5 Tips to Help Nail Your Video Interview

You finally got the call; that company you’ve been going back and forth with wants to conduct a first-round interview to see if you’re a good fit. With more and more hiring managers opting for video interviews to cut costs and save time, and get the process started more quickly, make sure you know how to conduct a successful video job interview.

The key to rocking the interview is knowing what you need to do on your end to make it a success. You’re not just showing up on time, shaking hands, and selling your skills. You need to make the extra effort to ensure the video works, there are no distractions, and that you present yourself in the best possible light … literally. Here are five tips to help nail your next video interview.

1. Set the Scene

Whether you’re using Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or another video chat application, you need to set the scene. Ideally, this will be in a quiet, light-filled room where you can shut out any distractions such as noise, pets or kids. The corner coffee shop is NOT the place for a job interview.

Try not to have any distractions in the background, like a messy kitchen or a window onto the street that could grab the interviewer’s attention. You want them focused on you and how right you are for the position. A plain wall is a good option.

If there’s not enough natural light, bring in reinforcements. Set up extra lights near you, but make sure they don’t cast a shadow over your face or make you look washed out. Set this up ahead of time and move things around until you’ve set just the right mood.

2. Check Your Tech

You’ll most likely be using your laptop so make sure it’s fully charged and turn off automatic Windows updates. There’s nothing worse than having your laptop stop to install updates in the middle of a job interview. Also turn off any alerts that could distract your attention.

Test your internet connection; how’s the Wi-Fi? See if you can plug directly into the router so you don’t freeze up mid-interview if there’s a hiccup in the Wi-Fi.

Test your camera and your microphone. Record a call to make sure your voice can be heard clearly and that you can see yourself from the waist up. Skype lets you check your speakers and microphone with a test call. 

If you’re using a different app, call a friend and make sure they can see and hear you clearly. Then do a run-through an hour before your actual interview time to make sure things are still working correctly.

3. Dress for Success

Whether you’re meeting in person or via video, you should always dress professionally from head to toe. If you underdress, the interviewer might feel you didn’t put in the effort or don’t really care about the job. Dress as if you were walking into the office in person. Not sure what the dress code is? Call the company’s HR in advance and ask.

And we do mean professional from head to toe. Many interviewers think they’re only visible from the waist up but what if you need to get up to fix a technical issue? Do a “dress rehearsal” and see how you look on video ahead of the call.

4. Practice

This can’t be stressed enough. As in any job interview, the more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel. Make a video call to a friend and practice talking to the camera, not the screen. Looking into the camera makes it look as if you are talking directly to the interviewer.

Actively listen. Don’t get distracted by a Twitter alert or something going on in the next room.

Practice taking a short breath before you answer a question just in case there’s a lag in the audio; that way your whole answer will be heard. Maintain a conversational tone but be sure to speak loudly enough that your microphone picks up just your voice and not the background noise. And don’t forget to smile!

5. Interruptions/Glitches

Run through any tech issues that could go wrong and make sure you know what to do to fix them. Have a backup plan in case your internet connection goes down the morning of the interview. If possible, get a phone number for the interviewer just in case you need to contact them before the call. And above all, be flexible. If something does go wrong, deal with it as calmly and professionally as you can. It shows tremendous grace under pressure; an attribute employers love to see.