Virtual Interview Best Practice

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic virtual interviews have been a necessity as traditional face-to-face interviews are unable to take place. The world of recruitment has had to adapt to using video platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams and we have seen a transformation into a virtual world.

So how do you prepare for a virtual interview? Trying to sell yourself and engage with people you have never met before via video link can often feel daunting and unnatural. However, it is important to prepare for a virtual interview in the same way that you would for a face-to-face interview. Here are our top tips for virtual interview best practice:

1.Test your technology in advance: Check your internet connectivity and confirm that your camera and microphone are working properly. 

2. Dress for success: Dressing the same way as you would for an in-person interview will put you in the right frame of mind. This may be the first impression that the interviewer has of you, so it is imperative that they see you are taking the interview just as seriously as you would if you were sat in the same room as them.

3. Research and plan ahead: Make sure that you have researched the company ahead of time, look at their company website, LinkedIn page and any articles that may have been recently published about the company. It is essential that you have prepared questions to ask the employer these can be about the company, the role etc... Completing thorough research will prove that you are passionate about the company and position and will lead to more meaningful conversations during the interview.

4. Engage!:  Monitor your body language and remain engaged with your interviewer. The main way to communicate confidence is to sit up straight, smile, and keep the camera at eye level. 

5. Post interview etiquette: Once the interview has finished always thank the interviewer for their time, express genuine interest in the role, and ask what the next stage of the interview process is. If you are interviewing via a recruiter, remember to phone your consultant with interview feedback as soon as possible afterwards. Always remember to follow up within 24 hours with a thank you email. 

Questions

Asking questions is very important in an interview and it is essential that you are prepared with 3/4 questions at a minimum to ask the employer. Here are a few examples of questions you could ask in an interview:

• Why do you think this is a good company to work for?
• Can you tell me about the company culture?
• Are there opportunities for professional development? If so, what do those look like? 
• Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
• What does success look like in this position, and how do you measure it?
• What do you see as the most challenging aspect of this job? 

We hope these tips are useful and will help you to ace your next virtual interview!