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Tips and advice about how to succeed on your virtual job interview
While job interviews are always difficult, virtual interviews come with their own set of challenges. In this article, we'll give you tips and advice on how to succeed at virtual job interviews.
The common theme to all the following tips is to be prepared.
Tip 1: Research the company and job details
Make sure you are familiar with the company that's interviewing you. Read through their website, research them online, and determine what types of customers they serve. If the interviewer asks you to explain what their company does, you should be able to answer without reading from the website.
You should also be familiar with the job details. This will help you demonstrate how your skills and experience will benefit their business.
Tip 2: Prepare your space
Choose a quiet space to interview. It should be well-lit and the light should be facing you. Once you've chosen your location, start a meeting so you can see how you will appear to the interviewer. Make sure the background is not distracting and remove any clutter. If you are unable to find an uncluttered area, use a plain virtual background.
Tip 3: Check your tech
30 minutes before your interview, confirm that your computer of device is working properly, connected to a power source, online, and doesn't need to be restarted. Check that your microphone and camera are working. We recommend starting a meeting on the platform that will be used for the interview and testing everything.
Tip 4: Dress professionally
Dress as you would for an in-person interview. Your attire should be professional and appropriate for the job and company culture.
Tip 5: Speak clearly and confidently
Speak slowly and clearly and make sure to enunciate your words. Avoid filler words such as "um", "you know", and like. Use direct, declarative statements.
Tip 6: Maintain eye contact
Look at the camera, and not the screen (this is hard!). If you look at the screen, your eyes will appear to be looking down, which can suggest a lack of confidence or that you're not paying attention.
Tip 7: Practice answering common interview questions
Search for common interview questions for the type of job for which you're interviewing and practice answering them. Work with a friend of family member to add some realism and simulate a high-pressure situation. If you need help structuring your response, please see our articles about the PREP method and the STAR method.
In conclusion, you should treat virtual interviews the same as in-person interviews, only you have to also prepare your space and ensure you don't have any technology issues. By following the above tips, you'll present yourself as a professional and competent candidate and increase your chances of success.