With the recent concern of the spread of COVID-19, many in-person interviews are being switched to phone or video interviews. Compass Consulting wants to share some of the best “phone/video” tips to give a lasting impression.
For the basic tips on things like the importance of strong internet connection, not being late, finding a quiet place please check out this article from Glassdoor! https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/12-things-to-never-do-during-a-phone-interview/
One of the benefits of being in person is the ability to read body language. You can gather some cues on how your answer was perceived and sometimes can indicate if the employer wants more information.
Body language is something that obviously can’t be seen in a phone interview, or hard to see in a video interview. Here is what our recruiters think will help curb the challenge of not being able to read body language:
For Phone interviews:
- Tone: Practice your tone when talking about certain tasks/examples. Project your voice with keywords, points or activities you know are important to the interviewer.
- Pausing: Don’t forget to pause in between your answers, one of the disadvantages is you can’t see your interviewer’s reaction to what you are saying. Instead of giving a long drawn out answer, remember to pause and wait. Sometimes your interviewer will ask you to expand or give another example, this is your cue to add more details!
- Waiting for feedback: This goes back to our “pause” recommendation. Most of the time the interviewer will let you know if you met their expectations when answering their questions. If they need more details, they’ll ask. Sometimes we ramble when we get nervous, this is a way for you to not give drawn out answers.
- Asking questions that prompt the interviewer to give feedback: After giving your examples, asking follow-up questions like: “Does that cover your question about listing examples for what I have done in project management?” You may have given examples that you think are aligned with their questions but verifying never hurts.
- Don’t interrupt: There isn’t anything more awkward for an interviewer than being interrupted. Let them finish, they might be on their way to clarify the question.
- Don’t Panic!: It is so easy to panic when connection errors happen. Think of it as an opportunity to show your future employer how you handle stressful situations.
Specifically, For Video interviews:
- Do a dry run: Try to test out how you look on video with a friend, things like lighting and making sure you’re at eye level might not appear an issue until you’re already connected. Test your environment out before you go live.
Eye contact: Yes even in a video interview. Make sure you are looking at the screen, it can be distracting to the person on the other side of the monitor if you are constantly looking away. Make sure your screen is at eye level. - Minimize your distractions: If you have pets, babies, people or anything in the background during your interview, it can be super distracting. Keep the extra distractions out of the frame during your video interviews.
- Try using a laptop: Being stationary is ideal when you are on a video interview. If you must use your cellphone, try to dock it or keep it in one place so the constant movement isn’t distracting to the person(s) interviewing you.
- Dress the part: Even if you are just sitting at home, dress as if you are going into an actual interview and seeing someone in person. Appearing polished and ready is always a good indicator to the employer.
With the recent demand of phone and/or video interviews, we wanted to make sure you are equipped with the best tools to land your dream role. Please reach out if you have any questions and good luck with any new opportunities that come your way.