Home » How Should I Prepare For a Video Call Interview? (Tips & Tricks)

How Should I Prepare For a Video Call Interview? (Tips & Tricks)

With office culture having taken a complete setback after Covid-19, people find it hard to socialize even in the virtual arena. The concern is real as more and more people are worried about their future, yet companies are in the process of hiring, and instead of conducting offline interviews, they have shifted to the online mode.

An interview is an interview, no matter if it is online or offline. Candidates go through the same amount of excitement and nervousness. Regardless of the interview platform, it is essential to focus on giving your best.

In this blog, you will learn how to be your best version and avoid distractions while preparing for a video call interview. By the end of the blog, you will have learned the key behaviors and ways of expression when dealing with an online interview.

How to Prepare For a Video Interview?

How to Prepare For a Video Interview
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You need to set the attitude right for the interview to ensure that your voice tone and expressions are consistent throughout the interview. You neither want to sound too dull, as if you just got out of the bed to appear for the interview nor do you want to sound too excited to make it appear that you are overcompensating for the lack of knowledge.

It goes without saying that you need to be well-prepared concerning the subject matter. The following advice is for those candidates who know everything but lack confidence or tend to get nervous by the time the interview begins.

Bonus Read: 9 Tips on How To Prepare For An Interview

1. Be Prepared

Be Prepared
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When preparing for a video call interview, the first thing that comes to mind is to make sure that your laptop or phone has enough battery power. In addition, you may keep a diary and a pen next to you in case you need to take notes on their feedback later on.

Similarly, you can keep a water bottle on your side to ensure that you don’t have to rush to someplace else to fetch water in the middle of the conversation. You can also prepare yourself mentally by thinking about what you are going to say. This way, you won’t have any nerves while speaking to the interviewer.

2. Dress Appropriately

You don’t want to look like you have been chilling in your living room and turned up for the interview. Similarly, nothing too formal would appear over the top! So find a balance between casual and professional attire.

Keep it basic and wear clean clothes. Ensure that your hair and accessories are also in place and you do not have any issues managing them while the interview is on.

3. Take a Background Check

Take a Background Check
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Not everyone’s house has enough space, or one should say, enough space that appears to be formal. There is no issue, and you just need to ensure that you find yourself a corner that can provide you with some privacy. Just ensure that no one else is visible through your laptop camera in the backdrop.

4. Know What to Say

Some things don’t change regardless of the platform, and your answers, too, should be as confident as they would have sounded in an offline set-up. It would help if you spoke your mind but never crossed the line, as the motive of this interview is to impress the panel and get the job.

However, there is no harm in sticking to your ideological perspective if there is a clash. You should just know how to defend yourself and your points through logical arguments.

5. Practice Your Pitch

This means that you give a mock interview beforehand, and it could be in front of a mirror, or you could record yourself to analyze later. You need to ask yourself some questions and then try answering these questions in different pitches. Keep your pitch soft unless you want to emphasize a point. You can go a bit higher to highlight your perspective.

Your Conduct During the Video Call Interview

Your Conduct During the Video Call Interview
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If you do some prior preparations, you will feel confident to ace the interview. However, there are some points that you may keep in mind during the interview to ensure that you do justice to your preparations.

1. Don’t overthink it

In fact, don’t think at all. Just trust your instinct and keep answering. Even if you do not know the answer, there is no shame in accepting, apologizing, and moving on. The idea is to hold a smooth conversation with the panel where they get to analyze your knowledge and strengths.

Answer them to the point and do not overthink their judgments or results. This is the best way to focus on your presentation or answers.

Overthinking can ruin your chances of getting the job by not allowing you to focus on the interview in the first place. Your entire focus should be on the interviewer and on the ways in which to answer their questions.

2. Keep Calm and Composed

There will be times when you would feel out of place or blank. However, there is no need to panic or get nervous. Instead, focus on maintaining your calm and never show anyone that you are not comfortable through your expressions.

