Top 5 Do's and Don'ts of Virtual Interviews

A once consultant for Insight Global, Jane has a familiar set of butterflies around a block on her calendar tomorrow - an interview for a job opportunity. These butterflies haven’t appeared in years, but she remembers them all the same. She starts thinking of her usual interview routine and suddenly her confidence wanes. The role for which she’s interviewing is virtual, the company is virtual and her interview is virtual. Jane’s favorite interview shoes, cardstock-printed resume and pre-interview latte from Starbucks are no longer necessary, and her ever-confident handshake and eye contact are suddenly rendered powerless.

This year has brought about challenges and obstacles we couldn’t foresee. Enterprise companies are hiring both full-time and contract positions, but the openings have thinned tremendously. Interviews are happening but hiring managers are picky, especially due to lower budgets for new hires this year. With the contrast of less job openings and the search for more qualified candidates, how can you make the most of your virtual interview? Because our organization is on the front lines of matching qualified candidates with job opportunities, I thought it best to share my top five do’s and don’ts?for?interviewing virtually in 2020, because the game has changed.?

DO:

Practice Virtual Interviews:?Many interviews are 30 minutes. Losing five minutes to audio issues, downloading the WebEx / Zoom / Teams / BlueJeans software update or a distorted video is 2020’s version of a weak initial handshake or showing up late. Ask your recruiter or even a friend to run-through it with you and be sure to ask for feedback.

Make Small Talk:?This one is hard. Small talk comes so naturally on the walk from the lobby to the interview room or in person when breaking the ice, but proves to be much harder on a screen. It’s important to encourage yourself to get out of your comfort zone, to ask personal questions and to let the hiring manager get to know you in the interview. When the hiring manager says, “tell me about yourself,” start with things that don’t necessarily fall on a resume such as family, backgrounds and hobbies. Projecting authenticity and personality is key, especially in a virtual world.?

Have Strong Questions Prepared:?One crucial part of every interview is the questions you ask. It is important that your questions are not surface level and show your interest and excitement with a growth mindset. Here are some examples of questions that show positivity, depth and inquisitiveness:

·????????What do you enjoy most about working here?

·????????What are you most excited about for this team between now and the rest of the year?

·????????What are common traits of successful individuals on your team?

·????????What is the first thing I’d need to learn if I get this job?

Have “Closing Statements”:?In-person interviews leave ample opportunity to sell yourself, but the “five minutes left in your virtual meeting” notification does not. Have your closing statement ready as to why you can do the job, why you think you’re a great candidate and how you would love to work together – if that’s truly what you want.

Clean Up Your LinkedIn / Social Media:?Assume that since the hiring team is hiring you virtually, they’ll research you virtually as well. Make sure your LinkedIn has a strong and recent photo, the jobs match your resume and the recommendations shine. Other social media sites, such as Instagram or Facebook,?should be hiring-manager friendly or strictly private. It’s also a smart idea to research the hiring manager on LinkedIn to find pointed questions you can ask about their experience and identify common interests.

DO NOT:

Talk poorly about virtual interactions.?There is a subtle trap in 2020 to catch you talking about how exhausted the world is of virtual meetings. No hiring manager wants to hear excuses for the next year about why you don’t like video meetings, so embrace the platform and exude confidence in your ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively in a virtual capacity. There’s a good chance you’ll need to far beyond the present.

Abandon professionalism.?Hiring teams assume they will get the best of you in a virtual interview. Leave the Hawaiian shirt in the closet and the funny background for the future. Your hiring manager is envisioning his boss welcoming you to the team and seeing that questionable beach-themed background. Don’t leave them wondering what tricks you may pull out of your hat.

Ask questions better suited for HR.?Some questions, while appropriate in the job search process, are best suited for HR or your recruiter. Avoid questions around basic job description, what the company does, compensation or ability to work remote when interviewing with the hiring manager. Hiring managers often view basic, surface level questions as a lack of preparation. Specifically, questions around flexible work hours or remote opportunities post-COVID can project the wrong message regarding your commitment.

Forget your resume and portfolio (if necessary).?Our theory is that your resume is frequently the outline for any interview conversation and assume that the hiring manager will have it up on a second screen. Have your resume up and if asked, be ready to share your screen to walk through any work or experience relative to the conversation and job.

Forget the “Thank You” email.?Hand-written thank you notes are a nice gesture, but rarely make it via snail-mail before the decision has been made. Send your recruiter a note intended for the hiring manager and ask them to pass it along. Be sure to reference parts of the conversation you thought went particularly well and reiterate your gratitude for their time and consideration.

Insight Global is a multinational staffing and talent solutions company servicing a large number of industries including IT, Accounting / Finance, Engineering, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Administrative, Managed Services, Direct Placement and Executive Search. Insight Global recruiting teams conduct over 2 million initial interviews with candidates, coordinate over 200,000 candidate interviews with enterprise customers and place 70,000 consultants annually.?