Is there anything more intimidating than a job interview? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to improve your chances of getting hired?
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There are. I’ve come up with 7 video interview tips that will help you ace your online interview and show your prospective employer that you are the ideal candadiate.
With the rapid growth of outsourcing and freelancing individuals on the internet, more and more people continue to ask the question— How do I land myself an online job? Most of the time, companies, agencies, and individuals who are looking to hire a virtual assistant will screen their applicants through a series of examinations.
Once the right amount of applicants have been shortlisted, the final step is to usually have a face-to-face interview with a video chat.
This is usually the point where most applicants get uneasy and nervous.
However, it still isn’t too late to become a master at online interviews.
7 Video Interview Tips to Help You Secure That Job
In this list, you will find different ways to gain an advantage over applicants who will be interviewed alongside you.
By taking to heart these tips, you are guaranteed to have a higher success rate at landing a job after a face-to-face interview.
1. Prepare Your Attire and Background
No matter if your video interview is happening in a few days or hours, you should always have enough time to prepare what you’ll be wearing and be sitting behind once the meeting begins.
Even if some applicants may take advantage of the remote setting and dress up very casually, take that extra step of dressing up with class and showing the interviewer that you’re all about your business.
Once your attire is all set up, jump straight into turning on the camera you’ll be using for the interview. Observe your surroundings and notice every little detail that might steal the attention of your interviewer.
Do your best to get rid of all possible distractions to come across as a highly professional applicant.
Being diligent with these kinds of things aren’t guaranteed to have an effect on the outcome at all times but the right people will give notice to such details and take it to consideration when choosing which applicant to hire.
2. Perform Background Research on the Company
Before you jump into having a face-to-face conversation with someone online, it is only right to do your research on the background of the person or whatever company he/she is representing.
Chances are, top-tier human resource departments also do their background research on shortlisted applicants to make sure they’re not missing out on anything.
Simply search the name of the person or company on Google.
Most of the time, you will already come up with the most relevant stuff related to that individual by doing this. To add to this, you can also try searching the name of the person or company on Facebook. Both of these search engines are big enough to cover anything you need to know about who will be interviewing you.
If you want to go the extra mile, give their competitor’s website a look too before the interview. By doing this, you will have something good to ask the interviewer later on such as— “Are you somewhat similar with (competitor’s name)?”.
Asking questions like that will make you stand out and come across as a highly interested applicant who knows exactly what he/she is applying for.
3. Do a Quick Dry-Run of Everything
Another difference of taking interviews online compared to having it in person is that you’re held responsible for technical problems that occur on your end.
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This is why it’s a smart thing to do a mock call with yourself or a friend before taking the actual online interview.
By doing this, you will detect all errors that could have occurred during the interview and troubleshoot them before they get in your way of landing the job.
If you’re going to have the call on Skype, do a free test call to be able to hear how you will come across to the interviewer.
If you wish to go the extra mile, simply do a quick summary of what you’ll be saying to the interviewer— From the way you’ll be greeting the person to the first icebreaker you have in mind, feel free to practice it in front of the camera with facial expression while there is only you to criticize anything wrong that happens.
4. Be Early and Delightful
Never underestimate what being punctual can do. Make sure everything is up and working at least 15 minutes before the meeting.
If a few minutes before the actual time and you still haven’t heard from the interviewer, take the initiative of pinging him/her to remind that you are supposed to meet each other in a few moments.
If it ever occurs that the client still doesn’t respond, let him/her know that you were there during the time of the interview and you would love to reschedule at the earliest convenience of both sides. Always show utmost patience as an applicant— Some clients may have messed up schedules; hence why they need someone who can understand such scenarios and work their way around it.
5. Always Respond with Clarity
Now we assume the interview has already started, always remember to keep your composure and talk at an ideally slow rate.
Doing this will minimize the occurrence where you would have to repeat yourself because the interviewer didn’t catch you.
Another thing to note is the 5-second pause— If you’re not sure why the person speaking has stopped talking, wait for at least 5 seconds before butting in,
Overall, just be clear and direct with your answers to show your interviewer that you are indeed a person with conviction.
6. Listen Carefully
Being able to pick up small details is a skill that few people possess.
If you really want to stand out among the other applicants, always take note of what the interviewer is saying and confirm with him/her that you’re on the same page. One thing you can do is rephrase what they’re saying and ask if you understood them correctly.
Before the interview ends, always look out when will the interviewer ask if you have any questions for the company.
Though this can be considered an unwritten rule, asking questions after the interview has been summarized shows that you are indeed interested in working for them.
7. Send a Quick Thank You Note
Once the interview has commenced, take a quick break and proceed to send a note of appreciation to the interviewer for taking the time to know more about you.
Again, you don’t have to be redundant and annoying to show that you have an outgoing personality. Thanking the person who interviewed you also shows your work ethic and how you deal with people.
If days have past and you still have not heard from the company you’re applying for online, give them a follow-up email and just kindly ask them for an update on the job position.
Even if it’s bad news, you’d still want to find out about it and hear the reason. By having the guts to do this, you’ll be able to get priceless advice on how to be even better at your next online interview.
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Got any more tips?
At the end of the day, never take any result of an online interview too heavily. The success of an online interview isn’t determined by being accepted or not. Rather, being able to leave a positive impression in the mind of your interviewer, no matter what the result after, is what it’s really all about.
After all, every online interview you participate in that doesn’t turn into an employment should be a lesson to make you a better applicant in the long haul.
If you’ve taken a video interview before and can share some tips on what did or did not impress the interviewer, please help us out and share them below!
