6 Top Tips For Video Interviews

With the nations home-working in full swing, there have been a number of changes for us all day to day.

From battling with the youngest family members, prioritising home-schooling over spending time out in the garden whilst the sun is shining, to sharing work space with other family members who are also working from home every day, it is certainly bringing new challenges to the fore.

A big change that’s hit the world of recruitment has been the need to utilise technology for interviewing for roles with the inability to travel to sites for face to face meetings.

 A number of our clients here at Douglas Jackson are opting to use video interviews to alleviate the pressure whilst hiring for business critical roles during this unprecedented period.

But for some candidates, video interviews are an unknown and a very different prospect to being face to face.

How is best to prepare for these interviews?

Here are a six top tips (in no particular order) from our team here at Douglas Jackson to help you to prepare:

Do a dummy run

There’s nothing more frustrating than technology that doesn’t work when you need it to, so we would always advise that you ask a friend or family member to practice connecting with you online to ensure that there are no technical issues with your camera, speaker or connectivity ahead of time – giving you the opportunity to fix any problems that you might have.  This is also a great time to try and get comfortable talking to someone via video as opposed to a real person.

Dress to Impress!

First impressions really do count, so interviewing in your pyjamas on the sofa really isn’t the best way to approach an initial call. You’re home and have the time to prepare, so find out that suit and smart attire and get dressed as though you were going to meet the business in the flesh. 

It’s also important to dress entirely too – don’t be fooled and think that you’re okay to wear your tracksuit bottoms for comfort – all it takes is to need to get up from your seat to collect something for the interviewers to see that you have only turned up half prepared.

Do your homework…

 You likely have a little more time on your hands with the majority of the country closed for business, so take the time to research the company online, check the business out on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Google etc and take a look at the background of the people that’re interviewing you. If you have mutual connections, make a note as this could be an informal talking point and will also allow you to potentially discuss any businesses that you have mutual experiences with.

Be on time.

You don’t have the hassle of finding a parking space, or traffic on the way – so there really aren’t any excuses for punctuality. Be prepared and log on to the meeting a little early – you’ll then be a lot more relaxed when the interviewer logs on. We would suggest around 10 minutes early should be plenty of time to get yourself settled and prepared to begin your interview.

Think about your environment

Whilst we’re all contending with our houses being full, it’s important to find some quiet space with no distractions to ensure that you can concentrate on your interview that’s taking place. Treat your video interview like you would if you were visiting the office or contact centre for the first time – you wouldn’t take your dog or child with you, so ensure that they’re occupied elsewhere as much as you can. 

A key thing to also think about is lighting and the backdrop behind you. Ideally the hiring manager needs to be able to see you and will need to focus on you – not anything in the room or on the walls around you, so it’s best to really consider what’s in view of the camera. Ensure that you’re in a well lit room, that is tidy and clutter free and that you’re sat comfortably and appropriately. Whilst it’s great that you may have a house full of personality, it’s important to remain professional and to take the process seriously.

 Preparation is key

With being at home, you have the ability to make some notes of some of the things that you’d like to get across during the interview, take advantage and have a note of key achievements – ensuring that you have the facts and numbers to back up your statements – whether that be specific revenue targets that you have achieved, the impact that you have made for the performance of the team or, wider business.

It’s important to use the video interview to really showcase your talents, personality and to find out more about the available opportunity. So, it’s always important to ensure that you are as well prepared as possible and ready to show the interviewer exactly what you can bring to them and the business.

Above all, don’t forget to smile, be yourself and try and relax as much as you can.  The more comfortable you feel will come across in how you present yourself.

 If you’re preparing for your first video interview, we hope that this has helped and wish you the best of luck!

If you are on the lookout for your next opportunity, and you would like to discuss the market and how we can help you to find your next opportunity, contact me for more information on the roles that we’re currently hiring for and to discuss future roles, or I am happy to arrange a dummy run with you if you have a video interview coming up.

If you are a business who are looking to hire for a critical role, and would like to find out more about how we can help to find the perfect culture match through the use of Douglas Jackson Search, and would like to arrange a virtual coffee to discuss how we can help and add value, then please do get in touch.

Holly Beeston is a Executive Search and Recruitment Consultant at Douglas Jackson.  Holly specialises in the Utilities, Telecomms and Technology – SAAS vertical markets. Contact Holly on holly@douglas-jackson.com  Tel: 01543 231074