Master virtual interviewing

If you are actively job-hunting, you’ll need to master the virtual job interview. LinkedIn published statistics summarizing all aspects of working remotely at the close of 2023 and claimed 93% of employers plan to continue conducting job interviews remotely. Employers have found this to be an effective means of conducting initial interviews.

There are pros and cons to interviewing virtually, but if you think about it, there are many benefits. You can cast your net far and wide and look for positions in other states or other countries while saving yourself time and money. On the flip side, you can anticipate more competition, and this is why you’ll need to learn how to make yourself stand out in a crowd when you’re really sitting at home in your favorite chair.

Harvard Business Review published tips on how to make a good first impression during a remote interview. Research was conducted by studying 513 video recordings of remote interviews held worldwide. Nearly 75% of candidates who were not given a job offer appeared to be distracted or failed to engage the interviewer. Another common problem was many sounded stiff and rehearsed, as if reading from a script. Those who had a strong virtual presence were more successful at getting the job offer. They displayed confidence, communicated clearly and established natural rapport with their interviewer. About 90% of successful applicants followed these tips:

Your space matters

We make judgements about people within the first seven seconds of meeting them. This is not intentional, it’s something our brain does automatically. But knowing this should drive home the importance of controlling what you can when interviewing virtually. In addition to dressing professionally, making eye contact and having good posture, you must also plan the space where you will sit during the interview. This will appear to be your office, and it is a crucial part of your initial impression.

If you don’t have a dedicated office, that’s no big deal. Keep it simple, and place your computer on a table in front of a blank and clean wall. Or, use a fake office background, although this is not the time to be creative – don’t appear to be conducting the interview from the White House or a tropical beach. Make sure all lighting is behind your computer and shining onto (in front of) your face. Lighting should be cool — blue tones as opposed to yellow tones. Do not have a light or window behind you as this creates a silhouette and makes it impossible for the interviewer to see your face, which will spell disaster for your interview.

Have a table with a copy of your resume, two writing utensils, a pad of paper for taking notes, a list of a few questions to ask, and a couple of projects to highlight along with a glass of water covered with a lid. Keep these items where the interviewer cannot see them, and do not allow them to be a distraction.

Test upload speed

You want the interaction between you and the interviewer to be as natural as possible, so make sure your upload speed is fast. Upload speed is how quickly data travels between your computer and your network and is used for streaming and videoconferencing. Do a Google search for “internet speed test.” If you have any concern about the reliability of your home WiFi, plug your laptop into the cable source at the wall with the local area network cable, and make sure no other devices are using the internet during your interview.

Practice

Even if you’e the person who groans when a group leader announces, “Let’s break into groups and role play,” this is a very important event, and you’ll kick yourself if you don’t give it a practice run. Ask a trusted friend to be the interviewer and give you honest feedback on how you and your space look. Make necessary adjustments.

Conduct the practice interview on the platform you’ll be using for the actual interview, such as WebEx or Zoom. Rehearse looking into the webcam to make eye contact, use hand gestures to make sure your computer speed keeps up and certainly check your volume. Do a brief mock interview to make sure you don’t speak too quickly or too slowly. Also, ask your friend to note any background noise, and make sure the ceiling fan doesn’t look like it’s balancing on your head. Make adjustments accordingly, and you’ll feel much more prepared for your first virtual interview.

When you cannot meet in person to give a firm handshake, smile and establish yourself as the confident and competent job candidate you know yourself to be, you’ll need to do the next best thing and become a master at making a great first impression as you look into your computer monitor. As the saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”