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Friday, 27 October 2023

Remote Job Online Interview Tips

How Can You Prepare for Your Upcoming Online Video Interview?

Often remote job interviews are conducted online via Zoom, Microsoft Groups or another online platform. If you have not done an online interview before, you may be wondering how to prepare for your online interview.  
1. PRAY!
Personally, I would suggest starting by praying for guidance with your interview.  Our Creator knows everything and there is wisdom in the multitude of counsellors - provided you have the right counsellors. Want someone to pray with you and for you? Here is a list of places where you can get prayer at almost any time of the day.

2. Practice!
 Secondly, I would highly recommend practicing!  Doing information interviews is a great way to practice online interviews. Another good way to practice is by participating in free online webinars offered by some employment agencies. When I took the "Women in Non-Traditional Occupations Program" at Sir Sandford Fleming College, one of our assignments was "Information Interviewing". This proved to be very useful for me when I was able to return to an HR department and start my job interview  with "It's great to see you again! "
Here are a few more tips from around the internet that you might find useful for your next online interview.

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Indeed Offers 8 Tips for Video Interviews

I have an online interview coming up tomorrow on the Indeed job search platform.  I have never used this platform for an interview before, so I was grateful when they reached out through an email offering tips to help prepare for this type of interview. Unfortunately, while the article does provide tips for preparing for a Zoom interview that could be used for most online platforms, there were no specific tips on the intricacies of using the Indeed interview platform. After my interview tomorrow, I will update my post with anything I happen to stumble across about interviewing on this particular platform.
Here are the 8 tips Indeed offers for online interviews with the topic thrown in for good tips from a couple of other sources to help fill in the gaps in the information Indeed offers.
 
  1. Check your Tech!  Download any required software in advance and make sure your camera and microphone are working. If you are doing an interview on Indeed, you do not need to download any additional software. This is great. However, it does not allow you to familiarize yourself with their online platform by running through an online interview dress rehearsal. You can log into their platform 15 minutes before the interview. You certainly need to be familiar with the software, so you do not end up looking like a cat like this lawyer! One thing I would add to their tips regarding tech prep is - if possible have some backup tech available just in case your computer or laptop conks out during the interview, it is handy to have your phone connected to the internet and open on the link to the interview so you can get back online quickly. However, eliminate distractions from phone calls by putting it in airplane mode until you need it.
  2. Dress Professionally. Do not go with the idea that they will only be able to see your head and shoulders since this interview is online. You do not want to be accidentally caught in your PJ bottoms or worse. I might add that you do not want to wear something that makes you appear like a talking head with a shirt that makes your body fade into the background. Many seasoned sales professionals say that wearing blue helps people trust you and a touch of red helps engage your audience. For most job interviews you want to dress so your clothes will not bring attention to your physical attributes- no plunging necklines for example.
  3. Prepare Your Answers. Research the company, prepare for common interview questions and prepare relevant examples of your work. This is the same as preparing for an offline interview. Have a copy of your resume ready that you can refer to. They recommend not having a bunch of tabs ready that you can click on - this is rather surprising to me, as I would have thought this might be a good idea to have the company website cued up or examples of your work or online portfolio that you could share with your potential employer. One thing that is handy on the Indeed platform is they have a plethora of information about how to prepare for common job interview questions, as well as background information on various companies.
  4. Eliminate distractions. This can be challenging if you are doing the interview from home. Indeed suggests putting your laptop on a sturdy table so it doesn't slip off your lap. Make sure everyone knows about the time of your interview in your household - though in some families, this unfortunately can lead to frustrating sabotage behaviour of unbalanced friends or family members. One way to eliminate interruptions is to book a room at your local library. If you need to do the interview from home make sure your background is uncluttered as possible. Make arrangements for pets to be corralled in another room, so they don't appear onstage like this or like this Global News report. You will  want to  be sure to lock any doors to the room as well , so you do not end up in a situation like this professor in a video interview with the BBC.
  5. Practice Using Professional Body Language. At in-person interviews, you usually start and end with a handshake. Indeed, it suggests a smile and a confident wave. Try to keep from touching your face during an interview. and only have a little blank space above or below your face. Biospace suggests sitting up straight and leaning forward a little to show you are interested.
  6. Establish Rapport. They suggest asking what their experience has been with past online interviews or some other neutral topic. Personally, I like the tip. Biospace offers -  commenting on an upcoming or past event you noticed on the interviewer's website will show that you are definitely interested in the company.
  7. Be yourself. 
  8. Follow up. Send a follow-up email within 24 hours of the interview to thank them for taking the time to speak with you.

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About This Author

Sister Su is grateful to God for keeping her alive. She writes on several blogs, has a YouTube channel and is most easily reached through Twitter @Sister_Su
This post was proofread by the free version of Grammarly

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