Top Tips for Video Interviews

With many of the workforce now working from home we’ve found that any ongoing and planned interviews are reverting to Skype or video meetings, we have therefore put together some top tips for you to help prepare for a video interview.

1. It’s very important to prepare as you usually would for an onsite interview

Read up and research the organisation, practice your interview question responses and dress appropriately!  If possible ask a friend or family member if you can practise with them beforehand on a video call.  If you need any extra tips on how to prepare for an interview check out our blog on interview preparation under news and advice.

2. Find a quiet space!

Make sure you’re in a quiet room where there won’t be any background noise or distractions.  Using headphones can help minimise the amount of background noises such as sirens, lawnmowers or neighbours’ dogs! Try to make sure everyone in your household is aware you’re having an interview so they can keep their noise to a minimum. It will also prevent them from walking into the room you’re using, if necessary put a sign on the door to avoid anyone coming into view of the camera!

3. Fix any technical issues!

Check your camera and your microphone are working before the interview, turn your phone off and make sure you’re logged out of messaging service such as Facebook messenger or LinkedIn as they can make noises when you receive a message or pop up at the bottom of the screen which can be distracting.

Try to make sure all unnecessary windows are shut down to avoid the computer being overloaded. We recommend contacting us or the interview organiser in the event of a technical hitch straight away!

4. Be organised

We recommend that you have a copy of your CV in front of you, along with a notepad and pen.  Make sure you have any questions you may ask at the end of your interview written down.  You can always make a small list of anything you feel is important to discuss in your interview.  Remember that most jobs require good organisational skills!

5. Positive body language

It can be a little more difficult to get your body language across in a video interview, however sitting up straight, using hand gestures, nodding and signalling you are listening can help you feel a little less robotic.  You should look at the camera as opposed to the screen when speaking with the person interviewing you to mimic eye contact as much as possible.

If you do all these things above you’ll be in a great place to do well at a video interview.  For more advice on interviews visit www.cypartners.co.uk/news-advice/