Top Nine Tips for Acing an Online Job Interview

Today’s marketplace requires new interviewing skills. For many interviews, you won’t be traveling to an office to sit face-to-face with your potential employer. This may happen eventually, but your initial interview may be an online one. This means you need modern interview tips.

You won’t have to worry about traffic that could cause you to be late. You can wear whatever perfume or cologne you want, but you do need to know the secrets to acing online interviews.

Use the following online interview tips to land your next dream job:

• Do a run-through: Don’t wait for the interview to reveal any technology issues. Ask the interviewer what format they will be using, and then do a test-run with your device ahead of time. Practice running the platform. Test your audio and video. Find a spot with lighting that works well for the interview.
• Skip the virtual background: Rather than pick a cute or clever background for the interview, choose a professional area of your home for the interview. Backgrounds can be distracting and can look unprofessional. Feel free to stage the area behind you, so it looks more professional than it does on a day-to-day basis.
• Go dark: Get rid of anything that could distract you during the interview. Turn off all notifications on your device. Silence your cell phone. Close the door. Make sure anyone in your household is aware of your interview time, so they don’t interrupt. Secure pets away from your interview area.
• Get there early: Yes, it’s a virtual meeting, but you still have an arrival time. Log on early to make sure your interviewer isn’t sitting there waiting for you to show up.
• Dress for success: It might be tempting to take a casual approach for an online interview, but this would be a mistake. Dress professionally, and maintain a professional posture. Provide an engaged presence, and don’t forget to smile.
• Maintain eye contact: This one is tricky with online interviews. Remember that you must look directly at the webcam in order to look the interviewer in the eye on screen. Looking at their image (e., into their physical eyes) will make it look like you are looking down or elsewhere.
• Practice: This is one of the interview tips that carries over from traditional in-person interviews. Plan ahead of time what questions you want to ask. Consider what questions they may ask you, and rehearse your answers.
• Research: Look up the company beforehand. Learn about their history and what they do. Come up with about five questions to ask about the business, your potential role there or other important aspects of the company and the job.
• Follow up: At the end of the interview, ask when they expect to get back to you. If you have not heard by that date, follow up the next day. Immediately following the interview, send a thank you email that confirms your interest in the job and expresses appreciation for their time.

Get more tips

For more online interview tips, contact the team at Key Technical Resources, Inc. We specialize in staff augmentation and employee placement. Call us today to find out how we can meet your company’s needs.

Categorised in: Career Advice