HR

How To Prepare For a Video Interview

By Sean Gordon

If you are scheduled for a video interview, it’s obviously a positive sign on the road to getting hired. However it comes with different benefits and drawbacks when compared to a standard in-person interview.

Many people are so used to in-person interviews that they may feel uneasy or confused on how to conduct a video interview. Rest assured, a video interview is still an interview so it needs to be taken seriously and with that means being properly prepared. Preparing for your interview isn’t that different than how you would prepare for an in-person one, but there are a few different video conference interview tips you can employ to look your best:

The following five tips for video interviews will help you be as prepared as you can:

1. Groom and dress yourself as best you can.

Being that your interviewer can only see and hear you from a camera, it’s even more important to dress appropriately. Your physical appearance will hold more weight than an in-person interview so make sure your hair is properly groomed, your clothing is pristine, and be sure to practice smiling.

2. Thoroughly research the company before your interview.

As you would do for a regular interview, be sure to spend a lot of time on the company’s website looking up key information about them. You should be aware of their history, their mission statements, senior leadership, products, and latest company news. Beyond their website, you should do a google search on the company to see what comes in the news and be aware of their social media postings since it is typically more recent than what might be on their website.

3. Select a proper location to conduct your interview.

Find a location in your home that is quiet, well lit, and has good acoustics. You don’t want to speak over a nearby lawnmower or a passing truck. You should also be sure the area is clean and natural. Creating a fake office can be off-putting if it’s obvious that it’s something you constructed a few minutes before the interview.

4. Rehearse your talking points in front of a mirror with special attention being placed on diction.

Just like you probably used to prepare for class presentations in college, you should also stand in front of a mirror and go over your talking points. Practice speaking clearly and avoid using “ums” in-between lines. Oftentimes you don’t realize how you look speaking until you see it for yourself so be sure to practice in order to appear more natural during the interview.

5. Have notes nearby but don’t make them obvious.

One advantage of being home is being able to use notes. If you want to post a few key points on a sheet somewhere, make sure it is out of the camera’s range. Perhaps posting it on a wall behind the computer can work. Whatever you do, you should avoid shuffling through papers when you are on camera. It doesn’t look natural and it could be distracting, especially since the shuffling of papers can be heard louder than in-person.

From these steps you can tell that most of them are applicable to regular interviews. The main thing to remember is that a video interview may just be a secondary step before landing a more personal interview. Many video interviews are used to screen candidates before any are invited back for a longer interview so take them seriously.

If you would like to learn more about the revolutionary process of video interviewing or additional tips for video interviews, please don’t hesitate to visit our site daily and be sure contact us today to schedule a free demonstration of how it works.

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