A video interview is a great way to get across your experience and personality to a potential employer, but can be daunting if you’re not comfortable on camera. If you’re worrying about what’s going to happen on your upcoming video interview, St Helens Chamber is here to coach you through it.
Types of Video Interview
There are two types of video interview you could be assessed with, depending on the needs of your potential employer or the role. First is a one way video interview, where the employer will either send over written questions for you to record answers to, usually within a set amount of time. Second is a live video interview which are usually delivered over Skype and include interview questions asked to you over video link.
Preparing for a video interview
You should prepare for a video interview in much the same way as you’d prepare for a traditional face to face interview; making sure you are smartly presented and are have thoroughly researched the company.
Video interviews, whether one way or live, are great for getting your personality across to a potential employer and show off your knowledge, skills and personality before you have a formal face to face interview. So you should make sure you treat it with equal importance to a traditional interview, with the help of our suggestions:
Prepare the right setting and equipment
Before your interview you should have the following in place:
- A webcam
- A fully-charged laptop or computer with Skype
- Steady WiFi connection
- Microphone
- A quiet space free from distractions
There’s nothing worse than an unwelcome visitor coming into the room when you’re in the middle of an interview, it takes you out of your train of thought and is disruptive for your interviewer. Sometimes interruptions are out of your control and interviewers will understand this, but try and keep distractions to a minimum.
If you think you’ll struggle to find the right equipment or space to do your video interview, our digital hub Clickworks in St Helens town centre is open to the public to come along and take advantage of state of the art computer equipment, or you can come along to the Chamber to use the computers in a quiet room.
Dress professionally
First impressions count, so dressing professionally and ensuring you are neatly presented is still as important as in a traditional interview. If you’re not sure on the dress code your potential employer has, you can always take a look at their website and social media profiles for an idea of how staff dress for work.
Have a pen, notepad and copy of your CV on hand
You might like to make some notes while listening to the employer’s questions, or have a few things you think the employer might want to know about your CV; so having these on hand is a good way to prompt you to mention everything you need. Try not to look at these too much as the employer may think you’re distracted, just refer to it as you need or ask the employer if they mind you taking notes as they speak.
Show the employer that you are engaged
Throughout the conversation, there may be times when the employer is speaking at length about the role and you are required to listen. Make sure your body language also reflects that you’re listening carefully, by focusing your eyes on the camera and ensuring you’re not looking around and distracted by anything around you.
You should nod and smile while the interviewer is talking, similarly to how you would if you were in a face to face interview situation. Your behaviour and body language shouldn’t change just because the person isn’t sitting in front of you, you should try to behave in the same way you would in a traditional interview.
If you’re applying for jobs abroad, this may be your final chance to show off your skills to the company, so it’s important to make sure you’re memorable. Give yourself the best chance of success by following the above tips and making sure you’ve done your research and are ready to showcase your skills. Our Starting Point team can help you prepare for any interviews you may have and can also help with your CV and general career plan!
Book an appointment with our Career Coaches to help perfect your interview technique on 01744 698800 info@thestartingpoint.org
