You’re Ready For Your Video Interview. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Don’t like being interviewed on video? Prefer an in-person meeting? Well, according to Chris Brown, Vice President of Human Resources at West Corporation, you are out of luck. Video interviewing is here to stay. Love it (most Millennials) or loathe it (many of the rest of us) we’ve all got to get better at it. And “getting better at it” means avoiding some of the pitfalls that are inherent in this kind of virtual interaction. So when I spoke with Brown last week, I was eager to hear his tips.

• Give yourself plenty of time to set up and test meeting equipment before the interview. To make sure your technology is compatible, do a dry run before your interview. Video call a friend and test out the clarity and sound of your video chat. Calling into the interview early also gives you the chance to make sure all equipment is working properly and test for connectivity issues. In the end, giving yourself an extra few minutes will help you feel more calm and confident at the start of the call.

• Be proactive. If your computer needs rebooting, make sure you do that before the interview begins. Shutting down programs you don’t need during the call avoids possible alerts or pop ups and keeps your computer from getting bogged down. In general, a wired connection is better than a wireless connection, so use land lines or Ethernet cables when possible to avoid signal issues. Make sure your audio quality is strong. I think a headset works best.

For the rest of this piece by Carol Kinsey Goman, click here.