Top Tips to “Ace a Virtual Interview”
Advice from Alice Hanko Rush, Nationally Certified Career Counselor Sept. 7, 2022
Writing sample to help marketing teams with ongoing blogs - Requested writing for 7-10 practical tips
Q: She is looking for a mix of technical and practical aspects (what to wear, lighting):
Make it simple, not a lot of jewelry, dangly earrings, busy print- all distract from what you are saying during the interview. What you wear should not distract from your verbal stimuli. I recommend solid colors, professional attire (collared shirt with sleeves), no logos or writing of content on your shirt.
Lighting and background are important for a virtual interview, make sure if you have a lot of clutter or kid toys in the background that you hang a plain sheet light blue or off white background from the ceiling to block out the clutter and to make everything neutral and non -distracting in the background.
More light is better. If you are having a zoom interview there are settings to soften your look on camera. Similar to airbrush, it just makes everyone look better- this is optional, yet some of my clients feel more confident with this setting.
Check your computer technology settings before the interview, conduct a practice run with a friend to make sure your audio is set where your visual web cam is connected, sound and speakers are on the right settings.
Q: Along with some practical tips that apply to any job interview (virtual or in person) as well as if there is anything specific to virtual interviews.
Practical Tips applicable both virtual and in person interviews:
Monitor your voice, if it’s an early morning interview, make sure you are up for at least 2 hours to warm up your voice, consider herbal tea with honey after your morning coffee to settle your voice. If you practice mindfulness and breathwork this is a helpful exercise prior to interviewing as well. It will settle your nerves and your vocal cords.
Make sure you don’t exercise and drink too much coffee right before the interview. If you drink coffee, drink it 2 hours before the interview. If you exercise, make sure it’s at least 2-3 hours before, otherwise it can take a while to cool down and remain calm and not sweating on camera is important.
Connect with the interviewers by doing what Olympic athletes do before a race to calm their anxiety- close your eyes, breath in peace…breath out all that does not serve you, focus on your breath for 2 minutes, repeat until you feel calm- “Visualization exercise: imagine your mind is like a lake and the lake is glass no ripples…now imagine you are at the interview- your technology is working smoothly and you are connecting deeply with the interview team- you are relaxed and articulate, and the interviewers feel like family, you are connected with them on a deep level and they are so grateful you applied for the job, they know you are the perfect candidate without your saying all the perfect words. You are relaxed and confident.”
Make sure you have ideally spoken to peers in the dept. you are interviewing with, or have read their reviews of what it’s like to work for their organization on Glassdoor -so you can answer the question “Why do you want to work here?” Just as Sales Executives do, you need to do to stand out as a candidate in the interview, research the company first, understand their needs and how your skills and background will help them.