How to Ace Your Video Interview | WSJ

Summary

In the age of remote work, video interviews have become the norm, and mastering them can make a substantial difference in landing your dream job. The Wall Street Journal provides a comprehensive guide to acing your virtual interview featuring career coach Ashlee Anderson. Key tips include setting up an ideal interview environment with proper lighting and camera positioning, selecting an appropriate outfit that matches company culture, checking your technology in advance, practicing your interview technique with friends or family, and handling distractions professionally during the interview. By following these steps, candidates can present themselves in the best possible light and navigate the nuances of a video interview with confidence.

Highlights

• Create a distraction-free environment with good lighting and a blank wall. 🔍
• Keep your camera at eye level by using a stack of books to elevate your laptop. 📚
• Avoid vibrant patterns and bright colors in clothing to prevent being washed out on screen. 🚫
• Test your internet speed to ensure a smooth interview experience. 🌐
• Practice eye contact by looking directly into the camera, not at your screen image. 👀
• Don't panic with distractions; address them and move on smoothly. 🚦

Key Takeaways

• Set an optimal scene with good lighting and background. 🌟
• Dress according to the company's culture, avoiding busy patterns. 👗
• Test your tech: camera, mic, and internet speed. 💻
• Practice makes perfect! Use friends for mock interviews. 🗣️
• Handle distractions calmly; acknowledge them if they interrupt the interviewer. 📱

Overview

Video interviews are now a staple in the hiring process, and mastering them can significantly impact your career trajectory. Ashlee Anderson, a seasoned career coach, shares her expert advice on navigating these virtual meetings. From setting up a proper interview space to choosing the right attire, these tips are designed to help candidates connect authentically with their interviewers.

First impressions count, even over video. Ensure that your interview space is well-lit, clutter-free, and aesthetically pleasing. Avoid wearing bright or busy-patterned clothing that can distract from you as a candidate. Instead, opt for attire that aligns with the company's culture. And don't forget to check your technology, ensuring your camera is at eye level and your internet connection is reliable to avoid any technical hiccups.

Preparation is key. Anderson recommends practicing interviews with friends or family to become comfortable talking on camera and maintaining eye contact by looking into the camera lens. Handling mid-interview distractions with composure is crucial – acknowledge them if necessary and smoothly return to the conversation. By adhering to these practical steps, candidates can present themselves with confidence and poise, ensuring they make a lasting impression.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The introduction chapter focuses on virtual interviews and the increasing anxiety associated with them due to the video component. Ashlee Anderson, a certified career coach and remote working professional, discusses her experience and specialization in aiding job seekers to transition from traditional office environments to telecommuting roles.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Step 1: Set the Scene In this chapter, the focus is on preparing for virtual interviews. It acknowledges the challenge of making a connection through a screen and offers advice on improving presentation to establish that connection. The chapter highlights the importance of setting the scene, specifically recommending a clean and simple background, such as a blank wall, to create a professional and distraction-free environment for a virtual interview.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Step 2: Plan Your Outfit In this chapter, the focus is on planning your outfit for an interview while also considering your lighting setup during a virtual meeting. It emphasizes the importance of avoiding backlighting to prevent appearing as a silhouette and suggests using natural lighting by positioning yourself near a window. If natural light isn't available, a desk lamp can be used as an alternative. Additionally, the chapter advises ensuring the camera is at eye level to maintain proper eye contact with the interviewer.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Step 3: Test Your Tech Chapter 3 emphasizes the importance of testing your technology before a virtual interview. It suggests ensuring that your camera is set at eye level by using a stack of books to elevate your laptop. Additionally, it advises doing some research on the company's culture to plan your outfit accordingly, avoiding overdressing or underdressing. The focus is on maintaining a basic and appropriate ensemble for the interview context.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Step 4: Practice In this chapter titled 'Step 4: Practice,' the key focus is on preparing for a remote interview. The chapter advises against wearing very busy patterns or extremely bright solid colors as they may not look good on screen. Additionally, it touches on the perception of headphones during a virtual interview. It suggests that wearing headphones might make you appear unapproachable, and therefore, candidates are advised to avoid using them to create a more welcoming and open appearance.
• 04:30 - 05:30: Step 5: Interview The chapter focuses on preparing for interviews by ensuring all technological aspects are functioning properly. It highlights the importance of testing your equipment, such as webcams and speakers, to ensure effective communication. Additionally, the chapter stresses the necessity of having a reliable internet connection, particularly emphasizing that platforms like Zoom require approximately 1.8 megabytes per second for smooth video call streaming.

