Job interviews never seem to get any easier. You’re meeting new people, and you only have a short amount of time to sell yourself, and convince your interviewers that you’re the right choice. It’s easy to feel under pressure, especially when you’re conducting the interview remotely. Remote interviews are now playing a crucial part in today's job market and they provide extra challenges for even the most seasoned interviewee. But there are some things you can do to prepare, and make sure that you make the most of a remote interview.

Learn The Technology

Over lockdown we’ve all become Zoom professionals, but there are alternative video calling platforms that your potential employers may prefer. If you find yourself unfamiliar with the technology you’ve been asked to interview from, then make sure you download it, create an account and familiarise yourself with it ahead of time. If you’re wrangling with settings ten minutes before an interview it’s easy to become flustered and that will show during your interview. 

Prepare Your Space

A remote interview adds an extra element in that you are responsible for more than just dressing appropriately. Make sure that you’re well lit, and that for the duration of the interview there will be no distractions, such as pets or children coming into the room. You should also try to turn off or mute any notifications on your device. Sound quality is another thing to watch out for – some of the built in microphones on computers aren’t especially good, and the last thing you want is to be asked to repeat yourself in an interview. If necessary, practice the call with a friend beforehand to make sure that you look and sound as professional as possible. It’ll have the added benefit of building your confidence. 

There Is A Benefit To Remote Interviews

And that is the ability to have aids around you. Interviewers will only be able to see a small amount, so you can keep some notes or your CV handy, out of view of the camera. However, this is still an interview, not an opportunity for you to read aloud, so make sure that you’re only consulting your notes if you need to, otherwise you might come across as robotic. As you won’t really be able to tell each other’s body language, it’s more important than ever to actively listen throughout the interview, and engage with your interviewer. You can’t do that if you’re looking at notes all the time, so only use them as a last resort. 

Be Prepared For Problems

Technology will go wrong sometimes. The more important the moment, the more likely you’ll react poorly when it does go wrong, and there’s not many things more important than a job interview. But the important thing is to make a plan ahead of time. Have the contact details of your potential employer close to hand, so that you can let them know if there is a problem and make alternative arrangements. Matters outside of your control are easily forgotten, so long as you react to them in the right way. 

These tips are just some of the things you have to keep in mind when making the most of a remote interview. With them you’ll land your perfect job in no time at all. But the first step is to register your CV with Employin5.