Interviews are tough. You’ve just spent ages working on your resume and cover letter, and sprucing up your portfolio for potential employers, and now the application’s in and they want to ask you questions. Ack! This is worse than networking – and there’s no canapés to hide behind!
Ok, maybe it’s not that bad. You’ve passed stage one, at least, which is to get noticed. You’re in! Now you just gotta seal the deal on that job. Let’s prepare!
The video interview
In person interviews are slowly becoming a thing of the past. With the leaps and bounds technology has made – and, yes, the pandemic – almost every employer should be considering video interviews as the new standard. They’re easier to schedule, and easier for everyone to attend.
Save that Zoom, Teams, or Meet invite in your calendar and get excited for the big day!
Before interview day
While you might have plenty of time on your hands, don’t waste it biting your nails. Here’s some things to prepare in advance that will make the interview noticeably easier:
1. Make an interview cheat sheet
Write up a document of answers to the questions you might be asked, along with brief info about the company and a micro version of your resume. This will be your one page go-to during the video interview. The employer won’t see that you’ve got it open on your screen, so go ahead and abuse this power. I’m serious – this is my number one tip for a reason!
2. Think of questions you’d like to ask the employer
There will always be a moment towards the end of the interview when you’ll be asked if you have any questions. ‘When’s lunch?’ is, unfortunately, not acceptable as a response. Trust me, I learnt that the hard way … So, instead, how about you write up some killer queries, like: ‘what is your most and least favourite part of working for XYZ?’ If nothing else, something like that will get them thinking.
3. Check your tech
You don’t need to have the latest laptop, webcam and headphones – you just need to have ones that work and won’t distort your video or cut out at a crucial point. Test them out by holding a mock interview with a friend, and ask them to take note of anything that seems off (tech-wise, that is; but you can also ask them for feedback on your answers too!). Your laptop? Charged. Your webcam? Clean. Your headphones? Clear.
4. Think about lighting
The room you sit in for the interview should be well-lit. If you don’t get a lot of natural light in your home, it might be wise to invest in a ring light. This can be placed behind your laptop and pointed directly at your face for some well-balanced illumination. Appearance isn’t everything, but sadly it does matter when it comes to making a first impression. Making sure you’re well-lit and fully visible is par for the course during a video interview.
This is also a good time to check what is visible behind you. A blank wall is completely fine, you don’t need to go overboard with books or artwork in the background (it may contribute somewhat to the first impression, but really they’re only interested in you, not your trinkets).
Ok, now that everything’s sorted, take a moment to relax! Have you had water? Stretched? Breathed? You should probably do that.
On the day
It’s time for the interview. Make yourself a tea or coffee, have a nice breakfast, and sit yourself down. You are going to nail this.
1. Dress in plain business attire
A nice shirt and blazer is the ideal outfit for a video interview. You don’t even have to iron your slacks – you can wear pyjama pants, as long as you frame your webcam to only display your head and torso (and you should!). Don’t wear any crazy patterns, and avoid stripes as these can distort the video image. Colours are fine, but don’t go overboard.
2. Check your tech one more time
Better safe than sorry!
3. Bring up your cheat sheet
Make sure your document with quick-reference info is open in another tab, where you can access it at any point during the interview.
4. Don’t forget your questions!
The whole interview process is very overwhelming, so you might feel like it’s more polite to decline asking your own questions. Don’t stress! Take a deep breath, put on your best ‘thinking’ face, and ask away. They will be glad you did.
And that’s it. You did it! Take a well-earned rest and wait for that job offer to roll in. Hopefully the employer will now be asking for your references and ideal salary. It’s pretty much a home run from there.