How to Ace Your Video Interview | WSJ Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 (bright music) - [Narrator] This is what a virtual interview looks like. This is what it feels like. - Interviews are already nerveracking, but when you throw a video element into it, it becomes that much more anxiety-inducing for a lot of people. - [Narrator] That's Ashlee Anderson. She's a certified career coach and remote working pro. She's been doing it for 10 years. - I specialize in helping job seekers transition from traditional office jobs into telecommute roles. - [Narrator] With many of us home now,
• 00:30 - 01:00 chances are your next interview will be done through a screen and, well- - It's really hard to make that connection with the interview, but one of the best ways you can do that is to present really well. - [Narrator] And she's here, virtually, to teach you how to do just that. Not this. (playful music) (bell dings) - Step one, set the scene. (light music) So ideally, you want to have a nice, clean, simple background. Just the blank wall is perfectly fine.
• 01:00 - 01:30 You also want to think about lighting. For example, if you have lighting behind you, you could end up looking like a silhouette on the screen. Ideally, natural lighting is the best, so if you have a window that you can face or a window to your side, that would be perfect. But also, if you don't have a window to provide natural lighting, you can resort to using a desk lamp. And you really want to have your camera at eye level with you. That way, you're not looking up at the interviewer
• 01:30 - 02:00 and they're peering up your nostrils and you're also not looking down on them. If you just grab a couple of books and pile them up and sit the laptop on top of that, that is gonna raise it enough to bring that camera right at the eye level for you. Step two, plan your outfit. Do a little bit of research about the company so you know what their culture is going into it. You don't want to show up to your virtual interview in a really nice suit if they're a very casual company. Keep your ensemble really basic.
• 02:00 - 02:30 Don't go for really busy patterns. And try to stay away from solid colors that are really bright as those can kind of wash you out on screen. So you might not necessarily consider your headphones as being an accessory or part of your everyday outfit, but it's something that you definitely need to consider not using when you are getting prepared for a remote interview. When you think of somebody with headphones in, they're somebody that's unapproachable and somebody that you don't want to speak to, so forgo using the headphones and just stick
• 02:30 - 03:00 with using the external speakers, microphones that you have on your computer. (bell dings) - Hello, hello, hello. Step three, test your tech. (light music) It's making sure that your webcam is working, your speakers are working. - [Interviewee] Hi, this a test. - And another super, super important thing is your internet. You really need to make sure you have enough internet speed. Generally speaking, programs like Zoom prefer 1.8 megabytes per second in order to stream a one-on-one video call,
• 03:00 - 03:30 and you can easily test your internet speed going on Google and just typing speed test and you'll get tons of different options. If you're relying on Wi-Fi that's kind of a little inconsistent with the connectivity, you can always just invest in an ethernet cable, plug that directly into your computer and into your modem and you're gonna have much more stable internet connection. (bell dings) Step four is practice. - Hey. - Hey. - And a great way to do that is just to, you know, use a friend or a family member who's willing to hop on a video call with you.
• 03:30 - 04:00 It really makes all the difference and especially when it comes to eye contact. Our tendency is to look down on the screen, but what that actually looks like on the other side is that you're looking away and not genuinely looking at the person that you're talking to. So it's always important to practice and look directly into the camera. If you get easily distracted by your own image on the screen, a really simple thing you can do to avoid that is just use a Post-It note and cover up your own image.
• 04:00 - 04:30 That way, you're not gonna be distracted by it and it's out of sight and out of mind. (bell dings) Step five, interview. (soft music) (machine whirring) It's inevitably going to happen that a distraction may come around so don't ever panic when something happens. The more that you do or if you make a quick decision to turn off your audio or your video as a knee-jerk reaction, that could actually be more detrimental than the actual distraction itself. But if it does cause the interviewer to get interrupted with what they're doing,
• 04:30 - 05:00 you definitely want to address it and not pretend like it didn't happen. You want to make sure that you're able to say, "Oh, my bad, that happened," and move forward after that. When you're at home, even when you're on an interview, you kind of have that more casual atmosphere than actually going into an office building to interview, and with that casual feeling, you might end up doing something that you wouldn't even think of in an office setting. For example, having your phone out. So just turn it off and put it out of sight. And make sure you have all of your internet browsers
• 05:00 - 05:30 and windows closed. You don't need that open. Really, the only thing you should have open on your computer during the interview is the program that you're using to conduct the interview. Remote interviews and video interviews are a lot different. They really are. But as they become more mainstream, it's important that we adapt and adjust to them. That way, we can still continue on with our careers and making career moves and not letting the fear of video interviews hold us back. (soft playful music)