Smile: You’re on Interview Camera

Your computer has become your new friend when it comes to job interviews. I heard an interesting segment on NPR’s Marketplace last Sunday evening about the explosion in online video job interviews, including webcam interviews. This is not a new concept, but it is now gaining momentum and increasing in sophistication as video conferencing has gotten easier, so you need to be prepared.

So why would companies opt for an online video interview? The obvious answer is cost. Why pay for travel expenses for a candidate who may not have the right stuff if you can determine by long distance if he or she might be a good fit? Using video as a means to screen candidates gives you a better sense of the candidate’s personality and presence without paying for gas, a hotel room, or a plane ticket. Using video conferencing also expedites the interview process. And hiring managers can cast a wider net and process more candidates via webcam, and then create a short list of candidates to interview in person.

An article in About.com quotes Kim Bishop, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry International as saying, "With advance planning and preparation, the video interview isn't very different from an in-person interview." She also says that many video interviews take place in a professional setting, such as a recruiter’s office or a company that offers conferencing services. However, teleconferencing has become so simple – all you need is a Skype account and a webcam – that more interviews are taking place at home. So while video interviews aren’t complicated, they do require preparation:

1. Make sure you send all the materials that the interviewer will need in advance, such as your resume, executive profile, etc.
2. Whether you are doing the interview from home or from a recruiter’s office or other location, be early so you can get yourself organized.

Make sure the equipment is ready and working before you start.

Dress for the occasion, including wearing professional attire as you would for an in-person interview. And don’t fall for the old newsman’s bromide and assume they can only see you from the waist up so you show up in your jeans of shorts. What if you have to get up to retrieve something? Or what if the interviewer leaves the camera running after the interview is over to catch the candidate unaware?

Check your surroundings. If you are doing an interview from a remote location, make sure the desk or table is clean and neat. If you are doing the interview from home, be aware of your surroundings – hide the dirty laundry and the distracting stuff in the background.

Remember audio is not discriminating. Be sure to do the interview from a quiet location, as free as possible from dogs, kids, and other background noises. Also be careful not to tap you pencil or make other distracting sounds during the interview.

Make eye contact. Make sure the camera is located on the monitor or laptop near the image of the other party, so you will appear to be looking directly at the speaker.

Use the picture-in-picture feature so you can see how you appear to the interviewer.

The interview itself will be conducted just as if it were a face-to-face interview, so you can prepare by writing down answers to standard interview questions. You also can ask your own questions. And you can do a check in to ask how you are doing.

Remember, a video interview is just as important as any other type of interview or step in the screening process. The value for you, as well as the hiring manager, is that it gives you a flavor for the other party and is really the next best thing to an in-person conversation. Once you pass the video interview, the next step will most probably be a face-to-face meeting with a handshake to discuss next steps.