How great is having Skype these days? I can live 9,000 miles away from family and friends and still “see” them on camera as much as I’d like!
Skype is also making it fast and cost-effective for companies to interview job candidates who aren’t local. If you’re offered a Skype interview, you may want to jump for joy and kiss that awkward, stressful in-person interview good-bye! Believe it or not, there is still preparation and technique required for you to ace your Skype job interview!
Follow these 4 tips and you’ll be on your way to interview success!
Even though your interview is on Skype and interviewers might not see your entire outfit, it’s still necessary for you to dress professionally from head to toe as if you’re interview were face to face. First off, dressing professionally will make you feel more professional and ready for the interview. You also never know if you’ll need to get up for whatever reason during the interview. If you do, and you’re wearing pajama pants instead of slacks, this will reflect badly on your interview.
Even though your interviewer is not in front of you, you should still maintain good eye contact throughout the entire interview. You shouldn’t be looking at things on your desktop or down at your notes in front of you. Remember you’re still in the hot seat and being assessed for your attentiveness, responses and body language.
If you’re doing a Skype interview, you’ll likely be doing it from your own home if you don’t have an office space. You should still set up a clean, organized and professional looking space for your interview though. Make sure you don’t have dirty laundry visible behind you, inappropriate posters and so on. Also check your lighting where you’ll be interviewing to place you in the best light possible.
You also need to make sure that you let any roommates or family know to keep quiet during the entire time, or go out somewhere to give you a quiet space. You may want to turn any phones on silent and make sure there won’t be any loud interruptions during the interview. Since it’s a Skype interview, there may be unavoidable noise or disruptions from outside. Be sure to remain calm and handle any disruptions in a polite and professional manner.
As great as the benefits from technology are, there’s still a downside. When having a Skype interview, your connection could be bad, lighting not clear, etc. Make sure to practice with a friend beforehand so you can practice where to look in the camera, lighting, connection and just to get more comfortable having an interview on Skype. Don’t forget to have a back-up internet source in case your internet is having problems.
