Ask the Recruiter: 3 Tips for Video Interviewing
More interviews are being conducted via video chat, but that shouldn't make you nervous if you have one coming up. Healthcare IT Leaders' Senior Consultant Advisor Christine Woods, who conducts a lot of video interviews, offers three video interviewing secrets in the video below.
How to choose an appropriate video location
When you’re selecting a video interviewing location, make sure there’s no glare behind you from an open window, that you’re in a non-distracting place that’s also quiet. So if you’re interviewing at home, make sure there’s nothing – like a television, lots of pictures of friends or your breakfast sizzling on the stove – behind you that could take the focus off of you. Also, position the camera at the same height as the top of your head.
Familiarize yourself with any video functionality beforehand
Will you be chatting via Skype, Google Hangouts or FaceTime, using a computer camera, a phone camera or video chat apps? Do a test run with a friend to make sure you have the software or app downloaded to video chat, and you know how to use it. Also, make sure you know who is calling whom and at what number.
How and where to look during the video
Good eye contact is key, but make sure you know where to direct that eye contact. Look into the camera the whole time, not at the face of the interviewer on the screen, which actually means you’re looking down.
Remember to dress for the office, even if you're on video. You’ll want to wear solid colors and stay away from white, as it can give off a glare. Patterned clothing can look like movement on video, so stay away from patterns, too.
And don’t forget to smile while you interview. Smiling will remind you to be positive and help calm your nerves.
Just because the interview is conducted over video shouldn’t make it different from other interviews, in that the interviewee should still be confident, prepared and focused. If you're interviewing by video in the near future, just follow these tips, and of course, answer the interviewer’s questions to the best of your knowledge, and you’ll be on your way to an in-person interview in no time.