Ways to Rock in Your Video Conference Interview

What is a Video conference Interview?

Let me give a small description for a video interview in case you don’t know what I am talking about-

Video Conference Interview is a type of face to face interview taken from distant places through the use of technology, maybe from home. A video interview can be of two kinds- Video Conferencing & One-way video interview. Video Conferencing is live, and two or more people are present in that video (taken with the help of an online platform). In contrast, a One-way video interview is a pre-recorded video by the interviewee answering a set of questions given by the interviewer. Here I will be talking about Video Conference interviews.

You may also like to read our blog on Skype Interview.

Now the real question is- How to ace your video conference interview:

Tips for a video conference interview 

• Research and Practice :
  • Before giving an interview, you need to do your part of the research beforehand, i.e. about the company, details of the interviewer, details about the product or services etc. Check out their website for the details or any other source from google.
  • Prepare how you will be starting with the interview how to introduce yourself. The interviewer knows your basic details through your CV. So no need to repeat that, rather say something not present in the CV.
  • Study and gather more knowledge about the job role you applied for. Think of how you can show your interest in that position and for the company and be a fruitful employee to the company.
  • Check out some basic interview questions available on the internet. Answer and record videos beforehand, look at them, review/rate them and find loopholes/mistakes you made for improvement. Finding your flaws helps you build your confidence and improve further.
  • Practice mock interviews by asking your friends or family to help. Mock interviews are interviews taken by your friends or family to judge and guide you to improve further, as the old saying is that experienced people can guide and shape you in the best way possible and brings out the most in you.

• Proper dress-up:

You should be properly dressed up from head to toe. You need to be in proper formal wear as you would have been wearing if it was a personal interview in an office. If you are giving an interview for the first time, check-in google for the perfect attire because there will be points for your dress-up. If you generally do makeup, do a little more for the interview.

• Home setup:
  • Generally, there is a lot of noise at home. But there should be no background noise while giving the interview because the interviewer gets disturbed and annoyed by the noise and might even cancel the interview. Inform your family members about the interview beforehand to avoid noise coming from inside the house. If the sound is coming from outside sources, I would suggest changing the place for the interview.
  • When you sit in front of the camera, you notice that your background can also be seen. It is preferable that the background must be clear (i.e. no objects) and the background colour is ideal (i.e. light colours, avoid bright colour walls for background) for the interview with sufficient light. Always keep in mind to sit in the opposite direction of the light for a clear view by the interviewer because if you sit in the same direction of the light, it will become the main focus, and the interviewer will not be able to see you. Find an empty room with a clear background for the interview.
  • There should be absolutely no interference while the interview is going on. Any disturbance can irritate the interviewer. So lock yourself up in the room so that there is no interference by any pet, children or other family members.
• Technology & Software Setup:
  • You should use a good quality webcam so that the interviewer can properly see you because an interviewer might judge you with your looks and all, for which you need to be properly visible. Check the quality of the camera beforehand.
  • It is always preferable to use a laptop while giving the interview. Suppose you don’t have any try and borrow it from your friends/relatives for the interview. Still can’t manage? Then have to give it on the phone only. Keep the phone or the laptop on a table so that it helps in maintaining a good camera angle. Your face must be the main focus of the whole interview.
  • While giving the interview, your voice must be loud and clear enough so that the interviewer and hear you properly. I advise you to use a microphone while speaking so that your voice doesn’t break during the interview.
  • Ask the interviewer about the software used for the interview process. Download, install and get familiar with the software by using it once or twice beforehand.
  • Check the quality of the network you will be using for the interview. I advise you to go and get WiFi so that you don’t face an issue during the interview process. This might hear like a less important point. But believe me, this is the most important point because the meeting will not take place in the office. It is going to be solely through the internet.

• Documents:

Before starting the interview, arrange hard copies of all your documents (ex- CV, Id proof, results etc.) along with properly scanned copies of the documents on the computer/phone (whichever you are using). The interviewer might ask for them during the interview process. Keep a paper and a pen by your side with the documents because the interviewer might also tell you to write down something and send in a copy of it through the mail.

• Etiquette:
  • It would be best if you looked like you were confident enough. It also doesn’t mean that you become overconfident. Just don’t stress out. Try to keep calm and relaxed. It would help if you did not look tense. The more you get tensed, nervous or afraid, the more the interviewer will create pressure on you to check if you can cope or not. There is a high chance they will reject you if you seem tensed/ afraid.
  • One of the rules is to make direct eye contact with the interviewer rather than looking around in an interview. In a video conference interview, you need to make direct eye contact with the camera. Don’t look at the screen. Always have to look at the camera because it seems like you are looking down if you look at the screen.
  • It would help if you always avoided excess body movement. Just sit and stay still wherever you are sitting. Think it yourself. If the interviewer is moving a lot, you will also get annoyed.
  • Keep your mobile in ‘do not disturb’ mode; otherwise, if your phone rings or message tone rings while you are in the interview process, the interviewer might get angry.
  • Please think of the interviewer as your better half and that you have to be decent in front of them. The better your etiquettes, you will get a shot.
  • Even after taking so many precautions beforehand, something might get wrong. So I advise you always to apologize if there is any mistake from your end. Apologizing doesn’t harm your ego. It shows your respect for them.
• Don’t bluff:

Don’t even try to bluff in front of the interviewer. An interviewer will always find out the truth because their job is to do that and identify their qualities that might be fruitful for the company. Be straightforward and speak the truth. Always say to the point answers. If you speak more, it’s more likely to get more difficult questions.

• Be Positive:

Don’t speak rubbish and negative things in the interview. Always put on a smile to give a positive gesture. It shows that you are confident enough and a happy person. Even if the interviewer is disturbed or annoyed by something, your smile can change their mood. You never know that you might also get selected because of your smile/ positive gesture.

• Clear your doubts:

During the interview process or at the end, you can always ask about your doubts. You need to ask if you are selected or not, the next steps after the interview, under whom you will be assigned etc. If it’s the last round of the recruitment process, you have the liberty to talk about the salary and negotiate, if necessary, your offer letter and from when will you be joining.

At the end of the interview, you need to thank yourself for taking your interview. After it finally ends, you need to send in a short and formal thank note through the mail. If more than one interviewer was in the video conference interview, compose different mails for everyone. This is a part of etiquette which comes at the last. Your thank-you note might also change the decision of the interviewer.

You can also read our article on Tips on Facing Interview.

Final Thoughts

Facing an Interview is not an easy task. That too is a video conference interview, which almost every company is taking in this pandemic situation. And even after this situation gets solved, many companies and recruiters will permanently follow this method because it saves time and money. But still, some companies may follow the old method of face to face interviews at the office itself because, as I told you, it is the best recruitment method.

You can also work as a freelancer while looking for a full-time position with Chegg.