The way we conduct business and handle everyday administration tasks changed with the arrival of COVID. One task that has changed has been the way we conduct interviews. This change has resulted in job seekers learning new skills to come over well on camera. This article has a few tips to help prepare for a Zoom interview.
During an interview yesterday, someone asked me about my background. So I told him about my education, career, family, hopes, and dreams.
Turns out he was asking about what was behind me on our Zoom call.
Ensuring that you have the right background for your Zoom call is essential. When preparing for a virtual interview, the first consideration is where to position your laptop for the interview. Choose a pleasant setting with a tidy environment without dogs and children in the background. The last thing you want is the interviewer concentrating on what is behind you or seeing an untidy home.
Whatever is behind you should not distract the person interviewing you. Talking of distractions, remember to turn off your phone before the interview. These distractions could also include other apps on your device. Close everything except the Zoom window.
Zoom is allowing people to embarrass themselves in ways they couldn’t even imagine just a month ago! It lets co-workers and potential employers look directly into your dirty and disorganized living room, with the overflowing laundry basket waiting by the door to the utility room.
Of course, you should set the lighting carefully. Place a lamp behind your computer so it illuminates the whole face. If you possess a ring light, that will provide the best possible results. Avoid using the bright setting on your laptop or monitor. “If you’re wearing glasses, the bright monitor can be reflected in the glasses and be incredibly distracting,”
It would help if you also considered a microphone, or even a headset, to ensure that sound quality is good. Poor quality sound is yet another distraction you want to avoid.
Finally, before logging onto the zoom call, make sure you switched off that filter you were using the previous night when chatting with a friend on zoom. Appearing on your potential employer’s screen while being morphed into a potato does not help your credibility.
That has the environment covered, and now we need to consider what we need on the desk. A copy of your resume always helps, and just in case you get a dry mouth or begin to cough, place a glass of water there as well.
Take care to provide the optimum environment for your interview and ensure that you have good lighting and sound. This preparation will allow you to focus on the interview itself rather than worrying about technicalities.
I hope that these tips will help, and should you need further assistance, you are welcome to reach out.