4 tips to nail a virtual job interview

Summary. Remote hiring is here to stay. The benefits of having access, speed, and ease are unrivalled, but you need to do your bit to ace this relatively new process. Based on research by the authors, here are ways to set yourself apart during virtual interviews. Set up your space. Have a clean, uncluttered background and check your lighting so it’s falling on you, not behind you. Make sure to do a speed test so technical lags don’t break the flow of your conversation. Prepare for the unexpected. Master the platform you’ll be using for your interview and keep notes handy, lest you forget to call out an important accomplishment. Rehearse before you go live. Monitor your pace so it’s easy for everyone to follow and use hand gestures and keep an open posture. Spark conversations. Go beyond the usual small talk and ask questions about the team, the culture, or undertake pre-work to find common interests with your recruiter.

There are some serious upsides to this. You can avoid tardiness (no traffic snarls), reference notes without being too obvious, and if you’re located in a rural area, you now have access to the same opportunitiesas city dwellers, saving you $$$.

 - 4 Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview

There are also downsides. Combined with technical problems — like forgetting you’re unmutedor having a cat filter stuck on your face — virtual interviews can gohorribly wrong. You’re unable to visit physical offices, meet potential teammates, and get a clear sense of a company’s culture. Last but not least, now that more people have access to more (remote) jobs, your competitors, like your opportunities, have likely increased.

How To Nail Your Virtual Interview

Through our latest research on remote hiring, we wanted to know, given these pros and cons, how can job candidates really stand out during the virtual interview process?

We watched 513 video recordings of remote interviews from around the world — 55% from North and South America and 45% from Europe and Australia — conducted during March and November of 2020. We analyzed both recruiter and participant responses, as well as data from the actual interview processes (how long was the interview?), aesthetics (what background did the candidate and the interviewer use?), and participant engagement (did the candidate develop a rapport with the employer?).

Of the 72% of job candidates we observed who did not bag offers, the majority (around 80%) appeared to be distracted, failed to engage their recruiter in a meaningful way, or seemed as though they were reading from a script. Simply put, they failed to make an impression because of poor interviewing skills. On the other hand, candidates who had a strong virtual presence, displayed confidence, and were able to communicate clearly and establish a natural rapport with their interviewers, proved to be much more successful. In fact, of the 28% of participants who did receive job offers, the majority (around 90%) stood out because they mastered the tips highlighted below.

Zoom Interview Tips — Everything You Need To Know About Crushing A Virtual Interview

Yes, you can do your interview wearing formal clothes on top and PJs on bottom. But you still need to control how

Of you is coming across on a 9×16 screen. Virtually, there will be fewer opportunities to infuse the conversation with your uniqueness and emotions. You will need to use your space, and your environment, to create a strong and lasting impression.

Have a clean, uncluttered background: Our advice here is not for you to start rearranging your entire room. Just find a spot that is simple and free of distractions (like a blank wall or one that has a few pictures hanging on it). If your background is too cluttered, it will pull the recruiters attention away from you. You can even choose a simple virtual background instead of propping yourself in front of a messy bookshelf. Contrary to previous research, we found that unconscious biases were less likely to creep intothe decision making process when candidates had a clean backdrop. Ninety-seven percent of the recruiters we spoke to preferred virtual backgrounds of office settings over beaches, mountains, or outer space.

How To Do Your Nails For A Job Interview

Check your lighting: You want recruiters to view you in the best light possible; both figuratively and literally. During your call, light yourself from the front. If your light source is behind you, you’ll turn into a mysterious silhouette, and the recruiter will spend their time trying to see you as opposed to focusing on what you have to say. If you have a desk light, position it towards your face so you’re clearly visible. Try to use cool rather than warm light. Cool light emits a modern, clean, and brighter look, which was favored by 95% of the recruiters we spoke to.

Top Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview - 4 Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview

Do a speed test: Poor internet = poor communication. To ensure your internet is working at optimum speed, ask family members or roommates to log out while you’re in your interview. If you don’t trust your WiFi, connect by plugging in your local area network (LAN) cable. You can also test your connection through a simple Google search for “Internet speed test.” We can’t stress how important this is — 88% of recruiters told us that their number one pet peeve during an interview is an internet lag, as it breaks the flow of the conversation.

Unlike traditional face-to-face interviews, virtual interviews can be conducted from the comfort of your home. Despite the familiar setting, you may still encounter some unexpected situations.

Body Language Tips For A Video Interview

Master the platform: Become an expert on whatever platform is chosen for your interview (WebEx, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc). If you have not used it before, download the interface and practice the features by doing some mock calls with a family member or a friend. In 41% of interviews we studied, technology caused breakdowns. In one interview, the candidate appeared upside down the entire time, as they couldn’t figure out the camera. In 22% of successful interviews, the candidates offered their interviewer tips for video call shortcuts.

Keep notes handy, but don’t refer to them too often:During job interviews, it’s standard for recruiters to ask candidates for examples of their most impactful work. Don’t let this unnerve you in the moment. Create a printout or Word document of notes with crisp bullet points highlighting a few projects you want to share. Sort your projects under two or three headers: accomplishments, research, and voluntary work.

 - 4 Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview

We suggest no more than one page of notes. Forty-two percent of unsuccessful job candidates appeared overwhelmed by their notes, and were obvious when reading from them. They scrolled through documents on their laptops or continuously looked down at their desks. The goal is to refer to your notes minimally. Use them only to remind you of points you have already practiced.

Tips For Virtual Job Interviews: How To Nail Your Next Interview

Keep calm: If you feel stressed or overwhelmed at any point during the call, it’s okay to ask your recruiter for a moment to gather yourself. You could say, “Could I take few seconds to think and answer?” Recruiters will appreciate your ability to stay calm under pressure instead of fumbling. This was a major deciding factor in 72% of the interviews observed.

Pro Tip: Write your notes on three or four flashcards, using bold headers to label each point you want to make. They will be less visually distracting and you can avoid scrolling through a 300-word document.

It’s easier to pick up important cues from facial expressions, gestures, body language, or tone when you meet someone face-to-face. However, these are often lost or more difficult to pick up remotely.

Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview │ Black EOE Journal - 4 Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview

Top Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview

Monitor your pace: Speak neither so slowly that your recruiter falls asleep, nor so fast that they find it difficult to keep up. Our research suggests speaking at 115 words per minute (wpm) is ideal (the average for audiobooks and TED Talks are 150 and 173 respectively).

Your speaking rate is the total number of words you speak divided by the number of minutes you take to speak them. To practice speaking at an optimal rate, record yourself speaking for a few minutes. Then, use a speech-to-text converter — like IBM’sspeech-to-textservice — to transcribe your audio clip. To calculate your word count, paste that transcription into Microsoft Word and use the word count tool, or usea word counting tool online. Divide your word count by the length (in minutes) of your original recording. For example, if your word count is 500 words and it took you three minute to speak those words aloud, you would divide 500 by three, and end with a wpm of 166. Once you know what rate you speak at, it will be easier to practice speaking faster or slower, depending on what number you got.

We found specifically that when candidates were nervous, they spoke faster (upwards of 140 wpm) meaning recruiters became irritable, and 38% of the time, interrupted candidates by asking them to slow down.By maintaining a steady amount of words per minute and taking time to pause before important points, you’ll not only better connect with your interviewer, but you will alsoooze confidence, even if you’re nervous on the inside.

Best Skype Interview Tips

Use hand gestures: In our study, 89% of successful candidates used wide hand gestures for big and exciting points, while moving their hands closer to

 - 4 Tips To Nail A Virtual Job Interview

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