How to Make a Great First Impression … Virtually

Photo credit: Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

When was the last time you interviewed for a new job? If you were interviewing in person, you most likely experienced some anxiety related to the travel time to get to an interview, where to park, navigating a new building, self-consciousness about looking over your interview notes, or worst of all wasted travel time for an opportunity that didn’t come to fruition. Virtual interviewing has certainly alleviated many stressors, but the speed and simplicity gained has not been without new stressors. Candidates now worry about a private space to interview, cluttered backgrounds, internet connections, sound issues – technology is great when it’s working, but a detriment when it’s not.

Virtual interviewing has been an option for employers increasing in popularity for some time, but like many ways of working, the concept has taken off since the COVID-19 pandemic. Forbes reports a recent Indeed survey indicated, 82% of employers surveyed use virtual interviews, and 93% of employers plan to continue using them.  Virtual interviews are here to stay but preparing for them and feeling confident regarding what to expect may have job-seekers feeling a bit uneasy. It is completely normal in a relatively new process to find yourself worried about how to properly prepare.

Avoiding Virtual Interview Nightmares

Unfortunately, many of us have experienced a virtual hiccup or two. We’ve lived to tell the cringe-worthy tales of or know someone who has had a virtual interview horror story. Most of these stories involve technology failures, but often can involve unforeseen distractions or discomfort in the setting. The technology woes are distracting, but relatively unsurprising to most.

Your personal email account has notifications at the bottom of the screen – you may not realize that until the meeting starts. Or your dogs suddenly care about the lawn crew outside – of course they do today! 

Preparing your space, thinking ahead about potential distractions, and testing technology are a few of the standout tips we’ll dive deeper on.

Several clients have had “aha” moments when faced with reflecting on why their virtual interviews haven’t gone as well as they expected. A client named Beth came to us wanting to focus on interview preparation. Beth had several in-person interviews that went well, but could not find the same kind of traction in the virtual environment. After talking through preparation tips, Beth realized she was approaching her virtual interviews more casually when she should have been investing the same, if not more, time for her virtual interview preparation. 

The reality is virtual interviewing has ultimately upped the career search game and is more competitive. Employers can see more candidates in less time and expand their candidate pool to geographies they haven’t reached before – preparing to stand out is a must.

So what are the best ways to prepare? What can you learn from new experiences? You owe it to yourself to properly prepare. Proper preparation leads to mastering a virtual interview and landing the opportunity.

Preparing For The Online Interview

If you have prepared face-to-face interviews before, you know the basics of traditional interview prep: research the company, prepare for common interview questions, learn what you can about your interviewers, etc. All of the traditional interview preparation tips and tricks still stand when preparing for a virtual interview, but there is an additional layer for preparing yourself for the virtual environment. 

Determine what you need to feel confident in the interview

Even the most confident interviewers can become less confident in a virtual setting. According to LinkedIn, spending time noticing what naturally occurs in conversations can help. ”Breathe, think, and move, it’s normal!” Natural movements and conversational habits are amplified when you see yourself in action. Spend time in front of the mirror noticing your natural responses to questions, pauses in conversation, hand movements, etc., “use your discoveries to quiet your uncertainties when you do those common things in an interview setting.” In Beth’s case, she did not expect to feel uncomfortable in the virtual environment. Her insecurities impacted her confidence. 

As you practice your interview questions, try practicing as you record yourself. It may be a bit awkward to watch the replay, but it will build awareness regarding how you present yourself. Pro tip: If you don’t think you can get past the distraction of seeing yourself as you speak, use the settings of the on-line interview platform to turn off the video mirroring so you’re not tempted to watch yourself. 

Another natural conversation habit that is different in the virtual environment is eye contact. An article published by Harvard Business Review noted that research found making eye contact is the first step to building trust with a recruiter because “eyes play a key role in human social encounters.” Eye contact is powerful! For example, 79% of unsuccessful candidates were reported to not have been great at making eye contact. Practice looking directly into your webcam, if doing so makes you look unnatural or you have to move to an uncomfortable position, you may want to adjust the positioning of your webcam. 

