In the digital age, it's not unusual to be invited to a video interview when applying for a job. Perhaps you've even submitted a digital application instead of a printed job application portfolio. While all of our tips and guidelines about how to prepare for a job interview, what to wear for a video interview and which common questions to prepare for still apply to video interviews, there are some additional things to consider. Remember, during a video interview, you control everything from the lighting to the background. Use this to your advantage!
Video interviews are essentially the same as traditional job interviews, except they're conducted remotely using video conferencing software. This may sound very convenient, as it saves you the time required to travel to the location of an in-person job interview. However, it also means you'll have to consider some additional points if you want to make a good first impression.
On a very basic level, talking to your recruiter via web call means you won't be able to shake their hand, and you won't have to worry about your recruiter's sense of smell. Since your recruiter can only see part of your body in the video feed, this also means that gestures and some subtle aspects of your body language won't be as noticeable as they would be in a face-to-face setting. If you tend to use your hands a lot when communicating, you should be aware that this might appear very awkward on video.
Most notable, however, are the technical questions you need to consider when preparing for a video interview.
While live video calls are still very much the norm, some companies are increasingly using asynchronous video interviews to interview job applicants. This means you won't be talking to a person in real-time. Instead, you'll be faced with written or pre-recorded questions and your responses will be recorded for the recruiter to assess later.
While you can use the same techniques for responding to pre-recorded video interview questions as you'd do to live questions, you won't be able to make small-talk or ask for clarifications in this setting. Some people also find it challenging to emotionally engage when faced with pre-recorded or written video interview questions.
To prepare effectively, it’s crucial to practice delivering natural and concise answers in this format. Ask your friends and family to write down some questions that a recruiter may ask, and record yourself responding to them. Your friends and family can then give you feedback on how you came across.
If you don't want to get friends and family involved, you might choose to use a generative AI chatbot to generate questions. Record your answers on your phone, then replay them to evaluate your performance.
Do's
Don'ts
First things first, make sure to check out our guide on practising for your job interview. Almost all of the techniques explained there are also relevant for video interviews, so consider the following points in addition to what you should do in preparation for any job interview.
Likewise, when preparing for a job interview, you should plan to take care of your appearance the same way you would for a face-to-face interview. That involves taking a shower, brushing your teeth, doing your hair and putting on a nice job interview outfit.
Keep in mind that you might have to get up at some point during the interview, so it's advisable to wear trousers or a skirt, even on hot days. While you don't need to apply perfume or aftershave, you should still focus on cleanliness and groom yourself properly.
Since you'll be calling your recruiter from a location of your choice, your video background will be almost as important as your physical appearance. You should choose a quiet location that gives you full control over your surroundings. That's why it's usually not a good idea to call your recruiter from a cafe or public space. You'll most likely want to do the job interview from your flat.
Next, determine which room to use as a backdrop for the video call. Choose one with minimal distractions. You won't need to sit in front of a blank white wall but try to avoid backgrounds that are too busy or divert attention.
Bookshelves are always a good option since recruiters tend to react positively to applicants who read. Though if you're worried your taste in books may be detrimental to your chances of getting the job, you should ensure your recruiter can't read the spines. This can be achieved by either re-positioning your books or putting them out of focus.
Many video conferencing programmes allow you to blur your background to prevent your recruiter from seeing things they shouldn't. But don't rely on it too much. Some inappropriate objects may still be identifiable by shape. Move any such items out of sight for the duration of the call.
It's also not advisable to use heavily patterned or very colourful backgrounds during video calls. Such backdrops can be distracting, or they may influence how you look on camera. For example, the colours of your backdrop may not complement the colours of your outfit, your hair colour, eye colour or skin colour. Likewise, if you're wearing the same colour as your backdrop, you might blend in with your environment, which is also not ideal.
Note that some video conferencing programmes can identify and replace your backdrop with an image in real-time. Avoid this feature, as it may come across as unprofessional, or even give the impression you're trying to hide something from your recruiter.
Choose a flat surface for your camera so the image isn't skewed. Ideally, the camera should be at or slightly beneath eye level. Avoid placing the camera where you have to look up or down at it, though a slight downward glance is acceptable, as this is typical for built-in laptop cameras.
Try to frame yourself so that your recruiter can see your upper body as well as your face. Ensure the video doesn’t cut off part of your head, and refrain from sitting too close to the camera, as this will result in a zoomed-in view of just your face.
The lighting in your room is central to how you come across to a stranger on a video call. Ensure that your face is evenly lit during the entire call and the overall image is not too dim, which can happen if the level of lighting in your room is insufficient.
You can achieve a decent even lighting setup with strong household lamps and ceiling lights alone, though if you expect to be doing a lot of video conferencing from home, consider investing in a professional ring light.
For example, if your ceiling lights are strong enough to properly light the room for a video call, you can position yourself in such a way that the ceiling light illuminates your face from above. However, this may cast shadows under your nose, chin and eyebrows. To counteract this, you should position a second light in front of you and slightly below eye level. This will eliminate the shadows cast by the first light.
If you only have lights available that cast harsh point light instead of soft light, you can experiment with indirect lighting methods instead. Shine the point light onto a white sheet of paper in front of you. This will reflect and diffuse the light, creating a more even lighting scenario. Use your webcam to see the visual effect for yourself.
Make sure the natural light filtering in through your windows doesn't affect the lighting conditions in your room too much. Changes in the weather can make you look very different over the course of your interview.
