How to make a good impression in a virtual job interview

When you’re working remotely, it’s important to always have a back-up plan. You never know when your internet could disconnect, when your power could flicker out, or when your computer could just decide to die. You’ll want to let a potential employer know you’ve thought through these scenarios and that you’ll be reliable, self-sufficient, and communicative — no matter what. If you’ve had a remote job, perfect — go ahead and talk about your remote successes.

If your chair squeaks every time you move, there’s a chance the interviewer’s mic will cut out, and you’ll never hear what the other person is saying. With these tips in your back pocket, you’ll have all the keys to succeed in your video interview. Check out this helpful advice for finding a job or internship online, and discover ways to make the most of a remote internship once you’ve got an offer. On the day of your interview, you don’t want the technology that is allowing you the opportunity to work at a remote company to trip you up! Practice so that the technology will feel invisible to you and your interviewer.

Leverage technology to facilitate the conversation

That means you can expect any number of questions about your remote work experience and your ability to work outside of an office. Are you preparing for a virtual interview for a remote job interview process? Here’s how to prepare for a video interview, with Zoom interview tips, including what to wear to a remote interview.

• These questions are important to understand at which stage you’re at.
• Put your interview into the minimized thumbnail format (unless it’s in a full-screen software) while it’s in progress, to avoid total distraction.
• A remote practice interview will allow you to find the best position and camera angle before the actual interview.
• If you aren’t familiar with the selected tool, then test the system before holding a remote interview.

People prefer to message or voice-call others than sit awkwardly in front of a screen and talk face-to-face. Borrow your brother’s laptop if yours doesn’t function properly, and have it set up with the video call application and equipment. You might need to reach for something or run because there’s an earthquake. You don’t want the interviewer to see that you were only half-dressed.

Do have your questions about the role handy on paper or in a Google doc.

But in a remote setting, a candidate who needs constant deadline and meeting reminders might not be the strongest addition to your remote team. Turn to this question to dig into how independent and proactive a candidate is when faced with a problem in a remote work setting. It’s helpful to understand if asynchronous work is something your candidate is used to and experienced in. Because most communication is done via Slack or video when working remotely, knowing how well candidates communicate virtually is important. If your candidate is new to remote work life, get them thinking about how they’ll handle working remotely. You might uncover that they’re an extrovert who craves social time during the workday, or they might be seeking mentorship in a remote work environment.

• Before you interview for a remote job, it’s important to do your research and make sure you’re cut out for a remote role.
• Whenever possible, always do your video call on a laptop with a webcam!
• One hack that I do for myself is whenever I’m not charging my iPhone, I charge my AirPods case.
• And, if nothing else, dressing up will put you in the “interview” mindset.
• Your environment should be anything that doesn’t detract attention from you; a blank wall or a bookshelf gives the right vibes.
• Bluetooth headphones can be problematic due to limitations of microphone quality, latency, and battery life.

That way, neither you nor the interviewer will be distracted by your environment. We encourage you to display your quirkiness and personality, but for an interview, it’s best to avoid chaos. Bluetooth headphones can be problematic due to limitations of microphone quality, latency, and battery life. If you opt for Bluetooth headphones, it is recommended that you use a separate wired microphone. Bluetooth headsets can easily jump between devices, thus it is recommended to only pair one set per device to avoid unexpected disconnects during video calls.

“Why do you want to work remotely?”

You probably noticed that these are all soft skills, which means they aren’t as easy to quantify as, say, whether you know JavaScript or can manage a Twitter account. Whether it’s your first remote interview remote interview meaning or not, it never hurts to review these steps to make sure you get everything in place. Furthermore, be sure you know which interview questions for remote jobs to expect, and which ones you should ask.

You may need to prop your laptop up on some books to get the webcam at eye level or higher. And, while you’re checking out your background, check out your faraway background. For example, if your office opens up behind you to the living room, check out anything might be in the interviewer’s sight. That may be your reality, but hide them during the interview. Participating in a remote interview can present unique challenges but also has benefits.

Dress for success, even remotely

You will also get the time to clear any doubt you might have. You don’t want to come off as utterly clueless about questions during a remote interview. Apart from a stable internet connection, you’ll have to know when to speak and when to listen to the question carefully.

While video interviewing doesn’t allow for some tried-and-true methods for making a good impression, like giving a firm handshake, there are many ways to wow your potential boss from behind a screen. Simply follow this guide to prep and perfect your video interview skills. Get the candidate to help you understand what type of remote environment they might succeed in. Then you can see if that’s something your team can reasonably offer. Unlike in-person interviews, there isn’t a lobby to hang around in while your interviewer gets ready.

If having a sticky note by the webcam doesn’t work for you, consider using the sticky notes to cover the small screen that shows you. At least this way, you won’t be tempted to look at yourself and not the interviewer. If you have an external webcam, experiment with placement to get the best angle. If you’re using a laptop and built-in webcam, you don’t have a choice where the webcam is. However, that means if you keep your laptop on your desk, you’re probably looking down, which isn’t the best look.

“The employer wants to know whether you can recover if things break down,” Leech says. Disagreements are inevitable, so knowing how to navigate and defuse misunderstandings before they get out of hand is an incredibly important skill—especially when you’re part of a remote team. Working remotely presents some unique challenges to collaboration, since you can’t just schedule an impromptu meeting in an open conference room or pop by your coworker’s desk to ask a question. Distributed team members need to be more intentional about their interactions with each other. We’ve traveled the world working from our laptops, and now we’re so excited to share our remote work tips and tricks, along with hacks for working from home, with you, here on our blog.

How do you hire for engineering and IT?

Each individual is able to approach all-remote differently, leveraging the autonomy it enables to improve one’s life. Some prefer in-ear headphones rather than over-the-head headphones, and it’s important to consider long-term comfortability for those who may find themselves in video calls for multiple hours per day. Receive job search tactics to find the best opportunities for you and tips for crafting your resume for remote-friendly employers. As a candidate, the key is to market yourself as someone who understands, better than anyone else, that dependability and reliability are must-have characteristics. During business hours, show that you’re someone who’s available via collaboration tools or by phone. To stay focused, take a sticky note and place it just underneath your webcam.