Top 5 Video Interview Tips

1.     Use Post-It Notes

Have you ever walked out of an interview and then suddenly realised that you forgot to raise a certain point, or ask a particular question?

Using Post-It notes can stop this from happening during a video interview. Simply write down a few reminders on a post-it note, and stick it to the screen of your laptop/desktop monitor.

Examples of things you could write on the post-it note will vary depending on your individual circumstances, but it may just be a simple reminder to: 

·      Smile;

·      Speak slowly;

·      Ask about the impacts of the recent merger; or

·      Don’t slouch!

There’s no need to overdo it with multiple Post-It notes, as you don’t want to get too distracted.

2.     Keep your hands to yourself!

During a video interview, your hands may or may not be visible to the interviewer. Either way, keep them clasped together and on the desk, as if you were a news reporter.

Idle hands can wander, and if you are not aware of what your hands are doing - you may find yourself clicking a pen, drumming your fingers, cracking your knuckles or worse!! All of this activity can be very distracting for the person/people interviewing you. 

As mentioned in one of our previous articles, Nerves are Normal, but it is best to remain as composed as possible during an interview.

3.     Conduct the interview in a quiet, well lit place with a strong internet connection

If you are able to choose your location for the interview, make sure you have no background noise, good lighting and a strong internet connection well before the interview starts.

This will avoid any awkward technical issues that may diminish the interview experience for everyone.

4.     Drink water

Just as most companies will offer you a glass of water before a face-to-face interview commences, you should also prepare a glass of water for yourself to sip on during the video interview if you feel the need.

Your interviewer should be comfortable with you taking the occasional drink, but if in doubt, simply say “I hope you don’t mind if I take a quick sip of water.”

Staying hydrated will not only make you feel more comfortable (especially by alleviating any dry-mouth caused by nerves), but it will also help with your concentration during the interview.

5.     Maintain eye contact with the screen/camera

 As mentioned above, whilst we don’t want our hands wandering during an interview, the same goes for our eyes.

Even though you may not be in the same room as the interviewer, it is still crucial that you maintain eye contact with them. Holding good eye contact is a great way to display confidence, and it will increase the chance of a positive rapport being formed between you and the interviewer (even if they are several miles away).

If you found this article useful, please share it with others who may also be interested. Also, feel free to check out our Top 5 Interview Tips article, which provides further useful information on general interview techniques.

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Matt Marshall is a Director and founder of Greysilver, a recruitment consultancy specialising in providing staffing solutions within the banking & insurance sectors.

You can find more Greysilver articles here.