screening. From an employer’s point of view, this option saves them time and money, so the attraction is clear, but it can be disconcerting as a candidate if you’re not used to this approach. It is for this reason that we’ve put together this article, which includes 10 Awesome Video Chat Job Interview Tips.

Here they are:

1. Be organised. Just because it’s not a face-to-face interview, don’t be tricked into thinking that you can be any less organised for a video job interview. Make sure you are well organised both for the interview itself and from a technology point of view.
2. Be prepared. In the same way that you would prepare for a face-to-face interview, you need to prepare for your video chat interview. Make sure you’re in top spirits, you’ve done your due diligence and you’re pitch perfect before putting yourself in front of the webcam.
3. Check your connection. This one’s simple: don’t let your Internet connection let you down!
4. Make sure you’re surrounded by silence. Computer microphones pick up every sound around you, so make sure you do all that you can to ensure that you’re surrounded by silence. Distracting noises in the background will detract from your important presentation.
5. Check your appearance. Make sure you look as good as you would if you were turning up to your potential employer’s office. Just because you’re on camera doesn’t mean that you can cut corners on appearance standards.
6. Make eye contact.  While you’re likely to be a tad nervous and mightn’t be accustomed to video conferencing, it’s essential that you make eye contact with your interviewer or interviewers.
7. Check your body language. Practice video conferencing and make sure that your body language is sending out the right messages. Whatever happens, don’t be tempted to peer into the screen because it’s not the most flattering message to send!
8. Check your background and surroundings. Don’t forget that the people on the other end of your call can see where you are and what’s around you. Make sure that the view behind you is at worst, tidy and at best, attractive. Also make a point of clearing your desk of any clutter.
9. Make sure your lighting is complementary. Check different lighting options to get the most complimentary solution for your setting. It may be that back-lighting, down-lighting or front lighting is best, but don’t wait until it’s too late to find out.
10. Adopt the same approach as you would in a face-to-face interview. You can read our “10 top job interview tips in the drink industry”.

Why not contact us now so we can discuss the recruitment opportunities open to you today? After all it costs absolutely nothing to chat.