How To Prepare For a Video Interview

If you’ve gained some interest as a candidate and an employer wants to talk with you more, you may be asked for a video interview, especially in today’s social distancing environment. This is an opportunity just like a face to face interview, and you should be as prepared as if you were present with them. There are some considerations unique to video, that can make you more at ease with the video format and present yourself better to your interviewer.

It can be tempting to think that you don’t need to do a lot of preparation before doing a 10-minute interview, but this type of interview is usually where recruiters sift through their remaining applications a second time. Video interviews are becoming increasingly popular these days, and many companies see them as a great way to get to know their candidates before final decisions or next interviews. This means that candidates from farther afield will still have a chance to impress.

The great thing about the video interview is that you can get a lot of information about when and where the interview will take place. This puts you in control of a lot of factors, that you normally don’t have, than in a face to face interview. We have a few simple tips to help you prepare and feel as confident as possible before you go into your first video interview, and maybe get the job you dream of.

1. Familiarize Yourself With Video Conferencing

It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the video process of your phone, laptop, or computer, or whichever device you plan on connecting to the video interview with. Find out what service or format the video interview will be conducted in, and understand the differences between that format and what you may be used to already.

Because of possible streaming delays, if you answer a question from your interviewer, during the interview, take a second to answer if the connection is weak. When speaking in a conversation, try to limit your responses to longer statements if there is any delay. You can still keep your responses conversational, but give yourself time to completely cover your response, and let the interviewer take some time to focus on what you’re saying.

Even if you are familiar with using video chat, Skype or video conferencing, it’s always a good idea to retry your app, or connect your camera and run your video program, to check for updates and make sure everything is working well. On the time and date of the interview, you can be more confident in preparing knowing that your video chat setup is ready to go.

2. Find Out the Video Interview Format

You should also be able to find out if the video interview is in a recorded question type format, or general conversational video interview. This is because some employers conduct video interviews while recording answers to pre-written questions that appear on a screen that they can review later.

Other employers will have the role decision maker directly on the video interview if they have narrowed down to just a few candidates, to understand more about you from a general conversational standpoint. Knowing what kind of environment you’ll be interviewed in will greatly help your preparation beforehand.

3. Lighting and Sound

No interviewer is expecting film production quality lighting and sound when scheduling your video interview, but it’s always a good idea to give the first impression of yourself. Just like choosing what you’d wear to an interview (that section covered below), you have the ability to convey more about you and your personality through video.

When checking your video connection prior to the interview, take a look at how you’re lit with the lighting in the room. If you don’t stand out from the background enough, you may be too dimly lit and need to bring additional lighting into the area. If too bright, you may to consider moving a harsh desk lamp or close light source further away, or turning off if the room already has adequate background lighting. Depending on the time of day, a window may shine glaringly on a camera. Take some time to adjust the lighting to present yourself as the main visual subject on screen the best you can.

Just like lighting, your audio and being able to be understood well is important. Make sure you can be heard, and adjust your speaking volume so your words can be heard clearly on the other end. Sitting up straight or standing helps your speech be more pronounced and clear when answering questions or speaking.

Again, it’s important to note that you will not be graded on the quality of your video, but taking a few minutes to present yourself in the best light (and sound) you can will help your confidence, and will help the interviewer focus on you and your answers.

4. What to Wear

The rules for what to wear in a video interview are the same as in person interviews. It’s not always possible, especially in a remote interviewing process, to get an idea on what dress code a company has at its office or workplace. If the company has a website or social media, check to see if they have pictures of their staff or their work environment. Use your best judgment, but generally business casual or professional is appropriate, unless this is an executive position, in which case professional wear is probably more appropriate.

5. Review Your Resume

Your resume, up until this point, has been the story about you the employer or recruiter have been reviewing in detail about you as a candidate. It’s highly likely that most questions asked to you will revolve around specifics on your resume, so be prepared to talk more in detail about your career and skill highlights. Just like a face to face interview, you are the expert on your work history and skills, and how they can help this company with this position.

If the format of your resume will be pre written questions you are recording answers for, being able to recall everything you want to share about your resume highlights is very important. Bringing up additional information later to the interviewer won’t go into your recorded answers, so make sure you recall everything you want to cover during those questions.

If the video interview is more a general, conversational format, now may be a good time to think about career points, interests or skills that aren’t on your resume. Make sure to share your previous achievements with real examples of what you have done for other employers, such as your previous work experience, experience in this area, etc. Adding additional and applicable information will greatly help you stand out from other candidates for the position.

6. Prepare Beforehand on the Time and Day

Give yourself 15 minutes to gather yourself and make some last-minute preparations, and re confirm the time and date of the interview. Choose a time of day when you know that you will be home on time, and the area where you will conduct your interview is the quietest.

Gathering your thoughts on your resume, the job position, and your conversation so far with the employer or recruiter. Just like any interview, it’s always a good idea to have done basic research into the company or position you’re interviewing for. It’s also a good idea to refresh your recall of highlights of your resume and yourself as a candidate, and how you plan to dazzle them!

Following these tips can help you stay calm throughout the process, and being prepared to impress should give you the confidence to nail your video interview. Video interviews really are not that different from job interviews, but you need to be able to explain to the employer what you are looking for and why you want that particular job. If you get the right interview questions and a good understanding of the job description, you will give yourself a great chance to pass the interview.

People who use Empower Resume to create video pitch cover letters are generally much more prepared for video interviews, as they’ve already done the work in putting together a great video presentation. Give it a try if you haven’t already, and impress employers and recruiters right from the start!