By Jo Edmondson, Careers Consultant
Planning and preparation will pay off, so here are my top tips on how to smash that video interview:
- Anticipate all the things that you could be asked about, particularly why do you want this job and why are you applying to this organisation?
- Be ready to talk about specific things that you’ve done that demonstrate that you have the each of the skills that are required for the job (take another look at the job description and particularly at the skills and values that the employer is asking for)
- Find out about the STAR format for answering interview questions and practise using it, as it will help you to avoid waffling
- Practice both out-loud and on-screen - you may feel a bit ridiculous rehearsing, but there really is no substitute for actually speaking “voice to camera”
- Record yourself on any device (or on an interview simulator app like ShortList.Me which is on the Careers Moodle page) and then review what you’ve done
- Take your time - speak slowly and clearly - some of us tend to speed up or mumble when we’re nervous. Speaking slowly brings the added benefit of giving you more time to think and carefully choose your words. Definitely more impressive than rambling
- Try to look and sound positive and enthusiastic - nobody wants to hire someone that seems miserable!
- Practise timings - most video interviews will give you a time limit for each question (1-2 minutes), and it’s important to try and get the right level of detail. Single sentence answers probably won’t be enough, but on the other hand you don’t want to find that you’ve timed out when you haven’t finished
- Choose a quiet place and test your tech – make sure your camera and microphone are working
- And finally…Recruiters aren’t expecting perfection. If you mess up or think you’ve given a poor answer, move on and give the next question 100% focus. Many recruiters tell us that successful candidates don’t always give great answers to every question in a video interview, and that you can impress and advance to the next recruitment stage even if a couple of your answers weren’t great.
If you follow these tips, preparing and practising, you’ll feel much more confident and know that you have done all that you can to impress. Good Luck!