Remember that this is not your last chance; you will get more chances in the future and more opportunities to perform better. When you think like this, you release your mind off the tension and can better perform in the activity that requires your full attention.

3. Smile

Never smile too much, but maintain a calm and smiling expression when the panelists talk. Then, when you start with your introduction, you can have a slight smile on your face to ensure that you have a compassionate personality.

Companies are not looking for robots, and therefore, they do not expect you to have a straight face throughout. That is why it is advisable to smile once in a while. Usually, counter questions are encouraged but not in the middle of the interview.

You will be asked if you have any questions at the end of the interview, where you must make it a point to smile and ask your queries. These queries may be about your job responsibilities or future growth opportunities but make it a point that you have something to ask or say by the end of the interview. This highlights your interest in the job position and your enthusiasm.

What To do After the Interview Gets Over?

What to do After the Interview Gets Over
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First of all, relax! You just gave an interview which must have kept you tensed for some time. You deserve to take a break and take some time off from thinking about this job interview. If you find it difficult to take your mind off the interview, try to think or work on other priorities. Perhaps, there is another interview lined up for you, or simply your friends wanting to hang out with you.

Secondly, after taking some time off, you need to follow up with the company on the results if they have not already gotten back to you after a substantial time.

1. Follow Up

If you seek a follow-up, you will not appear desperate for the job, so go for it without any hesitation. But remember to wait for a good few days before following up. It will show your interest in the job and make you look like a professional involved in the process.

Bonus Read: Follow-up Email After Interview: Samples + Writing Tips

2. Have Patience

Sometimes when companies are in the recruiting process, they tend to take longer than usual to reply to the queries. Remember, if they like you, they won’t let the opportunity for you to become a part of their organization. Companies do not want to lose on caliber and candidates that have the potential to be assets.

In such a case, where the company has neither responded to the interview nor your follow-up queries, have patience. You have already done your part well by giving your best. Now just focus on your future and do not let their response (no response in this case) get to you.

3. Be Hopeful

There is no replacement for hope! No matter what stage of your career you are at, it would help if you never lost hope. You will find several opportunities to showcase your talent and skills, but you will have to remain hopeful and keep applying to different places to get your next interview call.

Learn to enjoy the journey, as with each interview, you learn something new or the other, regardless of the fact, whether you manage to grab the opportunity or not. This brings us to our next and final point.

4. Keep Trying

Keep Trying
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The one thing that recent events have taught us is that human beings are capable of so much more than what they think they are. So Covid or no-Covid, online or offline, this interview or that one, remain hopeful and never stop trying. Because as long as you try, your chances of achieving things increase. But if you do not try, you lose all the opportunities to excel then and there.

So, learn from the past experiences and move on to the next opportunity with better preparations this time around.

Some Pro-Tips of Video Call Interview

  • Keep your phone aside if it is not needed, and let your family and friends know that you will be occupied with an interview so that they don’t end up disturbing you.
  • Don’t forget to check for lights; as in video calling, you may be judged on your body language. Don’t expose your face to too much light, but at times, the laptop’s camera shows you in a dull picture over a video call, so make the necessary arrangements beforehand and take a mock interview in the same mode.
  • If you do not have a battery backup, ensure that you sit near the charging plug and that you keep your charger nearby in case of need. However, it is best to keep it on a charge all throughout your interview to avoid any embarrassing situation.
  • To ensure that there is no network or power issue, try to start the meeting on time. Or, even if the meeting has not started, you can sit and relax for a while in front of the camera and join in as and when the interview process begins.

Summary

Interviews can be extremely intimidating, and if you do not consider yourself tech-savvy, video call interviews could be scary for you. Just ensure that your gadgets are fully charged and in place before the interview begins. Dress up properly for the interview and try to sit in an isolated place to avoid distractions. Stay confident, and you will nail the interview!

Focus on making the first impression as the best and offer them what they expect from the desirable candidate. Talk as if you were sitting right next to them. To ease a tense moment, it is okay to say something that may appear funny. Treat it like a regular interview, and you will be good to go once it gets over.