Interviews in the virtual world
A recent post about interview strategies seems to have really resonated and thanks to those of you who reached out with feedback! I’m glad it is helping!
But, with the recent lockdown here in England and much of the world moving towards virtual interviews (a trend that was on the up before Covid), how can we adapt our interview style to work over technology?
As with Face-to-face interviews, a first impression is vital. It takes only 7 seconds to make that initial judgement about someone you’ve just met. 7 seconds! That is tiny! So, we need to disproportionately plan the first interaction to start off on the best foot possible.
1. You might be nervous but don’t neglect that opening smile and a bouncy “hello!” Silence at the beginning of a Zoom call is magnified as your interviewer will be looking for reassurance that all tech is working properly so really think about how to come across as positive as possible even if it means fixing that smile and practicing your opening “Hello!” out loud!
2. Unlike an office-based interview, a virtual call lets the interviewers into your home and opens up a more personal insight. So think about what your background is saying, and how much it might distract. A messy kitchen or a vibrant piece of artwork is absolutely fine to have in your home, but do you want the interviewers to give their full attention to you or to your surroundings? Not everyone has the luxury of a professional looking home office, but we can often find a spot with a neutral background. I found a quote recently that said, “A beige wall looks much the same behind a student in halls as it does a global CEO” and it’s true! So take a trip around your home, experimenting with what works best - and find a blank wall!
3. Set up in advance. You can use the camera setting on your laptop/PC for this. Turn the camera on and positon yourself so that you can see exactly the same parts of your body as you would over a desk. You may want to build up some height for your laptop using a few large books to get eye contact on the level. Other good body language techniques require you to be sat back from your laptop (around arms-length), showing the whole of your head and as much of your torso as possible. Body language makes up 55% of our communication so think about sitting up straight with open arms and upward facing palms (some people like to cup one hand in the other to feel more natural) – this style goes all the way back to the early days of mankind when open body language showed we meant no threat, and even now in the 21st century it’s still proven to develop trust
The other challenge of virtual interviews is the tech. Some people use Zoom, other Microsoft Teams – in fact, there are emerging new video-call interfaces all the time. If you’re not familiar with the software, it can be easy for this to put you off your stride. Make YouTube your friend! There are so many videos explaining how the software works, and as an interviewee, you only need to learn the absolute basics. If this is an area of concern for you try to take part in free webinars/training sessions, as it can be a good way to become familiar with tech whilst the pressure is off too. Having stable Wi-Fi really is a priority too right now. If you don’t have this at home, it’s worth exploring an upgrade if you can. Sometimes 4G can be stronger and with modern phones, it’s often not obvious if you’re joining on a laptop or phone. But, when social distancing rules allow, you may even be wise to find a friend with good Wi-Fi to borrow some space from for interviews in the future!
If you’re asked to present in an interview, think about how you might have done this in the room. You may find it a confidence booster to move to standing position whilst presenting (this is where another stack of books might come in handy to get the right height!). Whilst presenting your body language will be smaller though as most video calls will make the slides dominate the screen so really work on your tone of voice and storytelling abilities to engage. It makes sense too that if your slides are going to take centre-stage for this part of the interview that you work on them being as slick as they can be. Look online for good presentation templates for PowerPoint and see how you can adapt to your needs. Ask for people’s advice (& encourage them to be truly honest). If you present to them what message most resonated with them? And did it match with your intentions? This will help you gauge the impact of your presentation ahead of the interview itself
The last tip I have is to not be so focused on what has changed with a virtual interview that you lose sight of the real reason it’s taking place. The purpose is for the interviewer to find out more about you, and for you to find out more about the role. All of the usual preparation for these will stay pay off in a virtual world.
Interviews are tough, but they are so much tougher if you don’t prepare! Take some time to find approaches that feel right for you – and put you back in control!
