In the past few months I’ve seen my clients enter the era of virtual interviews as the norm. It makes sense. Pretty much everything we used to do, we now do virtually.
As we adjust, it’s natural to feel uncertainty and take time to fine-tune best practices. It used to be that Skype, videoconference, or other forms of virtual interviews were rare in the legal world. And when they were used, were definitely considered a clear second best.
Using technology for interviewing has its challenges, but I’ve found that once you navigate those, it’s possible to start focusing on the advantages.
What steps can you take, and how can you use virtual interviews to your advantage?
Test the Technology
When technology works, it’s brilliant. When it doesn’t, it can run havoc on any meeting; let alone an interview. You can’t avoid all technological glitches, but you can minimize the risk with a few basic steps.
Download and connect to whatever platform you’ll be using
Check that your device supports the technology
Understand the features you’ll be expected to use
Make sure your internet connection is strong enough in the room you’re using to avoid freezing and delays
Before you start, take the extra step to ensure everyone can see you, hear you, and is ready to start.
Background and Lighting
Check the background and lighting in your room. Avoid distracting backgrounds; including unusual or trendy Zoom backgrounds. A neutral, attractive background and good lighting are important to project a professional mood. It’s best to find an area with natural light if you can. Make sure you’re not backlit. Move around in the room and reposition your device if you have to. You don’t want to interview in what appears to be a dark cave, or what is obviously a bedroom.
Avoid Distractions
It’s not always easy, or even possible, to avoid all distractions when you’re at home. As much as you can, make sure you minimize interruptions from other people, pets, and background noises. Silence alerts and notifications on the device you’re using during the interview. And don’t forget to do the same with other devices you might have nearby.
Treat It Like An In-Person Meeting
Take whatever direction you’re given about a more relaxed dress code with a grain of salt, and dress professionally. If there is no mention of dress code, wear what you’d wear to an in-person interview – at least from the waste up! And while you can’t shake hands, or engage in other in-person formalities, take time to introduce yourself like you’re meeting in-person for the first time.
Make Eye Contact
It’s natural to look at the people you’re speaking to instead of the camera on your computer. Most platforms allow you to change to size of the video you’re viewing, and drag and reposition it. To make it easier to look like you’re making eye contact, place the video of the people you’re speaking to as close as you can to the camera on your device.
Combat Zoom Fatigue
Make sure you take mental breaks before, after, and between interviews. Get up from your screen, go for a short walk, and rest your eyes for a few minutes if you can. The experts are saying video meetings place a strain on you because you use more cognitive energy in a virtual environment to focus, decipher subtle non-verbal cues, and fill in the gaps. It’s important to remember to give yourself a break.
Take Advantage of the Advantages
Once you’ve fine-tuned a few best practices, you can start to take advantage of the benefits virtual interviewing provides.
No travel saves you time and money. This is particularly true if you’re interviewing in another city or jurisdiction. You can literally be in two places in one day.
No recruiting lunches, long dinners, or crowded receptions. This is a relief if you don’t shine in this kind of setting, or are a law student who worried you’d have to juggle multiple interviews together with conflicting interview-related events.
You can see yourself. Okay, seeing yourself might increase your self-consciousness. But the ability to see yourself on-screen also allows you to periodically monitor and correct any distracting speaking habits or tendencies – as long as you don’t spend too much time looking at yourself!
Make it easy to recall points you want to make. Help battle your nerves and the necessity to remember it all. Have notes available to quickly glance at - or even pulled up on the side of your screen. These might include your resume, questions you want to ask, or biographies of the people you’re interviewing with.
It’s hard to predict how long virtual interviewing will continue to be the norm, but at least for the time being we can certainly adapt, and possibly even embrace this change.