Are you ready for your close up?
➔ One of the amazing things about the modern day job search is the many tools that the world has given us to aid us in our search. If you’ve been at this any length of time, you are probably already well acquainted with all the usual suspects.
Today, we’ll look at one of those tools to find some additional help that may not be evident to the casual observer.
The great equalizer: the video interview
Of course, we’re assuming that you already have the most basic, advanced tool – the computer (with a camera)… and a relatively recent one. Let’s be honest. That Commodore 64 isn’t really going to help you very much.
The obvious benefit is that you can have a face-to-face meeting with someone across town or across the country, or around the world – at a moment’s notice. When you stop and think about it, that’s pretty darned amazing.
Be that as it may, how do you turn this techno-tool to your advantage. For starters, although you don’t have to be “dressed up” (i.e. coat and tie), T-shirts and sweat pants aren’t really a good idea either. And don’t fool yourself into thinking that a nice shirt is sufficient. You never know what might happen during that interview that might cause you to stand up.
It’s also a good idea to inspect the background around you. Your dirty lunch dishes or errant clothing draped over a chair aren’t really the kind of impression you want to give. Check your background lighting as well. Close the curtains if it’s a sunny day.
Our last point may be out of your control, but it’s still worth looking into. At least an hour beforehand, if there is any way to check the technology, do it. This will vary depending on the platform you’re scheduled to use and the options are many: Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet, etc.
Whatever the software, try it to make certain that you are at least somewhat adept at using it. The more comfortable you feel with the technology, the smoother that element of the interview will be. Checking out some YouTube tutorials probably wouldn’t hurt.
In the end, you want that interviewer to remember you for the positive things that you bring to the table and not that your cat jumped on your lap in the middle of the interview.
Which reminds us, lock up your pets.