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August 23, 2016 12:36 PM

how to ace a video interview with a panel of people?

i've googled the heck out of "how to ace your video interview" but thought i'd stop by the green to see if anyone here has any pro-tips for doing well on a video interview.

this is my 3rd interview for a gig i'd really like (right in my wheelhouse and mission-driven in a way that speaks right to my heart). it's with four of their heavier hitters, and i gotta say, it's got me a little nervous. they do a lot of work remotely, so this sort of thing is pretty normal for them, from what i can tell.

in short: what are your go-to routines / prep / during-interview best practices for a video interview with a panel of brilliant folks?

posted by crawfo to Work & Money (8 answers total)

You'll probably get better results if you use the term "skype interview". To me, video interview sounds like you're going to record a video and then submit it.

I've only done a few, but my first tip would be to not only dress as you would for a job interview, but try to be in a setting that fits the job interview milieu as well. For example remember that the interviewers will see your messy living room, don't do it from the toilet or in a noisy cafe, etc.

Desktop or laptop is also much better for this than trying to do it on your phone. Position the laptop in a way that gets you and your surroundings from the best possible angle.

Would it be possible to practice by skyping or facetiming with a few other people (ideally several people in one place at the same time)? I find that the weird laggy nature of some video conferencing setups can make conversation flow a little less naturally than it does in person, and it can be easy to accidentally cut someone off or sound more abrupt than you would normally come off in person. That said, if they do a lot of video conferencing, this is something they may be more used to than if they only do this during hiring.

Also, if this is a technical job at all, you may want to be on your best possible setup, with the best possible video and sound quality, etc. I mean obviously you want to control for those things in general, but I will offer the anecdote that I once had a skype interview for a job that was apparently more technically oriented than I realized (which is a whole other thing), and they kind of ragged on me for skyping from a laptop without a mic setup, external HD monitor, etc. Which was dumb, and that whole job interview sucked/the interviewers were sort of jerks anyway, but, yeah, if you will be expected to be a tech expert, keep in mind that your interviewers may also expect your equipment setup for the interview to be better than average.
posted by Sara C. at 12:52 PM on August 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Place your Skype/FaceTime/etc. window close to the location of the webcam so that you can look straight into the camera and see the interviewers at the same time.
posted by praiseb at 1:07 PM on August 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

try to be in a setting that fits the job interview milieu as well. For example remember that the interviewers will see your messy living room, don't do it from the toilet or in a noisy cafe, etc.

Adding to this -- if you're using a laptop, don't have it on your actual lap. Put it on a table. Practice standing up without mooning/crotch-shotting the camera (I use a chair without arms, so I can just slide over to the side before standing).

Repeat/sum up each question, and try to work in names:
"How would you handle a fire in the widget factory?"
"A fire in the widget factory is a huge thing, Mr. Bigwig. In my experience, the first thing..."
(I have a lot more "Wait, did I hear that question right?" moments in Skype interviews; that might just be me.)
posted by Etrigan at 1:17 PM on August 23, 2016

Good audio is really important, moreso than the video. Do a test run with someone else using your setup with whatever video chat application the interview will be using and listen to how it sounds. Get an external microphone if needed. Then look at the way that the light falls on the person's face - you might want to use additional lighting to make sure that the light hitting your face is flattering. The further from you the light source is or the larger it is, the more gentle and pleasing it will look.

If your webcam isn't great either, consider getting an external one as well. As mentioned above, make "eye contact" with it as much as possible rather than watching them too closely.

Don't wear anything with a busy pattern, even stripes. Make sure that what's behind you is either very neutral or professional looking (bookshelves, for example).

If there's any chance that they'll ask you to share your computer's desktop and do some work live during the interview, make sure that everything they'd see is professional and appropriate.
posted by Candleman at 2:05 PM on August 23, 2016

Use headphones with a microphone so that you don't inadvertently echo peoples' voices back to them, and make sure your internet connection is good.
posted by thirdletter at 2:34 PM on August 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Definitely do some test skypes to be sure your setup is ready. Consider having more than one system (eg skype, google hangouts, perhaps FaceTime) at the ready in case their first choice is grouchy that day. Have a way to communicate rapidly (phone, instant message, email they receive right away) in case there is some sort of connection difficulty. If they have a proprietary system you'll call in to this might be harder - in that case I would consider asking if one person can be available a few minutes ahead to be sure the connection is set up properly.

Video conferencing is a weird thing and takes some getting used to; I now have usually several video calls a day but at first I found them much more irritating than I do now. (For what it's worth I have always found them better than the phone!). And when I talk to my folks (less used to video) I can tell they find it strange. It is worth testing your confidence when technical blips happen.. Eg dropped words, delays causing over talk, etc. the more flexible you can be the better.

Also it is worth checking that you see everyone in the room- likely they will all introduce themselves and you should be able to see each person. Do let them know if someone is hard to hear/see, but accept that it might not be fixable.

Seconding don't wear stripes- I have some striped shirts and there are often weird aliasing artifacts on video chat (I just find them funny, but in an interview they could be distracting).

I have never interviewed anyone this way, but I have been interviewed this way (and got to the in person stage).
posted by nat at 5:20 PM on August 23, 2016

Yes to headset microphone. So much better for audio both you and them.

In this kind of situation, I ask at least one question that allows each person in the other location to answer. Like, "Can each of you tell me how we would work together if I were hired to the position?"
posted by zem at 8:22 AM on August 24, 2016

My job is remote so I had to do a Skype with the company's three founders to get the job. I prepared for it just like I would any other interview: got up early, took a nice long shower, dressed up and wore nice makeup, etc.

Nthing everyone's technical recommendations: use a headset (most headphones have a microphone inline now, so you don't need to buy anything fancy), fire up Skype beforehand to make sure that the angle of the display is okay and there isn't anything weird/distracting behind you, be prepared to need to call/email them if something goes awry.
posted by anotheraccount at 7:03 AM on August 25, 2016