If you’re applying for a job right now, you can expect your interview to happen over a video call from at home in your apartment in West Campus, Austin. Even when the world returns to normal and in-person interviews once again become the norm, a video interview is often a first-round option employers use to narrow down their list of candidates before the final round of interviews.
Even if you’ve done interviews before, video interviews are a unique challenge with their own tips and tricks you can use. Keep reading to see our tips for remote interviews, and if you know a friend or neighbor at our West Campus apartments who could use these tips, don’t forget to share this post with them!
Dress The Part
On a phone interview, nobody will know if you are taking the call in your pajamas. But with a video interview, you can’t take the risk of being business up top and casual on the bottom. Wear what you would if you were taking the interview in-person to avoid risking it. Dressing up properly for any type of interview will help you feel more confident and put you in the right mindset.
Maintain Eye Contact
This is a point to remember for any interview you participate in, but especially important to keep in mind during a virtual interview. Between the camera and the screen, it can be easy to get distracted and lose eye contact.
Prior to your interview, closeout of any windows or programs that might be distracting. This will help keep any notifications from popping up and causing you to lose focus. If you use more than one computer monitor, try to only use your other screens for quick reference notes (e.g. your resume or the job posting) but avoid staring at these notes while you talk. As much as possible, keep your attention on the people you’re talking to. Remember, it’s just a conversation.
Be Prepared
With a virtual interview, you don’t have to worry about the stress of driving to an office or dealing with parking. However, there are still a few other things you will need to keep in mind while preparing for the call.
Make sure you have the program downloaded and you’re logged in ahead of time. This will ensure everything is ready to go when your interview time rolls around.
Check your lighting! The last thing you want is to look like a ghost or be barely visible in the shot. Turning on a light or opening a window can make all the difference.
Choose a neutral location or backdrop. Check that everything that might be in the background is clean and organized, even if you’re using a blurred background or Zoom filter. On that note, check to make sure you don’t have an embarrassing filter enabled before starting the call. While it might bring some levity to the situation, it’s best to avoid your own version of the Zoom Cat Lawyer snafu.
That’s it for our virtual interview tips for residents of apartments in West Campus, Austin! If you’d like to see any future tips and recommendations from us in the future, make sure you bookmark our blog page for easy access to upcoming posts. Finally, if you don’t want to miss out on special promotions, community updates, and events at our apartments near UT Austin, follow us on Instagram!