Prepare Your Space

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

It’s one thing to prepare yourself mentally so you present yourself with confidence, but it’s another to use your setting to reinforce the confidence you portray.

The importance of your background and lighting

LinkedIn suggests “a background view that reflects elements of your student or business side also helps someone to envision you in their workplace.” The background you choose to have in your interview can add or take away from what you’re verbally conveying. The last thing you want is for an interviewer to be distracted by clutter or a busy background. 

Virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom have “green screen” type virtual backgrounds you can choose from – why wouldn’t I just choose one of these and save myself some trouble? Virtual backgrounds can be busy, slow down the internet connection, and distract the interviewer when they don’t align appropriately to the candidate’s face. Having a virtual background may allow the interviewer's mind to wander and wonder what is behind the fake background – the last thing you want is for an unconscious bias to make its way into your interview because of a background. 

Keep in mind the type of job you’re going for may also inform the type of background setting you want to prepare. If you’re going for a more traditional type of job, a minimal bookshelf can portray that you’re well read, but too many books may appear cluttered or distract the interviewer. Interviewing for more creative type roles may lead you to display a piece of art, but again something too busy can distract the interviewer. 

Work from home and virtual environments have many of us using bedrooms for a workspace. No matter how pretty you make your bed, do not have your bed as the background. You can get creative with how you angle your webcam in these situations or move furniture around to avoid this. The same advice goes for any small space doubling as an office.

It’s all about lighting, make sure the lighting in your interview space brings your face into view so the interviewer can pick up on your expressions and eye contact. If you’re relying on a window that gives you great natural light, have a back-up plan for early morning/late night interviews or a stormy day. 

Thinking ahead

Now that we’ve covered thinking ahead to the time of day you’re interviewing or the weather that impacts the lighting in your office, let’s think about anything and everything that could impact the interview experience. Dogs? Loud neighbors? Sick child home from school? Road noise? Work crews? And the list goes on …

Preparing for unforeseen circumstances 

Interviewers have a certain level of tolerance because life happens and not everything is within your control. You can ensure your dogs are out for a walk with a spouse while you interview, you can have a pre-arranged babysitting arrangement, you can ask the lawn service to not come that day, but have you thought about how you will handle something unexpected and out of your control? 

Excusing yourself momentarily is acceptable. It gives you a moment to mute and turn off your camera to deal with the distraction, but practice this in your mind so that you can recover and have confidence after the distraction is gone.

Quick humor is always welcome, “my dog takes his job as the neighborhood watch very seriously, where were we?” A lighthearted comment can put you at ease when you see the interviewer understands. 

Plan ahead for the unforeseen circumstances that don’t stop quickly. Let’s say your neighbor decides it’s the best 20 minutes to use the leaf blower in his yard – have you practiced quickly moving your equipment to another room? Do you know how to transfer the audio of the interviewing platform to your mobile so you can at least finish the interview on audio?

Putting a positive spin on an unforeseen circumstance can show your resilience and confidence so don’t obsess over the situation and try to make the best out of it.

Using Technology

Familiarizing yourself with your physical equipment has been a theme of the advice so far, but don’t forget to practice using the interview platform’s technology as well. It’s always a best practice to ensure the platform is downloaded onto your device (if applicable) ahead of time given download times can be long. Test your equipment such as headphones and cameras to ensure they are paired. Check your personal devices to ensure all of your software is up to date and silence notifications from programs and applications.  On the day of the interview, leave extra time on the front end to ensure you can login early and deal with any technology issues in plenty of time before the interview. 

Securing a Partner To Find Interview Success

By properly preparing and understanding your virtual environment, you can gain the confidence needed to master a virtual interview and land a new opportunity.

If you’re having difficulty preparing for interviews, The Wilbanks Consulting Group can help you. Contact us to learn more about the options available to assist you with all your job search needs.