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How to be your best in video interviews

As more companies interview job candidates from around the world and more executives look for time-saving strategies, you may find that the next time you interview for a job, you’re facing not a living human being, but a television camera.

Videoconferencing, said Kim Bishop, is becoming more popular across all industries and job levels as a way not just to conduct meetings among far-flung participants, but as a way to interview potential employees.

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that it’s the first time they’ve ever done a video interview, but it’s something people need to get used to because they’re going to see it more and more,” said Bishop, a senior client partner at Korn/Ferry International.

Bishop said a television camera films the job candidate in a studio while a television screen projects the interviewer at an other location. Typically, no one else is present with the job candidate during that time, she said, and the interview schedule is strictly enforced.

“While you need to always be prepared for an interview, it’s even more critical in a videoconference interview, because you’ve only got a certain amount of time to get your qualifications across to the interviewer before the thing is shut down,” she said. “In that amount of time, you’ve got to present yourself well as someone who is savvy and aware.”

Those being interviewed via electronics need to think ahead and have any materials sent to interviewers well in advance, she cautioned.

“I’ve had people during a video interview say, ‘I’ve got an updated résumé for you,’ or ‘I want to show you this project I worked on.’ That doesn’t do me much good since you can’t hand it across the table to me, and I won’t be able to look at it and ask any questions.”

While it may be a bit intimidating when you’re facing a camera and a microphone, Bishop said you can minimize some of that anxiety by arriving about 15 minutes early in order to become acquainted with the setup and get over some video jitters. It’s also OK, she said, to let the interviewer know that it’s your first time doing a videoconference interview. “Just saying it can lift a little bit of your apprehension,” she said.

She also advises:

• Understanding the technology. By arriving early, you can ask the technician how loud you should talk into the microphone (avoid constantly bending over microphone when you speak), and ask how to use the “picture in picture” feature, which allows you to see on the television screen how you are being filmed. Use this feature ahead of time to make sure your appearance is neat and the table is clear of clutter.

• Minimizing distractions. “I interviewed one man who tapped his pen on the table the whole time. It was the only thing I could hear because the microphone was picking it up,” Bishop said. Check out the picture in picture feature periodically to make sure you’re not fiddling with your hair, rocking in your chair or doing anything else that distracts the interviewer.

• Maintaining eye contact. Just as you would in a face-to-face interview, keep your eyes on the interviewer. It’s OK to take notes, but look up from time to time so that the interviewer isn’t always seeing the top of your head bent over your notepad.

• Dressing appropriately. “Some people think because it’s a video interview, they should dress more casually, which is not the case. I also had a man who wore a nice shirt and tie, but when he stood up, he had on jeans. He thought it was OK to stand up because we had been disconnected, but we had not,” Bishop said.

Bishop’s final word of advice to those participating in a videoconference interview? “Remember that a videoconference interview is just exactly like it is in person,” she said. “You will be asked the same questions, and the objectives will be the same.”

Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy ... and How to Avoid Them.” Write to her at Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22107.