Resources from Unified Communications

The Do's and Don'ts of Video Interviewing

By Special Guest
Tricia Sciortino, President of eaHELP.com

The number of U.S. workers who telecommute is rising steadily. A 2015 Gallup survey found that 37 percent of American workers work from home at least part of the time. And with advances in telepresence technology and a new generation of workers who are used to keeping in touch through social media and working together via collaboration software, fully remote jobs are a growing part of the overall workforce. 

For many people, including people who want to avoid a long daily commute or don’t want to be limited by geography in their career options, a work-at-home job is a dream assignment.  But before you can get the job, you’ll likely have to pass a video interview. Here are some tips to help you ace it:

• Dress to impress: The stereotype of home-based workers toiling away in their pajamas is outdated — and definitely not an approach that is likely impress an interviewer. Dress for a remote interview just as you would for an in-person interview.

• Keep an eye on your surroundings: Before you participate in a remote interview, take a look at your surroundings and make sure they convey a professional image. You can conduct the interview in your kitchen, but make sure you’re framed on video by a wall instead of a sink full of dirty dishes.

• Create an interruption-free zone: Nothing can derail an interview faster than barking dogs or shrieking children. Make sure you won’t be interrupted during your interview, and consider wearing earbuds with a microphone to decrease ambient noise, such as a neighbor’s leaf blower.

• Show enthusiasm and passion: Even though your interviewer may be 1,000 miles away, it’s still important to make eye contact, lean forward to indicate engagement and convey your passion and excitement about the job. Body language definitely counts during a remote interview.

• Double-check your technology setup: When using apps like Skype (News - Alert) or remote conference software, it’s a good idea to log in five minutes early in case there’s a software update or other hitch. Consider hardwiring your device into your modem so you won’t get tripped up by WiFi (News - Alert) glitches.

• Close apps in the background: Make sure you close all the apps you have running on your laptop except for the telepresence app. That will lessen the chance of system resources being diverted to another app and eliminate annoying pop-ups or loud audio interruptions from another site.

Finding your work-at-home dream job may get easier as remote workforces gain wider acceptance across business sectors. But before you can make the remote team, you’ll need to impress the hiring manager. 

The remote interview carries just as much weight as an in-person interview, meaning you’ll want to take it as seriously as any other important professional interaction. By following these tips, you can demonstrate your commitment to the opportunity and show your future colleague or boss that you will make a great coworker and company representative.

Tricia is the President of eaHELP. Prior to starting with eaHELP, she worked for Cogun, a national church construction company. Prior to Cogun, she worked as a District Manager at PacSun. Tricia obtained her B.A. in Business from the University of Hartford. She and her two daughters, Riley and Hailey, attend church at the Blakeney campus of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.