Virtual Interviews 8 Important Steps for Candidates!

  • Prepare. Make sure you understand the role, review the position announcement, speak with the recruiter to get most of your questions answered. Research the organization and the key people that you will be speaking/interviewing with. Get as much background information as possible about the company, their mission and the structure of the role you are interviewing for.
  • Anticipate the types of questions that they will be asking you. For leadership positions, typical questions include describing your leadership style, how those that work for you view you as a leader and along those lines ensure you can easily articulate anything that you’ve noted on your resume. Be prepared to describe your significant accomplishments, what you are most proud of and possibly something that may have been a failure. Companies want to hear that you have learned from any failures and been able to pick up the pieces and move forward.
  • The 5-Minute Elevator Pitch. It’s important that everyone have this! You may be asked to summarize your background and experience. Prepare this for yourself in advance. You should touch on the high points of your career; successes that you’ve had, how you got there and where you want to go. We call this the elevator pitch because it should be brief and interesting enough to keep their attention for about 3 minutes (the time is takes to go up a floor or two on an elevator). It’s something to think about ahead of time and prepare for.
  • Dress for the role. If it’s a traditional organization (you’ll have learned that by the position and the research that you’ve done); be sure to dress appropriately. If it’s more casual, it’s still a good rule of thumb to dress in a professional manner. It doesn’t hurt to be overdressed.
  • Technology! Interviews are virtual, so test out your computer, make sure the camera is working and turn on the camera for the interview. Companies want to see you and hear you for these interviews. Most organizations are using Zoom for their interviews, you can easily set up a test Zoom call to ensure you know how to use it
  • Eliminate Distractions. Turn your cell phone off or on vibrate. Don’t use your computer during the interview. Ensure you have the proper lighting; sit facing a window for natural light.
  • Be yourself! Interviews are nerve racking, but especially if it’s a panel interview. Be sure to smile and breathe. Have at least 2 questions ready that you will want to ask the interviewer. Having questions shows that you’ve done your research and are interested in learning more.
  • Follow-up. Be sure to thank the interviewer(s) and ask about next steps. Send an email thank you to them as well.

While interviewing is difficult, preparation and following these simple steps makes it less daunting.
While no one will get a job offer for every job they interview for, with patience and perseverance, the right job will be there for you.