Fizkes/Shutterstock
Virtual job interviews are here to stay. The use of videoconferencing for interviews has become commonplace since the start of the pandemic and it continues to be used for at least some part of the interview process.
Video and in-person interviews are not an “either-or,” but rather a “both-and” consideration. As you prepare for each type of interview, it’s important to think about how virtual interviews are similar and different from those conducted on campus.
Details and subtleties matter in both types of interviews, but they seem to be more pronounced in virtual interviews because candidates are contained in a square on a computer screen rather than sharing a room with interviewers. You’re still the object of attention in both instances, but in virtual interviews, the audience seems to control you — they technically can, with just a click. Your mistakes are magnified. You’re less human to them.
You can gain some of that control back by following these tips for having a successful virtual interview. You’re still going to answer the same questions in a virtual interview as you would in a phone or in-person interview that takes place in the same round of the process. But with some extra preparation for video, success in this phase can be as easy as A-B-C:
‘A’ is for Accessorize and Amplify
You’re likely smart enough to not need anyone to tell you that you shouldn’t be late for an interview, interrupt others who are speaking, or do anything that is distracting, like chew gum or wear gaudy clothes. But if you don’t have an adequate microphone, headphones, lighting, and internet connection, you won’t be showing up the way interviewers expect you to, or worse, you’ll divert their attention to technology failures and away from your message.
Don’t rely on your computer’s built-in microphone or speakers. Many computers’ internal systems mute or slightly delay your audio inputs and outputs when either party is speaking to correct for feedback. This can cause you to speak when others are talking, and vice versa. Avoid this by using an external microphone and a set of headphones, even if it’s earbuds that come with an attached microphone. Your audio will improve with almost any external microphone, and you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars for studio-quality sound: Blue Snowball ($50) and Yeti USB ($90) microphones are reasonably priced and easy to use.
Testing your internet connection before a virtual interview is the equivalent of making sure you have directions and reliable transportation to an in-person interview. Determine what your most reliable internet will be for an interview, even if that means using a hardwired connection or Wi-Fi extenders or boosters. Also, to avoid showing up on screen as a silhouette, make sure windows or other light sources are not in your background, and, better yet, get a good ring light to illuminate your face.
‘B’ is for Brush Up and Back Up
Even if it seems like you’ve spent too much time on Zoom the last two years, you can always use more practice and preparation for a video interview. Just as you wouldn’t talk to your boss the same way as your child, your voice and the way you present yourself for an interview are different from how you address students in your classes or a meeting with coworkers.
Few people enjoy hearing their own voices but try recording a video of yourself or conduct mock interviews with a coworker or family member. Pay close attention to your hand gestures, facial expressions, and voice inflection. Inconsistencies in your demeanor or subtle flaws are magnified in virtual interviews because your audience will be viewing you from mere inches away on their screens compared to in person.
Also, become familiar with all types of videoconferencing platforms, such as WebEx, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. Forty-one percent of video job interviews experienced technology breakdowns in a study conducted by authors of a 2021 Harvard Business Review article, and in 22 percent of successful interviews, the candidates actually offered their interviewer tips for video call shortcuts (yes, the interviewers aren’t good at this either).
Have a back-up plan in case technology fails. The interviewer might provide you a phone number to call if this happens, but you should have alternatives for the materials you are presenting. For example, if you are sharing slides from your screen via Zoom, make sure you have a link or file ready to share in the chat window or through email in case your presentation goes awry.
‘C’ is for Command, Connect, and Close the Deal
Your goal should be to command the room (or screen), connect with the audience, and close the deal. These are the three Cs of vocal executive presence, coined by leadership communication expert and author Laura Sicola. They can be easily applied to anyone in a job interview as well.
According to Sicola, who was a guest on the How to Be Awesome at Your Job podcast, you can command the screen by making sure you are filling the space. Practice the Rule of Thirds. Your eyes should appear on an imaginary line splitting the upper third of the screen, and your head should take up most of the frame. You also must command the interviewers’ attention with your delivery. Although it might be tempting, don’t read from a script that’s off-screen. Look at the camera and not the people on the screen, especially if that person is you. The researchers in the HBR study found that 79 percent of unsuccessful candidates didn’t look at the camera.
“Commanding is really capturing people’s attention and maintaining it,” Sicola said. “Connecting with the audience is being able to establish a rapport where there’s this mutual sense of ‘I understand you and you understand me.'”
Pace the cadence of your voice as if you were having a conversation and not being analyzed and recorded by an impersonal screening instrument. Use the names of people on the call (they are likely displayed under their video in the gallery) to replicate an in-person chat.
Closing the deal, according to Sicola, is about understanding what the audience needs. For most virtual interviews, the interviewers want to know who to invite to campus as a finalist. Don’t try to close in on a job offer during the virtual interview. Concentrate on assuring the interviewers that you would be an interesting candidate to learn more about.
Answer their questions succinctly, with a short, compelling story, and wait for the in-person interview, when your personality is let out from behind the computer screen, to really finesse your candidacy.
In Conclusion
No one is going to have a complete picture of who you are after an interview. In this sense, all types of interviews are virtual in its definition of presenting a candidate “almost or nearly as described.” But in the technological terms of “not physically existing” or “accessed by means of a computer,” candidates must be as precise and sequential as A-B-C to land their next J-O-B.
