NCEP: Zoom interview

[redheadbaker]

I applied for a job and today was invited to schedule a Zoom interview. I should wear what I'd wear if I were going to interview in-person, yes? 

[rubytue]

Yes 

congrats! And good luck. You’ll do awesome!

[redheadbaker]

Aug 27, 2020 19:12:06 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Yes 

congrats! And good luck. You’ll do awesome!

Thanks!

[just]

At least from the waist up!

We just hired a Director level position completely via Zoom so let me know if you want to know what not to do - because I've seen it all.

Good luck

[goldengirlz]

Yes! Unless they tell you otherwise. My H is hiring now and specifically told candidates they didn’t need to wear a suit. But he admitted to me that he’s still looking for business casual.

There’s no harm in throwing on a blazer if that’s industry standard.

And good luck 😀

[mysteriouswife]

I’m having a zoom interview tomorrow. I have decided on a black blouse, blazer and focus on hair and makeup. Don’t know if it’s right or not. This is a weird time to be interviewing! I’m just thankful someone is finally interested in me!

[mysteriouswife]

Aug 27, 2020 19:30:11 GMT -5 just said:

At least from the waist up!

We just hired a Director level position completely via Zoom so let me know if you want to know what not to do - because I've seen it all.

Good luck

Please give all the advice! I think several of us will be grateful to hear it. 😊

[AAM2012]

Yes wear the part and it’ll make you feel more confident.

I’d recommend a neutral color background, brownie points if it matches the company brand colors.

Also make sure you look up to where your camera is vs the screen where you see the other person(s). Don’t sit in a swivel chair as you might move around (learned from experience..).


And don’t forget to smile!


Good luck!!!!

[jaybird]

I've been doing telepracticeand teaching online for the past few months and here's what I've noticed makes a difference:

Make sure your lighting is good (I bought a $5 ring light at target and it makes a huge difference). Warm light esp helps. Be careful of sitting in front of windows because your face may be in a shadow then.

Make sure your setting/background is clean and neutral. Don't show your bed. I actually really like the Twitter account ratemyskyperoom for ideas.

Practice looking directly into camera as you speak. Don't look around, ignore yourself and who you're speaking to.

Zoom has a feature to touch up your appearance that actually makes a difference.

When I teach classes, I get fully dressed including professional shoes. It puts me more in the zone. Also, I like to get fully dressed in case I need something off camera. And one of my students had a zoom interview and they asked her to stand up (which feels like some sort of HR violation, but she was appropriately dressed).

Good luck!

[HRH Queen Dick I, Orphan]

Don't take the laptop into the bathroom.

[mskitkat]

Make sure your computer doesn’t go to sleep in the middle of giving a long, complicated answer!
Test out the frame first and make sure there is nothing the camera sees you don’t want to have visible.

[just]

Aug 27, 2020 19:58:02 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Aug 27, 2020 19:30:11 GMT -5 just said:

At least from the waist up!

We just hired a Director level position completely via Zoom so let me know if you want to know what not to do - because I've seen it all.

Good luck

Please give all the advice! I think several of us will be grateful to hear it. 😊

None of this is especially ground breaking, it's all common sense- but a surprising number of people still don't do it.

- Dress appropriately: we didn't side anyone without a jacket, but we had one guy in a tshirt - and not even a polo
- Watch your background: we were sensitive to less than ideal situations, but one guy was in an office, but it was a mess (like disposable coffee cups, a mcdonalds bag ... like a real mess)
- Sit up: I have terrible posture - I'm not even talking about that - just don't slouch. We had a guy got to 4 of 4 rounds and in the session with direct reports was so low and slouchy in his chair it was like a joke
- Look at the camera, not yourself : this isn't common sense and takes some getting used to, but makes a huge different.
- Prep your technology: Laptop plugged in, in a spot with the best WiFi (or even better connected), everything else closed down
- Backup technology We're in IT and we have a really high tolerance for IT issues. If something happens, don't panic. Take a breath, if it'll take you more than 2 minutes to get back in, send an email. If you have a phone number for the group, call them to let them know. If you can - and I know not everyone is privileged enough - have a secondary device on standby. If I do an important Zoom meeting, I have my iPad charged and close by just in case.
- Watch for cues: In this search (fully online) vs previous searches (3rd and 4th  round in person) I noticed that people had a harder time reading cues than in person - which makes total sense. But the cues were there that we thought they were going on too long - increase fidgeting, looking away from camera, etc. 

[mysteriouswife]

Best of luck OP!

[redheadbaker]

Aug 27, 2020 20:27:22 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

Best of luck OP!

You, too!

[MrsAxilla]

Aug 27, 2020 19:56:52 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

I’m having a zoom interview tomorrow. I have decided on a black blouse, blazer and focus on hair and makeup. Don’t know if it’s right or not. This is a weird time to be interviewing! I’m just thankful someone is finally interested in me!

Do you have a brightly colored solid blouse instead?  Black will wash you out something awful

[MrsAxilla]

What to Wear on Zoom

(that’s my SIL’s blog, but she’s a professional)

[mysteriouswife]

Aug 27, 2020 20:50:12 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Aug 27, 2020 19:56:52 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

I’m having a zoom interview tomorrow. I have decided on a black blouse, blazer and focus on hair and makeup. Don’t know if it’s right or not. This is a weird time to be interviewing! I’m just thankful someone is finally interested in me!

Do you have a brightly colored solid blouse instead?  Black will wash you out something awful

I do! Thank you for the tip. I will swap

[konapoppy]

I just had a million interviews and got an offer today (yay!). Agree with all of the advice here. Don’t wear a jacket if where you are located is hot. Sweating is worse.

If you wear glasses but don’t need them, consider interviewing without them. I find the reflection in the glasses to be distracting.

Agree with looking at the camera. It makes it harder to see how people are responding to what you are saying, but a huge difference in engagement.

Good luck!!

[jaybird]

Also, I recorded myself speaking to camera so I got an idea of lighting, spacing from camera, framing etc. Being able to watch it back was helpful

[ellipses84]

I’d normally wear a suit to an interview, but not everyone in my industry does, especially in the casual city I’m in. I had a couple zoom interviews and took it down a notch for me - I wore either a nice work blouse or a Shell with cardigan, that looked nice on camera. I also wasn’t that used to zoom at the time so I had my BFF set up a practice session for me (and later figured out I could practice on my phone with the computer and the zoom app on my phone). I had tech issues for one that made me panic, but luckily I’d gotten up early to set it up and had a back up device. I’ve interviewed people via video conference and have always been pretty forgiving for tech issues.

[WOT?*]

Don't forget to take your shower before your interview, not during.

Best of luck to you both redheadbaker and mysteriouswife

[mrsukyankee]

I hope the very best for you!!!

[ohgillian]

Aug 27, 2020 19:56:52 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

I’m having a zoom interview tomorrow. I have decided on a black blouse, blazer and focus on hair and makeup. Don’t know if it’s right or not. This is a weird time to be interviewing! I’m just thankful someone is finally interested in me!

Good luck today!