“Should I do my interview while Driving?” The Pros and Cons of Car Calls

The landscape of the workforce has changed immensely since COVID with blurry backgrounds and the surprise appearance of pets and children onscreen taking the place of stuffy boardrooms and cubicles.?

For better or for worse, this is the new look of meetings for many of us. But what about interviews? There has definitely been a massive shift to video interviews over the phone and face to face standards of the past, but how much does the location you’re in impact the result?

One issue that has come up a lot recently for myself and my colleagues is the car interview. Here are some pros and cons as well as a bit of advice that might help land an interview on the go.?

Pros

Speed: The market is moving lightning quick so sometimes a last minute interview is scheduled and that might coincide with a commute.?

Accommodation: Say the employer is short on availability, the candidate may want to accommodate a time that puts them behind the wheel.?

Confidentiality: For those still going in to the office some or all of the time, this might be the best way to interview without your employer finding out.?

Convenience: This might be the easiest way to squeeze in interviews if you have a busy schedule/lifestyle.?

Cons

Less eye contact: Clearly you’ve got to keep your eyes on the road. No one is saying otherwise. BUT, eye contact is an essential ingredient in establishing rapport so it’s risky.

Disconnected body language: Aside from your eyes, your hands/arms will move in tandem with the road and not the interview. Body language is another big factor in landing an interview hence risk number 2.?

Bad Reception: while in motion you also risk bad reception so you might not see/hear or be seen/heard properly.

Distractions: Sure maybe your commute might appear boring and predictable, but you never know when something random could happen out there. Loud noises, bad drivers, a stalled car… lots of potential for interruption.

Conclusion

Video interviews while driving seem to be increasing and are (almost) at the point of being acceptable. Especially when time is short and speed is a factor. But the risk of your interview being impacted negatively is extremely high.?

Advice

If you think you are likely to do a driving interview in your job search, do a test run. Record yourself answering some test questions or on a call and play it back. How do you think you look?

Better still, if you are working with a recruiter like myself (and if you’re not, seriously what are you waiting for????), do a test run and have your recruiter record the video call so you can both play it back and see how it lands.?

If it’s just not working for you, at least then your recruiter can “pump the breaks” {see what I did there} and push for an interview time where you can be still and focused. Also, just spitballing here, maybe get in the car and interview in a parking lot before you start the engine.?

Want to do a test run today? Give us a call. :)