Handling yourself during a face-to-face job interview can be nerve-racking. Would you feel the same online, or more convenient doing it inside your own room, right in front of your laptop?
The truth is, job interview, be it face-to-face or online, creates a feeling of anxiety and stress on the part of the interviewee. In the new normal, most interviews are conducted online, so better have a list of reminders to make the environment-friendly, pleasant, and conducive, while feeling less frightening and less daunting.
Here are some reminders about engaging in a job interview online.
- Set-up your place at least 30 minutes before the interview time. Remember to declutter your room, especially with those unnecessary things hanging on the wall as these may call the attention of the interviewer. Consider the frame of your laptop monitor as viewed by the interviewer.
- Avoid or minimize unnecessary noise distracting your interviewer, such as murmuring family members, barking dogs, or running engines. Any unnecessary noise that may intervene during the interview process may call attention to the interviewer, instead of what you are saying.
- Properly lighted your room. Check the right angle of the camera of your laptop that captures your best angle with proper lighting. Practice the right facial projection with that angle to feel more comfortable during the interview.
- Ensure proper ventilation to avoid uneasiness during the interview. If you’re using an AC, make sure that the temperature is perfect for your body homeostasis. If you’re using an electric fan, however, do not direct it toward your face as it may blow your hair away during the interview.
- Find a comfortable seat for the interview. Seat properly and comfortably before the interview started. Check the ergonomics of your chair and table to avoid back pain or uneasy movement during the interview.
- Research something about the company. Do your research. It feels good to know something about the company where you are applying. Know their vision, their product or service, their culture, and show how you will fit into their culture and what value you can create for the company based on your competencies.
- Project a happy and vibrant personality during the interview. Greet the interviewee with a smile and express your excitement for the interview. Apart from that, be keen with the words and actions of the interviewer as these are cues you can consider when answering questions during the interview.
- Take note of some important things during the interview. While the interviewer is asking questions or speaking, you make take note of important details so you will be able to answer each question on point without digression directly.
- List down all your questions, as well. Don’t constrain yourself from asking questions. How you engage with your interviewer is important. Carefully crafted questions, especially those that concern you and the possible work should be asked during the interview. Just be sure to sound tactful and unassuming.
- Turn off your social media applications and notifications. As much as possible, turn off all your social media accounts and even your phone during the interview to avoid any potential distraction that will divide your focus and attention. The interviewer can smell your sincerity during the interview, even those unnecessary gestures that make you feel uncomfortable or those things that disrupt your attention.
- End the interview with a positive vibes. As the interview nearing its end, don’t lose your enthusiasm exuded in the early part of the interview. Be compose, energetic, positive, and reserved. End the interview by expressing your gratitude for the opportunity to be interviewed. More so, express your appreciation over the interviewer’s gesture of kindness.
- Send a note of thanks after the interview. Send a message of thanks to the interviewer and express how well the interview went, what you’ve learned from the interview, and how excited you are to be a part of their promising organization.
Indeed, any form of job interview, be it face-to-face or online can be a daunting and nerve-racking experience, so to speak.
To be able to overcome these feelings, however, requires setting the interview environment in a positive and more conducive way. A good environment can influence the interview process. Better be prepared. This is the new normal, embrace it.
READ also: Simple Ways to Live in the New Normal
