It's a difficult time. The coronavirus outbreak is impacting all areas of our lives, from isolation to economic impact and the ongoing battle to keep businesses running as usual.
Many companies are now working remotely and this is also having an impact on their recruitment. Businesses are now switching to telephone and video interviewing in order to adapt hiring processes and keep everyone safe.
Although standard interview questions might remain the same, video interviews are undoubtedly different to interviewing face to face.
Here’s our tips on how to ace a video interview…
Test Out Your Video Interview Tech
Before you start it’s important to check you’ve set up the tech properly. A few hours, or even the day before your video interview, test out the platform you’ll be using and your laptop camera and microphone.
Do you have a good WiFi connection? Make sure any software is up to date and if possible do a test call to ensure good sound and picture quality.
Prepare Your Location
Where will you do the interview? Conduct the interview somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed and notify family/housemates. When you test your tech, take a look at your background. You need a minimal and non-distracting background with good lighting.
Check your camera angles, as some laptop cameras can be set lower. Try to position the camera for a clear and proportioned head and shoulders shot.
Time To Dress The Part
You’re likely in isolation or social distancing mode, so it’s easy to slip into sweatpants! However, you need to dress in the same way you would if you were going for a face to face interview. Don’t be tempted to dress up just your top-half! You’re still making a first impression. Think about the seniority of the role you’re applying for and the company you’re interviewing with.
Research and Practise
As with a normal interview, research the company you’re interviewing with and have a copy of your CV to hand. It’s a good idea to make a few notes on your achievements with a few examples. However, don’t read from your notes, or look over to them too often as this looks awkward and unnatural. Have a practise prior to the video interview, memorising points you want to cover. Remember to smile and be enthusiastic.
Getting Friendly Support
It’s easier to do a video interview if you have someone to coach you. We use a video platform called Hinterview which opens as an initial video call, where our Recruitment Consultants can brief and coach you before the video interview starts.
This gives you added confidence, the chance to ask questions and be ready to make a great first impression in your video interview!
Help and Advice
Many people are now facing, and adapting, to new ways of working. At Hanover, we are dedicated to supporting both our clients and candidates with tech-focused solutions so they can overcome current challenges.
If you want to know more about how Hanover can help you, head over to our homepage!