How should you prepare?

Before commencing a video interview, familiarise yourself with the relevant platform, including reviewing any instructional videos and other guidance if necessary. Connect early in case you experience any technical difficulties and make sure you check that the camera is on and you’re not on mute. 

Dress as you would for a “normal” interview, and not just your top half! In a “live” interview, you never know for sure whether you’ll need to get up for some reason, perhaps to go and grab something in support of one of your answers, or to get a glass of water. Make sure you are in a quiet, private, well-lit room and that your background is respectable and clutter free. A chaotic background might suggest that you are a little chaotic. 

Where possible, shut out pets and make sure everyone else in the house is aware that you are interviewing so that they don’t disturb you. It can really disrupt your flow of thought and also come across as unprofessional. Saying that, I have had various people (including my son) barge into the room during client calls and live webinars, so I fully appreciate that this isn’t always possible, and firms will likely be understanding in these circumstances. However, you have nothing to lose by doing what you can to mitigate the risk of disruption.

Try to ensure that you have a strong internet connection by sitting as close to the router as possible and ensuring that that you (and any cohabitants) aren’t streaming music or videos at the same time. Also make sure your browsers, email clients and messaging apps are closed, otherwise you might be distracted by notifications, and make sure that your phone is off (not only on silent), just in case your phone is connected to your laptop and a phone call rings through your laptop speakers. Finally, if there’s even the slightest chance you will need to screen share, make sure your desktop is clear, your background photo is appropriate, and no other documents or programmes are open.

I once left my browser open and my phone on whilst delivering a live webinar. During the webinar, I received 100+ LinkedIn notifications from attendees (which was highly distracting) and then had a call from my mother ring through my laptop speakers. Not ideal! 

Consider using headphones (if they have an in-built microphone), as these might offer a better quality of sound, whilst also helping to block out any potentially distracting external noise. Try to avoid typing, as this might give the interviewer the impression that you are Googling answers. If you want to take notes, use a good old fashioned pen and paper. 

Top tip: the webcam lens is your equivalent of eye contact. Focus on this as much as possible, as this will help you to build a connection with – and therefore engage – your listener. It’s easy to get distracted by the videos of yourself and your interviewer on the screen, so make a conscious effort not to.