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Job interviews often cause stress and anxiety to the interviewer. Currently, companies are adapting to the unavoidable changes, and many of them are having interviews on computer screens. This is as well stressful – a few tech issues, commotions from family members unaware of what’s happening and the confusion arising not knowing who should speak, and when.

We’ve to face all these for now.

The home environment feels very comfortable but it makes it difficult to establish rapport. Remember there’s no space for the warm handshakes, the light banters while walking into the room are also missing and the difficulty of picking up on social cues.

What’s motivating though is that the preparation for the interview is pretty the same: conduct thorough research of the company, the industry as well as competitors if there are any. Formulate the questions that will produce a vivid image of the company for you, let’s say the companies culture. Make sure your audio and any other tech set up you’ll require is working correctly. Carry out some troubleshooting if there’s a need.

Though many elements contribute to a successful video interview, a few specific tips will make sure you ace this:

Get camera-ready immediately

Here you’ll need to move fast. You only have a tenth of a second to make the first winning impression, that’s according to the co-founder and CEO of ZipRecruiter, Ian Siegel.

Capitalize on this

“Wear a smile as you join the call, it gets you relaxed and also triggers the appropriate response from your interviewer,” he advised He continues to say that you need to dress as if the interview was face-to-face, sit upright, groom well and remove any clutter within the space the camera captures.

Check your background.

When locating your interview spot, find a location whose background color is neutral and has little distractions, clarifies Peter Baskin, the chief product officer at Modern Hire.

You want to have a well-lit space, but want it coming from the front end. Being backlit can be a serious blunder. You may appear like a silhouette, and at the same time, your facial expressions are unclear. So it’ll be way much difficult for the interviewer to get you. Natural lighting works excellently. If you can, have a headset with a microphone to filter out any ambient noise.

Show lot’s of enthusiasm

You should show excitement about the opportunity during a job interview. But for virtual interviews, it’s better if you ramp up the eagerness.

“Show the enthusiasm in you. You want to leave a good memory for your great excitement,” said Siegel. “In dating and job interviews, 50% of the attraction comes by someone showing their interest in you first.”

Begin the interview by saying some refreshing words like, I am super excited to be having this interview because (complete with a specific statement), Siegel recommended. Simply, it can be: I love the product a lot, I read about the company and I would be fascinated to know more about XYZ.

Since with virtual interviews, it can be difficult to pick up on social cues, let things like smiles and head nodes work for you, portraying the interests.

Maintain eye contact

It’s important to let the interviewers know that you are paying attention, so Baskin suggests looking into the camera when responding.

“This gives the interviewers a good perception of eye contact.”

He liked the idea of minimizing the window and have it near the camera. “This way the eye contact will appear naturally, and you’ll react to the recruiters’ body language the right way.

Ensure to position the camera at eye level. “Avoid having it appear as if you are looking up or down at the interviewer who’s on the other end,” Says Baskin

Putting down a few notes on paper can also show you are paying attention, adds Siegel. “Writing down what someone says, especially when they answer a question will make you memorable.”

Be ready for unexpected cameos

For sure, you want to have a distraction-free zone in the interview. But the unexpected happens: Your cat comes and jumps to you or your son sneaks in happily assuming it’s his aunt and wants a moment with her. Let the moment be advantageous for you.

“Smile and laugh instead of getting frustrated,” Siegel said. Everyone is facing challenges with their work from home struggles, and your reaction speaks a lot for you.

“Video interviews show the true you while working under stress, so it’s the chance to show rather than tell,” he stated.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you are looking for a job position in Japan.

Interview Tips