Seeing is believing
The world has changed incredibly in the last 2 years. Millions of people have been working from home, and the digital space is the new reality. Job interviews and onboarding have also gone virtual. (Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams etc.)
Job interviews can be stressful, especially when it’s a format you’re not entirely used to. Here are some tips on how you can best prepare for a remote job interview.
Prepare your space
This is seriously important when it comes to taking part in a remote job interview. The space you identify as your interview location should be tidy and professional. Try to avoid having any ‘non-office’ like items in the camera view – keep it simple. A pen, a notebook and a glass of water are OK to have.
Dress for the job
This is stating the obvious even for a video job interview. Looks do matter. Don’t log into the job interview wearing a hoodie or t-shirt. Get a nice shirt, or blazer or anything you deem appropriate for the role itself.
Keep the noise down
You can only engage well in a job interview if the interviewer can hear you properly. Obviously, as we are all at home, there may be noise sources, like your kids, roommates, pets and other distractions. Before you go into the interview, ask everyone in the house to keep it down.
Be enthusiastic and natural
We know that interviewing for a job through virtual chat could be a bit awkward, but try to act as natural as you can. As tricky as it may be, try to approach the interview like you would a normal, in-house interview.
Enthusiasm has a way of shinning through the screen. Eighty-nine percent of successful candidates in various studies conversed with their recruiters in a natural and enthusiastic way.
Smile and smile again
A smile is something that can shine through the computer screen like a bright light if you choose to act confident, grateful and happy to be speaking with your interviewers.
It has been proven that smiles make people likable, so why not start off with a bright and cheery smile, whether you’re excited, nervous, anxious or eager?
Speak clearly
Monitor your pace. Speak neither so slowly that your recruiter falls asleep, nor so fast that they find it difficult to keep up. HBR research suggests speaking at 115 words per minute (wpm) is ideal. ((Canadian Investor))
Follow up
After you do the interview, and nail it of course, make sure to follow up with the company you were interviewed by. Send them a polite, formal message the next day thanking them for taking the time to speak with you, and wish them well.((HBR))
