Pre-COVID video conference interviews
seemed like a far off, futuristic, and rare
concept. Since COVID, as you all are
well aware, Zoom interviews (or any
other video conferencing software)
have become extremely popular. Some
people love them, some hate them, but
which ever side of the fence you fall on,
you’re probably going to have to have it
be part of your job search process at
some point in time. So, with that
thought in mind, I wanted to share
a ton of tips that I think will
allow you to succeed on Zoom interviews.
-Have a clutter free and
“professional” background. This can
mean your physical space or a
virtual (non-distracting) background
that you choose to include.
-Be in quiet space with minimal to
zero noise distractions. If you are
having trouble finding a space, you
may have to give household
members a heads up, head to your
local library, if on a campus finding a
room you can reserve, etc.
-AVOID doing your Zoom interview in a public setting with Wifi such as a Panera, Starbucks, hotel lobby, etc. You
need to maintain as much control of your environment as possible and you lose
pieces of that control when you are in a public setting (loud customers, Wifi goes out, etc).
-Put post-it notes around the edges of your computer screen with main
bullet/talking points to basic questions to jog your memory if needed (tell me
about yourself, why do you want this job, strength, weakness, etc). It will look far
better than you looking down at any notes you may have.
-Have a hard copy of your resume printed so that you can reference certain
aspects of it if needed. Remember, an interview isn’t an exam. Nobody said it
couldn’t be “open note”.
-Have the knowledge if it is going to be a panel of interviewers or a 1 on 1
scenario.
-Test your audio and visual equipment in a Zoom room of your own before the
interview to ensure all looks and sounds good.
-Dress as you would for an in-person interview, minus the shoes. Look good, feel
good, play good.
-Make sure your camera on the computer isn’t at an angle where it looks like you
are looking down during the interview. It should be level with your eyesight. Use
a book or something else to help create this level if needed.
-Be very direct as to who you are speaking to or asking a question of when the
time comes. Being clear and facilitating your questions to the right person will avoid people speaking over one another or cutting you or your question off.
-Obtain the contact information for all on the call so you can properly follow up
and thank them.
-Get an agenda of your day so you know what to expect throughout the day.
-Have plenty of water as you will do lots of talking (duh).
-Don’t eat anything while on the call.
-When it’s your turn to ask questions…have a PRINTED copy of your questions
and FLASH that paper across the screen before you begin to ask them. This will
make it evident that you were prepared with questions for the interview.
-If they give you a chance to take a break make sure you are back on time or ask
what time you will resume and then MUTE your mic and turn OFF your camera.
These are just a handful of tips that I believe will make you successful during your
Zoom interview. There certainly are plenty of others, but if you want to stand out
from other people who won’t do the little things right…this is a great start.
