With the Government’s current orders to self-isolate and work from home where possible you may think recruitment might be on the back burner however you may be surprised. Many clients are simply switching to video conferencing to interview over Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams and some, admittedly, have put the recruitment process on hold.

While Virtual interviews have become commonplace over the last few years due to international recruitment, and time constraints, it seems that this technology is being harnessed more than ever to keep business moving forward.

So I felt now would be an ideal time to offer some guidance on the do’s and don’ts when attending a virtual interview.

Do’s

Prepare

• I would always suggest that you prepare for an interview, however, in a virtual interview a long pause may feel even longer. Ensure that you have prepared for any possible questions and even have a prompt sheet on the table in front of you if you believe it will be of help.

Dress for Success

• Even though the interview will be taking place in your own home, you should still wear what you would wear to a face to face interview. If you’re dressed the part it will make the interview, feel more formal and help you mentally prepare. Avoid wearing bright colours or distracting prints.

Make sure your surroundings are appropriate 

• Make sure the area around you is ordered and tidy, try to place yourself in a clear space, perhaps with a white or soft coloured wall behind you. This will keep their focus on you and not trying to work out what the picture is behind you. Turn off the TV, radio and make sure your mobile is on silent!
• Try to ensure that you’re in a quiet place away from family members and pets, although potentially humorous a cameo from the cat or child may not help the flow of your meeting. We have all seen that notorious BBC interview on TV!

Take your time to get it right

• Take your time to answer questions, trying to leave out umms and errs. Practice possible answers with a friend or family member and ask them to skype you,  asking questions so that you know how it feels to answer someone on screen.
• Be yourself, just like a face to face interview the organisers want to get a sense of who you are. If you take your time to prepare and relax it will be easier to let your personality shine.

Test your connection and equipment before the scheduled time.

• Technical errors happen and sometimes they aren’t in anyone’s control but if you take the time to test your connection and equipment before the scheduled meeting then it will limit errors and give you time to sort any issues.
• Fix your video device in a position that is as level to your eyesight as possible, it’s better not to be looking down throughout the interview. As before test what the recipients will see before the VC.
• Have a backup plan, have a phone number that you can reach them on should technical issues happen if you have a way to contact your interviewer or agent to quickly resolve the issue will make a much better impression than just missing the meeting.

Don’ts

Wear your pyjamas

• As tempting as it is to stay in your pjs when you are at home all day, getting ready is a very important step to starting your day.

Wing it

• For all the reasons above this would be a bad idea! It will be even more obvious that you are not prepared as the camera is focused on your face body language and facial expressions are obvious.

Sweat it

• For many firms a virtual interview will serve as a first step and a getting to know you exercise.

Being at home is also a great time to speak to us recruiter types. If you are looking for a new opportunity get in touch with the team at Origin Legal and we will be happy to have a virtual coffee and a chat about what you are looking for in your next move.