iStockphoto.com | Antonio_Diaz
Video conferencing is the old thing that is new again. According to Transparency Market Research, global video conferencing will be valued at $8.9 billion by 2025 with an annual growth rate of 8.3%. It’s big business, and with social distancing as the order of the day, it will continue to boom.
In late March of this year, PC Magazine wrote, “To stay healthy in 2020, telecommuting and regular work-from-home arrangements are pretty much a must for most people”, and released its list of Top 10 video conferencing apps (in alphabetical order):
1. BlueJeans Meetings
2. Click Meeting
3. GoTo Meeting
4. Intermedia AnyMeeting
5. JoinMe
6. Microsoft Teams (formerly Skype)
7. Ring Central
8. WebEx (Cisco)
9. Zoho Meeting
10. Zoom
While a decline in video conferencing use is to be expected when the labor market reaches some kind of predictable equilibrium, by then it will already be a permanent part of many job descriptions, including recruitment and hiring. The increase in video interviewing happening right now is likely to continue until it is as much a part of the hiring process as the phone screen.
From the list above, the brand that most likely stands out is Zoom. Zoom was already a billion dollar success story before the pandemic. Now, in four months, Zoom has become synonymous with the new era of video conferencing. If you’re part of a remote video interview, it will most likely be on Zoom.
To fully leverage the opportunities afforded to the job seeker by Zoom, and the other platforms, here are some simple tips to shine during video conferencing interviews:
1. Show off in your visual presentation.
Any job interview done via Zoom is both an interview and a screen test. Here’s how to sparkle.
Choose a private and quiet location.
Choose a clean background. Zoom allows you to choose a background and it’s now an online cottage industry. If you Google “Zoom backgrounds” all of your prayers will be answered, but save the “Pulp Fiction” background for the virtual happy hour with your friends. For an interview, choose a neutral clean background so that nothing distracts from the star of the show – you.
Be well dressed and look sharp. Solid colors. No white or black.
Avoid glasses if you don’t need them (glare) and hats (they’ll hide your beautiful face).
Hollywood magic is mostly hair and makeup.
Command the virtual space by keeping the frame tight on you.
Do not lean in or back.
2. Show off your interview skills.
Keep the rules for a good interview in mind, but the Zoom version.
Be cognizant of the technology to remain in view and with proper posture.
Do not sit too close to the screen or your face will be distorted.
Maintain clear audio.
Position yourself so you are eye level with the camera. If you are on a laptop that means elevating the laptop to eye level while the screen is at a ninety-degree angle. Nobody wants to see up your nose.
Connect with your audience and show your passion, but keep in mind you are doing it through a camera at the top of your laptop and the interviewer(s) can’t see your view. Play to the camera, not the box, or boxes, with the other person/people in them.
Make eye contact. Speak clearly.
Do not look “off-screen”.
3. Show off your portfolio.
Zoom allows you to share your screen.
If you are in a creative field and have a digital portfolio ready to go, you can walk people through the best examples of your work.
More than just sharing, this is an opportunity to make a full visual presentation that tells the professional story you want to tell.
If you put together a presentation that includes content from your portfolio in advance, it can be a versatile tool during an interview. You may use it in response to an interview question, to make a strong opening, or a big splash at the end.
4. Show off your skills.
Maybe you’re not a “creative”, and you work in analytics, or finance, or a similar field that does not revolve around dazzling visual presentations.
In this case, the ability to share your screen may be even more advantageous.
You can share an Excel spreadsheet, budget documents, metrics, screenshots, etc. – anything that is material to the role and will strengthen the impact you make during the interview.
5. Show you know your stuff.
“White board interviews” intended to test a candidate’s critical thinking and knowledge while competing for a job opening can be very challenging. For example, IT professionals are often given a complex technical problem and asked to demonstrate how it can be solved with the most minimal impact on business operations. One dry erase marker and a blank white board stand before him or her and a job offer, thus the name.
On a Zoom call, the white board is replaced by anything and everything you have access to on your computer. This gives you an advantage.
While you can’t predict what you will be asked during an interview, if you master Zoom’s presentation features you will be a more effective communicator during a remote interview.
If you are proactive and prepare in advance, you can drive the action of the interview, even a “white board interview” during which you are expected to produce an answer in real time for all to see. Get comfortable in Visio and other apps that help you illustrate a business or technical concept.
Take the time to master the video conferencing technology so you can master your interview.
6. Show that you have great manners.
When things wrap up, use the Chat feature to send a quick thank you message to all the participants of the interview.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercareerstrategies.com.
