(bright music)
- [Narrator] This is what a virtual interview looks like.
This is what it feels like.
- Interviews are already nerveracking,
but when you throw a video element into it,
it becomes that much more anxiety-inducing
for a lot of people.
- [Narrator] That's Ashlee Anderson.
She's a certified career coach and remote working pro.
She's been doing it for 10 years.
- I specialize in helping job seekers
transition from traditional office jobs
into telecommute roles.
- [Narrator] With many of us home now,
chances are your next interview
will be done through a screen and, well-
- It's really hard to make that connection
with the interview, but one of the best ways you can do that
is to present really well.
- [Narrator] And she's here, virtually,
to teach you how to do just that.
Not this.
(playful music)
(bell dings)
- Step one, set the scene.
(light music)
So ideally, you want to have a nice, clean,
simple background.
Just the blank wall is perfectly fine.
You also want to think about lighting.
For example, if you have lighting behind you,
you could end up looking like a silhouette on the screen.
Ideally, natural lighting is the best,
so if you have a window that you can face
or a window to your side, that would be perfect.
But also, if you don't have a window
to provide natural lighting,
you can resort to using a desk lamp.
And you really want to have your camera
at eye level with you.
That way, you're not looking up at the interviewer
and they're peering up your nostrils
and you're also not looking down on them.
If you just grab a couple of books and pile them up
and sit the laptop on top of that,
that is gonna raise it enough
to bring that camera right at the eye level for you.
Step two, plan your outfit.
Do a little bit of research about the company
so you know what their culture is going into it.
You don't want to show up to your virtual interview
in a really nice suit if they're a very casual company.
Keep your ensemble really basic.
Don't go for really busy patterns.
And try to stay away from solid colors
that are really bright
as those can kind of wash you out on screen.
So you might not necessarily consider your headphones
as being an accessory or part of your everyday outfit,
but it's something that you definitely need to consider
not using when you are getting prepared
for a remote interview.
When you think of somebody with headphones in,
they're somebody that's unapproachable
and somebody that you don't want to speak to,
so forgo using the headphones and just stick
with using the external speakers, microphones
that you have on your computer.
(bell dings) - Hello, hello, hello.
Step three, test your tech.
(light music)
It's making sure that your webcam is working,
your speakers are working.
- [Interviewee] Hi, this a test.
- And another super, super important thing is your internet.
You really need to make sure you have enough internet speed.
Generally speaking, programs like Zoom
prefer 1.8 megabytes per second
in order to stream a one-on-one video call,
and you can easily test your internet speed
going on Google and just typing speed test
and you'll get tons of different options.
If you're relying on Wi-Fi
that's kind of a little inconsistent with the connectivity,
you can always just invest in an ethernet cable,
plug that directly into your computer and into your modem
and you're gonna have much more stable internet connection.
(bell dings) Step four is practice.
- Hey.
- And a great way to do that
is just to, you know, use a friend or a family member
who's willing to hop on a video call with you.
It really makes all the difference
and especially when it comes to eye contact.
Our tendency is to look down on the screen,
but what that actually looks like on the other side
is that you're looking away and not genuinely looking
at the person that you're talking to.
So it's always important to practice
and look directly into the camera.
If you get easily distracted
by your own image on the screen,
a really simple thing you can do to avoid that
is just use a Post-It note and cover up your own image.
That way, you're not gonna be distracted by it
and it's out of sight and out of mind.
(bell dings)
Step five, interview.
(soft music) (machine whirring)
It's inevitably going to happen
that a distraction may come around
so don't ever panic when something happens.
The more that you do or if you make a quick decision
to turn off your audio or your video
as a knee-jerk reaction,
that could actually be more detrimental
than the actual distraction itself.
But if it does cause the interviewer
to get interrupted with what they're doing,
you definitely want to address it
and not pretend like it didn't happen.
You want to make sure that you're able to say,
"Oh, my bad, that happened," and move forward after that.
When you're at home, even when you're on an interview,
you kind of have that more casual atmosphere
than actually going into an office building to interview,
and with that casual feeling,
you might end up doing something
that you wouldn't even think of in an office setting.
For example, having your phone out.
So just turn it off and put it out of sight.
And make sure you have all of your internet browsers
and windows closed.
You don't need that open.
Really, the only thing you should have open
on your computer during the interview
is the program that you're using
to conduct the interview.
Remote interviews and video interviews are a lot different.
They really are.
But as they become more mainstream,
it's important that we adapt and adjust to them.
That way, we can still continue on with our careers
and making career moves and not letting the fear
of video interviews hold us back.
(soft playful music)