Ana Ortiz; Employment Consultant with Build ON
With the adoption of social distancing in many countries amid the coronavirus pandemic, more companies have shifted to virtual interviews as a safe, efficient alternative to screening candidates and filling roles. In fact, career-services platform Handshake recently found that 89% of employers are now adopting virtual interviews.
So, if you’re job hunting right now, chances are you’re also interviewing remotely which can be new for many of us and it might require additional preparation. Consequently, in addition to learning about the company or organization and putting together your best elevator pitch, you have to be aware of and follow the best practices for a virtual interview to succeed.
Dress Professionally
For a virtual interview, you should dress just as you would for an in-person interview, but this time think strategically about the colour to try to contrast with your background and avoid colours that could wash you out on camera, like white or yellow. Wear a flattering top, keep accessories minimal, and yes, wear pants.
Set Up Your Virtual Interview Environment
After dressing yourself, the next important step is to find a proper space for your call.
When choosing your background, our virtual interview tips suggest you:
- Have a neutral backdrop
- Don’t have anything in your background you don’t want someone to ask about
- Clean your space
- Don’t use a virtual background
Also, grab everything you’ll need beforehand. Don’t leave your interviewer looking at an empty chair because you left your paperwork in the next room.
Make sure the room isn’t too dark. Light yourself from the front to avoid backlight casting you in shadows.
Ensure Your Virtual Interview Tech is Functional
Double Check Your Wi-Fi
Confirm that your internet connection is up and running well. Take into consideration if you need any extra hardware like an Ethernet cord, and make those items readily available if you’re unsure.
Your Message
Remember to prepare an elevator pitch since for a job interview,
you are the product. It is your job to persuade the recruiter why they should invest in you. These three questions can help you build the elevator pitch for your big sell:
- What are you passionate about? Recruiters look for passionate team members because positive energy is contagious. Do some research on the company ahead of time and study the company’s website with the intention of finding what excites you about their work.
- What is the one thing I want them to know about me? Be aware that recruiters and HR professionals are exhausted from endless virtual meetings so make it easy on your listener by getting to the point and reinforcing your key message at least twice during the interview.
- What story should I share? Recruiters often say they’d rather hear “narratives” than listen to a list of bullet points that they can read on your resume. Have short, relevant stories ready to share, ones that connect you to the company’s values.
Before the interview, write your stories down. They should be events or experiences about times when you shined, learned something new, or faced a challenge. I recommend following the traditional STAR technique. Describe the Situation, Tasks implemented, Actions taken and Results, hopefully positive.
While telling your stories, pay attention to the words you use. When you work on the script, use more “we” pronouns than “I” statements.
Rehearse the story, either in the mirror or in front of friends. That way, when the time comes, you’ll be able to deliver it concisely and effortlessly.
Your Delivery
Engaging someone in a virtual setting is especially difficult because we don’t see the full range of expressions, body language, and other cues that create an emotional connection between two people.
- Slow down the pace of your speech. It’s natural to speak rapidly an in-person meeting, because you can read a host of non-verbal cues and recognize when to keep quiet or let someone else have the floor. Those cues are hard to read in virtual settings. Although it might feel odd, slowing down your rate of speech will make it easier for your listener to follow the conversation.
- Add inflection. Inflections add a layer to a remote conversation that helps to replace the emotion that is often stripped away in a virtual dialogue. If you’re sharing the story of a serious challenge you faced, your tone should be more sombre, slower. You could then raise your voice, speak more rapidly, and emphasize keywords as you excitedly share how you overcame it.
- Speak to the camera. Television anchors use a teleprompter to make “eye contact” with the audience. Remembering that speaking directly to the camera is difficult, so schedule practice sessions with a friend. Record the mock job interview and review it. You might catch distracting habits that can be easily fixed.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Put in the time to improve, and your payoff could be rising above the rest and landing the job you want.
References:
Gallo, Carmine. (2020, October 06) Use These 3 Tips to Ace a Virtual Interview. Harvard Business Review
https://hbr.org/2020/10/use-these-3-tips-to-ace-a-virtual-interview