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By Vincent Malunga and Winnie Ayero | 29 April 2022
In 2017, two little children nonchalantly walked into their dad's home office while he was in a videoconference with the BBC and it went viral! It was simultaneously cute and embarrassing. Watch the video below.
That was before Covid-19 and lockdowns inevitably popularized virtual meetings for workplaces. With the coming of mobility restrictions, virtual meetings became the norm.
Today we zoom (pun intended) in on virtual job interviews which are usually done via videoconference. We will specifically look at what you should and should not do.
First, we start with the dos. The following are instructive in this regard:
Choose a nice quiet room with tasteful décor that mimics the office environment. If it looks, sounds and feels professional, it will put you in a similar mood and demeanour.
Test your communication equipment before the meeting and make sure that it is functioning properly audio-visually.
Dress professionally as you would normally when going to the office. Just because you will be showing only upper body does not mean you should underdress waist down. It is all part of creating the feel, look and mood.
Although remote, create the mental image of yourself being at the actual venue of the interview, and zone yourself in.
Make eye contact and speak audibly.
By all means, use any network delays as time to think through your answers before responding.
Sit comfortably and maintain an upright posture without slumping into a chair.
As for the don’ts, the following are worth noting:
Do not make it obvious that you have notes or cheat sheets to refer to. A cheat is the last introductory projection you want to make.
Do not have a cluttered background that is distracting to the panel or background noise and unwelcome visuals.
Do not allow yourself to be interrupted by other people in the house.
Do not eat during the course of the interview because food is readily available. A sip of water occasionally is acceptable.
Do not behave informally just because it is a virtual interview.
Do not pretend not to hear when the panel is perfectly audible to you. Similarly do not pretend to hear when you have not heard. Rather ask for repetition than trying to fill in the gaps.
As they say – if you can imagine it, you can be it. You can teleport yourself mentally to the panel’s presence with the attitude and behaviour you adopt. Preparation is everything. If you prepare well and conduct yourself professionally, a virtual interview can be every bit as effective as one in physical presence.
Best of luck with your virtual interviews! Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter to receive weekly publications on career related topics, delivered directly to your email.
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This article is also published in the GFI Newsletter on LinkedIn
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