Virtual Interview Tips to Land Your Dream Job

Whether you are involved in a multi-stepped interview process or forced into a virtual interview setting due to COVID, you most likely will get to experience interviewing from behind a computer screen at least once in your career. 

Despite the mixed feelings behind virtual interviews, there are a few benefits to them. First, you are in your domain which should immediately take some of the edge off. Travel hiccups are not a thing since you don’t need to fly or drive to your interview. The anxiety you feel trying to find the interview location and navigate parking is no longer a problem. See, so many benefits!

Before your next big virtual interview, consider the following tips below!

Virtual Interview Tips to Follow:

Test your equipment

Testing, testing…is this thing on?!? Triple check which platform you will be conducting your interview on. Also, make sure all of your equipment is functioning properly. Check your internet connection, your battery power to your laptop, your microphone, your webcam….all the things…check em!

Nothing screams “hard pass” more than an applicant who doesn’t seem prepared. Do yourself a favor and put in the work upfront to avoid a potential catastrophe later!

Set up in a quiet, neutral space

Just because you are doing your interview virtually, doesn’t mean you can just do it anywhere. That pile of laundry you haven’t folded in the corner behind you isn’t a good look to a panel of interviewers. Make sure the space behind you is clean and not distracting. A messy, disorganized bookshelf is just as distracting as that pile of clothes! Try to set yourself up where you have an empty wall or a tasteful piece of art behind you. 

Setting up in a quiet space is also crucial. It is very distracting to an interview panel to hear your kids screaming, your dog barking, or the lawn care guys outside in the background. If you have kiddos, try to set up the interview while they are at school or recruit a family member or babysitter to keep them quiet and entertained. 

Lighting is also an important aspect of virtual interviews that is not often discussed. If you are near a window, make sure the light is in front of your face and not behind you. Often times if the light is coming from behind you, it makes you appear really dark due to harsh shadows. Let the interview panel see your beautiful, charming face by addressing your lighting situation beforehand.

Dress the part

Just like you would for an in-person interview, make sure to dress for the job you want! I would highly recommend wearing a full suit versus a nice blouse/blazer on top and sweatpants on the bottom just in case you need to get up to get something in the middle of your interview. I’m all for casual chic, but not during an interview!

Dressing the part will also increase your confidence. Always remember “Look good, feel good, do good”….that’s literally my life motto!

Be prepared

I feel like this hot tip is a no-brainer but I’ll say it again…BE PREPARED! Make sure you have researched the agency you are interviewing with, you have rehearsed answers to potential questions they may ask, and you have prepared a few questions of your own. Avoid those cringe-worthy moments by taking the time to do your due diligence beforehand. Utilize tools such as LinkedIn to find out more information about your potential future coworkers. Also, have a notepad and pen ready to jot down notes. 

Check out this FREE guide on how to make an interview study guide prior to your next interview! 

Eye contact is key

I know how tempting it is to look at the little square of yourself in the top corner of your screen BUT DON’T DO IT! Make sure you are looking into the camera to ensure you are making eye contact with your interview panel. Avoid looking down while you are answering questions. You will make yourself seem less confident by avoiding eye contact but at the same time don’t overdo the eye contact either…be cool, be cool! HAH!

Be your authentic self

As nerve-racking as interviews are, try to loosen up a bit and show your authentic self. An interview panel only has a small window of opportunity to “meet” you and they want to ensure that you will be a good fit with the team.  

Your authentic self can definitely come out when things don’t go as planned. Let’s face it… you might say the wrong thing, encounter technical problems, or your dog might start barking…shit happens…show the interview panel how you gracefully handle a problem. 9 times out of 10, this little hiccup will be a laughable moment…it’s ok to go with the flow! No one is perfect!

Send a personalized thank you

This tip is a big one for me. Call me old school, but I send a thank you note every time after an interview. Nowadays, email thank you notes are completely sufficient. Take some time after your interview is complete to reflect on everything that was said. Maybe you butchered an answer and you would like the opportunity to better explain yourself…make note of it in your thank-you note! This shows you took the time to digest what happened and that the job is really important to you! I’ve done this before and I landed the job! 

Whatever you do, just make the thank you note personal! This will definitely land you brownie points with the interview panel!

I hope these virtual interview tips serve you well on your next round of interviews! Make sure to put in the time to prepare for the job you want! Employers can pretty easily weed out the applicants who aren’t prepared.

How do you normally prepare for interviews? Comment below on any tips candidates should know about!

Good Luck!