With more people working from home, it’s unsurprising that job interviews are increasingly being conducted online.
This means there are additional considerations job-hunters should prepare for.
Chisholm careers counsellor Lawrence Moore has shared his top tips for succeeding at online interviews.
Before the interview
Review the selection documentation
When preparing for an interview, your first step should be reviewing all the selection documentation.
Go over the job advertisement, company profile, position description and selection criteria, so that it’s fresh in your mind as you approach the interview.
Research the company
Spend plenty of time researching the company you have applied to. Check out their website and current projects. Look at their annual report to see what matters to them. “Read their mission or vision statement to see if you can find some kind of synergy between where you’re taking your career and where they’re taking their organisation,” says Lawrence.
“If you can sound informed and like you’ve done some homework into the company, that makes a good impression,” says Lawrence.
Practice your answers
For any kind of interview, rehearsal is really important, says Lawrence.
“Job interviews are something none of us practice enough, and of course they are going to make you nervous,” he says. “It’s one of those things where practice doesn’t make perfect, but it certainly makes better.”
Prepare your answers and do a practice interview with a friend, family member or your careers counsellor.
“At Chisholm, we offer a practice service to our students so they can do a mock interview and we can provide them with feedback,” says Lawrence. “We can even do video recordings with students to show them exactly how they looked during the interview. That can be a bit of a wake-up call to some, so this kind of preparation can make a big difference.”
Prepare your own questions
Whether the interview is online or not, there’s usually an opportunity to ask questions. Have two to three questions pre-prepared.
You can ask about anything from the working conditions to who you would be reporting to. Salary talk is best avoided.
Not sure what to go with? These five impressive questions to ask in a job interview will give you some ideas.
Ask who will be on the panel
Most recruiters will let you know in advance who will be interviewing you, but if they don’t volunteer that information, don’t be afraid to ask.
“That way, you’ll know who’s who and what their interest in your backstory might be,” says Lawrence.
Check your computer is working
Before the interview, make sure you test your equipment is working properly – the microphone, headset, camera – the lot.
Another tip: ensure you have access to reliable, high-speed internet so that there aren’t delays during the interview.
Familiarise yourself with the software
Nowadays, there are all sorts of video teleconferencing software programs out there. Zoom, Cisco WebEx, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are a few examples.
Before the meeting, check which software the interview will be conducted on. If you’re new to the platform, do a few trial runs with family or friends to get a feel for how it works.
It’s a good idea to have a play with features you may need to use, such as screen sharing or muting. “You don’t want to be fiddling with that kind of stuff, as you may appear nervous and unconfident with technology,” Lawrence says.
During the interview
Consider your personal presentation
In an online setting, how you present is just as important as in an in-person interview. “You want to dress like you are going to an in-person interview,” Lawrence says.
Even if it’s a phone interview, Lawrence suggests you dress to impress. “I’ve had a number of people say to me that even in a phone interview, how you present yourself is affected by how you dress,” he says. “It’s about being in the right mental space for what you’re doing.”
The good news is, you don’t have to spend a fortune to dress well for an interview, these tips can help you dress appropriately on a budget.
If it’s a video call, don’t forget to sit up straight and smile where appropriate!
Maintain eye contact
Just like in a traditional interview setting, you should maintain eye contact. This can be tricky online.
If you are using a double screen set up, for example, you may focus your eyes on the screen where you see the interviewer, but your camera may be elsewhere. “Just be conscious of these things, because it can look like you’re not engaging with them,” Lawrence says.
Also, if there are multiple people interviewing you, it may be difficult to maintain eye contact with multiple faces on the screen. “One strategy is to refer to each person by name when answering their specific questions,” says Lawrence.
Ensure your background is neat and tidy
If your camera is on, consider your background.
“I do think it’s nice to have a real background, but just make sure it’s professional looking, even if you’re in a home office,” Lawrence says. “I think people are a little bit over the blur effects.
“It can be good to show a bit of personality, but don’t go over the top and keep it tidy.”
Be prompt, but not too early
Lawrence says there’s a fine line between being prompt and appearing too desperate by waiting in an online meeting room for 15 minutes before the meeting.
“In my experience online interviews tend to start pretty close to on-time, so maybe log in five minutes beforehand,” says Lawrence.
Have supporting documentation on hand
Even though you want to maintain eye contact in an online interview, it’s absolutely okay to have documentation next to you to refer to. The interviewer or recruiter will be doing the same thing.
Make sure you also have your resume at the ready, as well as any other paperwork you may need.
With a bit of practice, there’s no reason why you can excel at an online interview. The key is to appear connected, engaged and to just be yourself!
