Congratulations! You have spotted a job interview, and it is VIRTUAL, and now what?

According to Harvard Business Review, nearly 75 percent of executives surveyed by organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry use real-time video for interviewing leading candidates, while 50 percent leverage it to narrow down their applicants. The process allows employers to narrow down their talent pool before having them participate in an in-person interview.  

Interviews are scary, to begin with, but virtual interviews can be even more daunting. Here are some steps you can take today to ACE your virtual interview:

Virtual Technology (Is Grandma's Laptop working) 😉

• Ensure you have a working laptop, computer, or a place where you can use a computer to take your virtual meeting. (Note some public computer will not allow you to download external software) ***
• The moment your virtual interview is scheduled, find out what meeting tool they will use for the meeting (Google Hangout, Zoom, WebEx, CISCO, Skype, etc.) and immediately open a free account and download it on your computer.
• Check your internet connectivity, confirm that your camera and microphone are working.
• If the picture is grainy or you are experiencing an echo, you might need to buy a mini webcam with a built-in microphone—which is hard to do five minutes before the interview, so do not procrastinate.

Is your background a Mess?

• Set up your interview area, sit right across from a window where natural light is hitting your face.
• If you do not have windows around, take your lamp post and remove the shade and set it right behind your computer.
• Whether you sit on your living room couch or in your home office, tidy up your surroundings. It is hard to convince employers you are detail-oriented and organized when there’s laundry visibly piling up in the corner.
• Eliminate all distractions. Turn off the T.V., silence your cell phone, keep your dog in a different room or floor of the house, and close any nearby windows to muffle neighborhood traffic.

 Here is a video of changing your Zoom Background:

Outfit of the Day!

No matter what time your interview is, here is what you need to do to ACE it:

• Wake up and have a good breakfast
• Take a nice long walk or workout
• Take a shower, do your hair, put makeup on, look like you are ready to IMPRESS the interviewer.
• Put a little concealer on under your eyes (guys and girls) it will brighten up your face.
• Wear interview clothes and keep the patterns simple. Black and white always work and makes you look sharp.

Practice makes Virtual Interview-perfect!

• Research, the company that is looking to hire you, look on here glassdoor.com
• Read over the position description and reach each task that they want you to accomplish as part of your duties for this job.
• Take each responsibility on the job description and write a sentence on how you can achieve it and your past or current experience in handling such tasks.

Now practice until you sound perfect 😊

• You do not want to sound robotic, remain calm, take deep breaths, and just be awesome as usual.
• Practice with a friend and rehearse so that it becomes second nature.
• Sit up straight, smile, and keep the camera at eye level.
• Keep your focus on the camera when talking, not on the image of the hiring manager.

 The day of the interview

• Log on 10 minutes before the interview starting to ensure everything is working, and you do not have to download new software for the zoom meeting.
• Ensure your laptop is fully charged and plugged into the wall for power
• Have a glass of water, a pen, and a notebook close.
• Avoid clicking around while participating in the interview. 
• Print out a copy of your resume, so that you do not forget key talking points.
• Be genuine with the interviewer and share a common interest story, be Yourself

 Post-Interview Tasks

• Within 24 hours of the interview, send a personalized thank you email to everyone you met.
• It provides you the opportunity to resell yourself and express the unique strengths you bring to the role or share any talking points you forgot to address.
• If there was something specific, you bonded over, mention that in the email, so you stay top of mind. Or if an interviewer brought up a business challenge, use the follow-up to propose potential solutions.
• Keep the email concise; you want your note to leave a lasting impression, not immediately end up in the trash.

Final Point! Ultimately, the key to acing a virtual interview is proper preparation. From ensuring your technology is working to researching the meeting, sitting down at your computer poised and ready for all questions will help set you apart from other applicants.