What Would Ron Burgundy Do? Six Vital Things To Do When Having A Video Interview

In this modern, global economy it is highly likely that at some point in your career you will be asked to attend an interview, conducted not face to face in the same room, but online through a screen.

I've been conducting a lot of interviews recently online via Zoom & Skype. What a fascinating experience it has been when I considered the interviewees success, or failure, through the lens of Career Karma - in other words what could they have done differently that would have improved their chances of interview success?

So here are 6 Career Karma lessons that will help your chances of success the next time you have to do an online / video interview:

LESSON 1 - Internet connection

Don't have your chances ruined by the video call connection dropping out due to poor internet speed. It will upset your rhythm and it won't endear you to the interviewer.

SOLUTION -

Make sure that you have a monopoly on the house internet for the duration of the interview. If anyone else so much as opens a browser your available bandwidth diminishes and the risk of your interview call dropping out increases.

LESSON 2 - Mic-Up

In my experience most interviewees' will do the video interview from their laptop or tablet, which they will strategically place far enough away so that the camera picks up their whole face. The problem with this however is that your mouth is now a fair distance away from the microphone, which itself isn't the best microphone in the world. The consequences of this are either: A/ your voice is so quiet at the other end that they can't hear you speak that well; OR B/ your voice actually drops in and out periodically so th......o..y....s.me...say....heard.......... Not ideal as every word you utter counts in an interview.

SOLUTION - Quite simple really, wear a microphone - either simple mobile phone headphone / mic or a proper headset that is connected to your laptop/tablet. It really doesn't matter which you use as long as the interviewer at the other end can hear you!

LESSON 3 - Lighting

One of the interviewees this week seemed to be conducting the interview from their study, with the curtains shut so to avoid the bright light outside glaring onto the screen. So far so good. The problem was that the only lighting they now had in the room were two large lamps located behind them. This had the effect of making them appear as though they were appearing in a horror movie with the torch pointing up from under their chin! Not a good look on anyone, alive or undead, and therefore not likely to enhance one's chances of interview success.

SOLUTION -

Always make sure that the lighting is either in front or above, never behind or below you.

LESSON 4 - Stay still!

Interviews can take a while, often an hour or even more. Clearly it is not good for the human body to stay still for that long, especially if, like many of us, you suffer from a bad back. Unfortunately one of the interviewees this week was perhaps a little too mobile - Although to them the action of shifting their backside a little in the seat may have seemed inconsequential, to us on the interview panel watching on a HUGE screen it seemed as though they were some kind of jack-in-the-box. This huge head kept lunching towards us and then lurching away again. It gave the impression that this prospective employee suffered either from Attention Deficit Disorder or that they had ants in their pants.

SOLUTION -

Sit still - or at least as still as humanly possible! Always remember that EVERY movement you make in front of the laptop / tablet camera, is magnified many times over from the viewers perspective - especially if they are conducting the interview in front of a large TV screen!

LESSON 5 - Dress like the Anchorman, Ron Burgundy

I've never heard of someone being dressed too well for an interview. Let's face it, first impressions last. If you turn up to any interview in your 'Sunday Best' you will create a great first impression as you are smart, as well as demonstrating respect for the role, their company and the interviewer. Video interviews should be treated no differently. Don't ever assume that just because you aren't in same room as them, they won't notice that you aren't wearing a tie, or worse that you are just wearing some old t-shirt!

SOLUTION -

Just like with news anchors, what you wear below the waistline in a video interview makes no difference whatsoever and is entirely up to your own preference - hell Ron Burgundy could have been wearing speedos underneath the table when presenting the news....and quite possibly was...and you would never have known - all you would see is that well groomed news anchor.

Likewise all your interviewer will see (hopefully) is just your head and your smartly attired top half. So always dress (your torso) to impress.

and last, but definitely not least........

LESSON 6 - Lock the door!

The prize winner for Video Interview of the Week however is this one - Around 10 minutes into the interview and the candidate was going well. This was an interview for a C-suite level role that would have represented a significant career step up for them. The lighting was good; they were wearing a headset microphone; the internet connection was fine; and they seemed to be sitting in a very tidy and well organised looking study (another good sign) -What could possibly go wrong?

Then, behind them the door to the study inched open...a cherubic five year old face appeared, with a mischievous grin running from ear to ear. And in the little cherub came, settling down just behind where Dad was sitting to start playing with their toys - in clear view of the interview panel! Hats off to Dad, he channeled his inner Ron Burgundy and dead pan kept looking at the camera and answering our questions (what a legend!).

A few minutes later another face appeared - this was the face of a horrified mother, who in front of her was her husband in the middle of the most important interview of his career and right behind him, her little cherub playing, very loudly!

And in a moment of pure pantomime over acting she comedically crept into the room, grabbed the child in a swift motion that put one hand over his mouth and lifted him with the other, reversing as fast as possible out of the room.......

Unfortunately the cherub was having none of this and decided to hold onto the door frame as Mum tried to exit. This went on for what was probably less than a minute, however to the interview panel watching it felt like ten minutes as we desperately tried to suppress our laughter..... and all the while Dad kept looking straight on at the camera, and totally dead pan answering our questions. (WHAT A LEGEND!!!)

Oh to have been a fly on that wall after the Skype interview call was ended and the camera stopped rolling.......

SOLUTION -

Lock the door! Place sentries and land mines outside the door! Pay for everyone else in the house to go to the movies! Do anything you need to, just don't let anyone come into that room when you are being interviewed!

And if all that still doesn't work, then channel your inner Ron Burgundy and keep looking at that camera and keep reading the news.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James is a Partner with Lester Blades Executive Search and he has worked in the recruitment sector for over 25 years. He is also the Author of "Career Karma - Maximising your career potential" the insiders guide on how you can reach your true career potential.

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