How to pass an online interview?
WORK IN provides 4 recommendations and tips for a successful online interview.
Finding a job has become a very hot topic for job seekers in the current times of the coronavirus. The labour market has shrunk and there are fewer vacancies, but they still do exist. The recruiting process has changed and more and more job interviews are being conducted online. How to successfully pass an interview online?
Many people already know how to behave in a job interview, how to create a good first impression, but how to do the same through the camera lens is not entirely clear.
For example, what helps you successfully pass a face-to-face interview can play a cruel joke on you in an online interview. Now let’s look at the golden rules of online interviews and find the winner in the nomination “The most dangerous mistake in an online interview”.
1. Prepare yourself!
In a real-life interview, you are perceived as a whole – your appearance, body language, communication skills. Some mistakes may remain unnoticed here. In the camera lens, you are like under a microscope. You are the image on the screen being watched closely. Every detail is important here! You need to speak clearly and with pauses, look perfect and demonstrate your charisma more.
2. Technical preparation!
You need a stable video image. It will be easier for you to achieve it using a computer or tablet. If the camera on the gadget produces a bad image, you need to get a webcam. Clip it at eye level in front of you. The distance should be such that the frame border is at the chest. No extreme close-up shots! It is not very comfortable to communicate with certain parts of the body such as the chin, eyes or forehead, for example)
Light. The light should fall on the face, not from behind. Therefore, do not sit with your back to the window. Best of all is daylight from the window on the face, it has a matte effect and refreshes the face. It can be artificial light, but not falling perpendicularly from above, then ugly shadows will appear on the face. Light is especially important for older candidates. The wrong light can make you tired of life despite the pouring energy within you.)
Test. Experiment before interviewing. Record your speech and evaluate it. And remember that during the interview, when you speak, you only need to look at the camera, when they say something to you, look at the image of the interlocutor on the screen. Do not admire yourself, looking at the small window on the side, for this you have a mirror).
Check the communications and program. Make sure there are no problems with the internet. If wi-fi fails, then switch to the mobile internet and test the call on your phone or on a friend. Do this on time, not 5 minutes before the interview starts. Also check your microphone, headphones, camera. Most often, online interviews are using WhatsApp, Viber, Zoom, FaceTime and of course Skype. There are many more programs according to the choice of the employer.
Place and background. It is best to have a solid neutral background behind you so that nothing distracts attention from you. Quiet house or apartment, in summer you can be outdoors (but also in a quiet place not next to a playground). It is better to avoid places such as cafes, shopping centres, public transport.
Appearance. Here you need to take into account the direction of the company where you want to work. If you are going to be interviewed for a government institution, then the dress code should be strictly classic, if in the press service of a museum of contemporary art, then you can dress more creatively, just do not overdo it. You must dress fully, no matter how strange it may sound. You are seen only chest-high in the camera lens, but do not forget to wear trousers.
Firstly, morally you will feel “fully armed”, more confident, and secondly, if the employer asks you to stand up or you rise to your feet to take something, forgetting about an incomplete set of clothes, it will be very awkward. About the makeup. Even if you don’t use makeup at all, we recommend applying a foundation tone (undertone, powder), as a person’s face is perceived differently in the camera lens. There may be a false impression that you have an unhealthy complexion, for example.
3. Intellectual preparation
You must be knowledgeable, as with face-to-face interviews. Take care that the home couch does not relax you, avoid familiarity, this is not a meeting in a relaxed atmosphere – this is a job interview. Read the history of the company, with the details of the vacancy. You need to know which company you will be talking to, its activities and what position you are applying for.
Refresh your work history. Work on self-presentation. Mentally, flip through the answers to typical questions. Prepare your questions for your potential employer.
4. Some details during the interview
From the very beginning, agree on what you will do if the connection is lost. Make sure that you do not sway during the interview, in a face-to-face situation it is still possible, but here you will leave the frame. Don’t get hung up on thoughts about your telegenicity or lack of it.
Act free and be friendly. Pause between the last phrase of the interlocutor and yours, so as not to interrupt each other. It is considered good practice to write a letter after the interview with gratitude that they are interested in you and let them know that you are waiting for an answer. If you change your mind about working there after the interview, let them know.
Life “at a distance”, that is, online, is becoming more and more relevant. If earlier it was due to the acceleration of the pace of life, today it is supported by the latest events in the world – the pandemic. We do not waste time on unnecessary movements and do not endanger our health excessively, but boldly go through online interviews. After all, it is fashionable and feasible to get a job without leaving home.
At first glance, an online interview can seem difficult and sometimes dangerous. You don’t want to leave the wrong impression because of some kind of camera. But, in practice, you will understand that it is simpler and easier than it seemed.
So, what could be the scariest part of an online job interview is –
being informationally and intellectually unprepared!
Everything is the same as in real life, as in face-to-face interviews. Even if there is a perfect background and light, uninterrupted communication, stunning appearance, but you yourself are not able to present yourself and get the employer interested, then all these golden tips still will help, but already somebody else.
Believe in yourself, try hard and have successful interviews!
The article was written by: workin.lv recruiter Anastasia Ledyaeva
