It saves time of the prospective employer and the candidate. You will be asked to be present at a video conferencing facility in your locality at a pre-fixed time. This will be a room with facilities to make interviewer – candidate interaction possible with modern amenities like computer screens, video cameras, voice boxes, all linked via the internet. So the interviewer and candidate will be physically present at their own locations, but will be able to interact in a virtual audio-visual facility. Though they are not so abundant now, soon will be a facility at all major locations.

How to Dress

Wear neutral, solid colours. Solid shades of black, blue or gray are usually best. These colours bring out healthy skin tones and do not create a visual distraction.

Try not to dress in colours that match your skin and hair tones. These will tend to wash out your natural colouration. Avoid plaids, stripes and overly busy patterns/prints. Participant may watch your clothing “move” rather than listen to what you are saying. Remember that glittery jewellery will also catch the light and be distracting to the interviewers.

Pre Interview

Arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time to relax. You will have the opportunity to sit in the video conference room and become familiar with your surroundings before the interview begins.

A staff member will explain the process to you and will adjust the camera and volume if necessary. You will see a monitor at the end of the room. The monitor displays the interviewers, whilst the picture in picture, normally found to the bottom left of the screen will show you – what the interviewers will see. You will be given the option to have the picture in picture facility turned off if you do not wish to see yourself during the interview.

Don’t be nervous about the technology. A member of the technical team will be monitoring the connection during the entire interview period. Should a technical glitch occur, someone will be there to take action.

During the setup period the volume will be muted. Once the interview is set to begin, a staff member will turn off the mute feature before leaving the room.

At the beginning of the interview make sure you introduce yourself to the interviewer. A common example is “Hi, I’m Jason Smith, nice to meet you”.

Sounds and movements

Noises that you may not notice in a personal interview can become distracting in a video conference. Avoid tapping on a desk, coughing or shuffling papers. Modern high quality microphones are designed to pick up even the softest voice and so any disturbance can be heard.

Be natural! Try not to move around too much. You could move out of view from the camera, and in addition the video may seem “jumpy” if you are constantly moving. You will come across as far more confident and relaxed if you remain fairly still rather than nervously shifting in your seat.

Speaking and eye contact

Look directly at the monitor as often as possible when speaking. Be yourself! Speak naturally and think of the participant at the other site as being across the table from you. Smile! One of the greatest advantages of video conferencing is the ability to communicate face-to face. Speak slowly and clearly to avoid audio distortion at the remote site.

Managing motion and sound delay

You will notice that there is a delay when using video. Be aware of the transmission delay and pause for others to comment. Do your best to be patient. Wait until the interviewer finishes speaking before you begin to speak.

End of interview

At the end of the interview, thank the employer for the interview. Hit the mute button and leave the room.

All the best. Send a mail to me if you are able to make use of this information…