Likewise, never position yourself with a window behind you during video interviews. Many digital cameras will automatically dim the image if there's too much light hitting the camera lens directly.
Many laptops today are pre-equipped with decent microphones, but if yours makes you sound tinny or picks up too much ambient noise, you should invest in a high-quality external microphone instead. While bad sound quality was acceptable in the early days of video calls, expectations have surged with the increase in remote work.
If you decide to buy a new microphone, consider getting a pop filter as well. These screens prevent audible "pops" when speaking into the microphone with a lot of force.
During your sound check, make sure you can eliminate any outside noises from the room as well. This could be as easy as keeping your pets out of the room and asking family members to stay quiet during the call.
If you live next to a busy street or a railway station, try using a different room or try to block out the noise. This might be as easy as leaning a mattress against the window overlooking the streets. Ensure it won't fall over during the call, though!
Note that many modern video conferencing programmes can filter out ambient noise. Call a friend to check if the automatic system is enough to filter out any outside noises.
Avoid doing video interviews in mostly empty rooms, as this may create an audible echo effect when speaking.
If your room is naturally fairly empty, you can try draping or leaning soft items such as duvets or mattresses against the walls. These will absorb the sound, thus avoiding the echo effect. Naturally, you should make sure all these items are secured and out of shot during the interview.
A reliable internet connection is vital for a successful job interview, as things like lag, screen tearing or sudden drops in audio or video quality caused by bandwidth limitations can disrupt the conversation.
If you usually rely on a wireless internet connection in your home, consider using a wired connection just for the call. Connecting your computer to your router with a LAN cable generally results in a more stable internet connection, which translates into a smoother video interview experience.
Have a secondary microphone and webcam ready to use, just in case your primary hardware fails during the interview.
On the software side of things, ensure you have access to whichever video conferencing programme or app your recruiter intends to use for the call. There are various popular options available, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Hangouts. Many of these programmes allow you to join a video conference via a weblink, without creating an account first. If this isn't the case for the programme your recruiter intends to use, you should create an account as soon as possible, download the programme and set it up properly.
Note that you should always do a test run when using new software. Otherwise, you may only realise on the day of the video interview that the programme doesn't recognise your webcam or microphone. Conduct some mock video conferences with friends and family to ensure that everything works. If you don't want to get others involved, you can create a dummy account to start a conference with yourself.
If you use your personal account to join a video conference, make sure it's a professional-looking account. If you use a silly nickname and an inappropriate avatar image, you should change these before the interview.
It's always best to practice your technique before the actual job interview. While you can follow our guidelines about job interview practice in general, be sure to adapt your technique to the video format:
One important aspect of video interviews is the proper etiquette for ending the interview. As with all job interviews, you should thank your recruiter for their time, provide one last argument for why you're the best candidate and wish them a nice day.
But if you don't log out at the right time, this may cause an awkward situation, either because you left the interview before your recruiter was ready to let you go, or because you're both sitting there, waiting for the other person to log out first.
So, when saying goodbye, make sure you implicitly communicate your understanding that the interview has officially ended. Here's an example:
Recruiter: "Thank you, it was pleasant meeting you."
You: "I appreciate the chance to share my qualifications with you. I really enjoyed meeting you, and I'm confident I'd be the right person for the position. If there's anything else you need from me to move forward, please just let me know."
Recruiter: "Thanks, we'll let you know once we've reached a decision."
You: "Thank you very much for your time and have a nice day."
After this, give the recruiter about three to four seconds to log out of the meeting first. This gives them ample time to say whatever else they wanted to say, while preventing an awkward situation where both you and your recruiter are waiting for the other person to log out first. If your recruiter doesn't interject, it's safe to assume they expect you to log out first, so it's safe to do so now.
You can easily make this pause pass without creating awkward tension if you lean forward a bit and look away from the camera and to another area of your screen while grasping your mouse. This gesture indicates that you're now moving your mouse across the screen to close the video conferencing software.
This won't come off as awkward, as it's a natural thing to do after the interview, and it gives your recruiter enough time to react if they still have questions they want to ask you.
If your internet suddenly disconnects or your webcam stops working properly, you should explain the situation quickly and succinctly. If your microphone fails, you can always send a short apology in the chat window that most video conferencing programmes feature.
If your entire internet cuts out or you have to re-start your router, you should try to re-connect as quickly as possible. If this takes longer than 15 seconds, you should contact your recruiter via phone to apologise for the inconvenience and explain the situation. Don't assume your recruiter will proactively call you to find out what's going on.
If your internet connection isn't coming back, you may be able to turn your video interview into a phone interview instead. As long as you keep your recruiter informed without making them wait, they are likely to be understanding.
In today’s world, many employers use digital video conferencing programmes for job interviews. These interviews work very similar to normal face-to-face job interviews, except you'll need to be aware of the risks and limitations of the technology involved. Video interviews require a lot more technical preparation in addition to your normal job interview practice. So, take the time to ensure everything works correctly ahead of time.
In fact, you may want to buy a proper microphone and webcam as well as some lighting solutions and remember to install common video conferencing software even before receiving your first job interview invitation. Being prepared like this also helps you overcome the anxiety of doing a video interview for the first time.
If you know everything works as intended well ahead of the actual the interview date, you'll have a much easier time focusing on what matters: impressing your recruiter and securing the job of your dreams.
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