19 Steps to Have a Great Stress-Free Video Interview

With the rise of startups and remote working culture, video interviews are becoming more common. While they can be easier than in-person interviews because you aren’t exactly in the presence of the person, they are still feared by many.

Last week, I talked about what interviewers are looking for, so I thought writing about tackling the dreaded video interview was the natural course for me to follow. Here are 19 steps that will help you ensure that you have a stress-free video interview or even a client call anytime.

1. Research the Company

Researching the company is the starting point of preparing for an interview, a video interview is no exception. Because you don’t get to have a first impression of the company as you would if it were a physical interview, you need to familiarize yourself with the way it works in addition to the information about the market the company works in.

This gives you the confidence needed because you feel a sense of familiarity with the company and also feel prepared to answer questions in relation to the market and can also ask intelligent questions to the interviewer based on the information.

2. Know Who Your Interviewer Is

When a video interview is scheduled, you will usually be told who your interviewer is. It is a great idea to look them up – read their employee information on the company’s website and go through their LinkedIn page – look at the posts they engage with on LinkedIn. 

It will give you an idea of the person behind the name and will help you connect with them on a more personal level because then you can spin your answers in a way that works for them. This in no way means agreeing to things you don’t believe in, this just gives you a way to find things in common that will make your case stronger.

3. Practice Behavorial Questions and Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked interview questions have a way of cropping up even into the most casual of interviews. It is a good idea to have some answers prepared, don’t try to wing it. There’s no need to memorise answers word for word, but having a structure prepared is the best way to answer with confidence.

Companies have started evaluating the person more than their skills because you hire the person hence there are a lot of behavioral questions that the interviewer can ask. Be prepared to talk about your strengths, your weaknesses, what you would do in a difficult situation, how would you react to working in a team, and so on.

4. Choose a Plain and Neutral Background

Position yourself against a plain and neutral background for a professional feel. Choose a quiet place so that you can better hear your interviewer and also focus on the questions and your answers. Avoid going to cafes or public places for your interview unless you know that it isn’t going to be crowded and won’t interfere with your interview.

5. Elevate Your Laptop 

Place your laptop at eye level to make it easier for you to look into the camera. Avoid staring down into the camera, place your laptop at a desk. Your laptop should be in your line your vision when you look straight ahead. This helps you have a proper posture and maintain eye contact during the interview.

6. Test Audio and Camera Quality

Test your audio and camera quality beforehand. You don’t want to be testing the audio with the interviewer and connecting and disconnecting again and again. It will stress you out even before the interview begins and also will show a lack of preparedness on your part if your mic doesn’t work and you didn’t check it before.

7. Check the Lighting in the Room

Even if you have the best quality camera, poor lighting will do no justice to it. Make sure you are in a well-lit room so that the interviewer can see you.

8. Dress Professionally

Just because you aren’t meeting the interviewer in person is no reason to not dress professionally. The interviewer can still see you, so make sure you dress professionally. Don’t forget your pants, just in case. Even though they can’t see your bottom half, if you have to get up to get something, it can get awkward, so be prepared to be on the safer side. It will also give you the confidence to get through the call.

9. Close All Other Applications On Your Laptop

You don’t want your laptop’s memory engaged running various apps and the one that matters the most at the moment to start hanging up. Close all the other applications so that your laptop can function smoothly without glitching from being stretched thin by supporting many applications running simultaneously.

10. Put Your Phone on Silent

You don’t want your phone creating a disturbance during your interview. Calls and notifications can be distracting and don’t exactly provide a professional look. Make sure to silence your cell phone and also disable vibration alert because that will divert your attention away from your interview, making you break your chain of thought.

11. Ban Your Family From the Room For the Duration of the Interview

Like putting your phone on silent and not giving video interviews in public places, it is important to let your family know not to disturb you during your interview. You don’t exactly want your kid running in asking for a snack when you are explaining how tactful you are at handling difficult clients or your dog barking and crying for your attention when you are talking about your professionalism. 

Make sure to ban your family – kids, pets, and even your spouse from the room for the duration of the interview and also let them know that they are not supposed to make any noise during the interview.

12. Have a Pen and Paper in Reaching Distance

It is important to be prepared. You don’t want to leave the interviewer hanging and staring at an empty screen while you fetch a pen and a paper to note down something they are telling you or to show them something. Try to keep everything you might need within your reaching distance on your desk, around your laptop.

13. Have a Glass of Water Next to You

Have a glass or bottle of water at hand so that you can take a quick sip if your throat feels dry from talking or you feel nervous. Taking small sips during the interview helps keep you talking smoothly and also helps calm your nerves.

14. Have the Phone Number of the Interviewer Ready

Having the phone number of the interviewer at hand is a smart move in case the video connection breaks due to some reason. You can call them up immediately to figure out what the issue is or to finish the interview over the call. 

15. Have a Hard Copy of Your CV/Resume Ready

While you can always look at your Resume on your laptop, it is a good idea to have a hard copy at hand if the interviewer wants to discuss something from your resume. This gives you a chance to see what they are talking about exactly and not panic about your answers. 

It can sometimes get difficult to recall what you put on your resume exactly when in an interview, so having a hard copy is a big help.

16. Stick Post-its Around the Laptop Screen 

Because the interviewer can only see what is in front of the camera, use all the things you can to your advantage. If you are nervous about remembering all the things, then stick post-it notes with prompts and questions you wish to ask your interviewer on your laptop, around the screen. 

You can color coordinate them to further simplify them. Stick one color notes on one side with things you want to say, answers to questions, and another color on the other side with questions to ask and doubts to clear. This will help you put yourself out there without fumbling over sentences and trying to remember what to say next. You will also not miss something important that you wanted to let the interviewer know.

17. Speak Into the Camera 

When not talking in person, maintaining eye contact can get tricky. We are automatically drawn to the screen and can’t help looking at the interviewer. We forget that looking at the camera will help us make eye contact because that is the focal point of your video screen. Remember to look into the camera when you talk and not on the screen.

Keep the laptop at a considerable distance so that even though you are looking in the camera, the screen is easily visible for you to gauge the non-verbal cues of your interviewer. Keeping the laptop too close will not give you distance enough to take in everything and you will end up switching your gaze between the camera and the screen, which can be taken as fidgeting or nervousness.

18. Practice With a Friend 

Like with a traditional interview, practising a proper video interview with a friend or family member will give you the preparation you need. Set up the video interview like you would with your interviewer and tell them to ask you questions. It will also help you get used to talking to the camera and help you practice looking at the camera and not the screen.

19. Send a Thank You Email Within 24 Hours of the Interview

While this isn’t mandatory, it is a good practice to email the interviewer within 24 hours of your interview to thank them for their time and efforts. This helps put you on the radar. If they are interviewing multiple candidates, then it will help you stand out. Showing politeness and gratitude doesn’t hurt.

Final Thoughts

Having a proper setup will help you go through your interview smoothly without constantly worrying about things. Keeping things you might need within reach is another of the great tips for a stress-free interview. To finish it off, practising is the final touch. These are the three main things in a nutshell that will help you ace any video interview without sweating buckets.