by Nicole Usiondek, Head Editor, INALJ Michigan

Preparing for a Video Interview

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently participated in a job interview conducted with Skype. I am going to share with you the steps I took to ensure that the interview was successful and not wrought with technical difficulties or other potential pitfalls.

The first step is to install Skype on your computer. Once you have installed the software, choose a user name that is professional sounding. In my opinion, any user name you utilize during a job search should sound professional. This includes emails, Skype user names and Twitter handles.

Once you have everything set up ask a friend or family member to chat with you on Skype. I did this several times, because I wanted to make sure that the sound and picture were good. I was very happy that I did this, because the first few times my friend was having a hard time hearing me and I discovered that the microphone on my computer was broken. Had I not done this, my interviewers would not have been able to hear me and the interview would not have gone as well as it did.

The next thing I did was take a look at what the scene behind me looked like, was there a window that was reflecting too much light? Did I have dirty laundry visible? Did I really want pictures of me and my friends to be seen by my potential new employer? I set my laptop up in an area that I felt suited my needs and then set to work on my personal appearance.

I’m not sure men have to worry about this as much as women, but I spent a decent amount of time playing with my hair and make up to make sure that it conveyed the look I wanted on the big screen. I didn’t want to look washed out or overdone, and I didn’t want my hair looking too big or too flat. After a few trial runs, I decided that my hair looked best down (during in person interviews I always wear my hair up). I also decided on a suit with a single color shirt under the jacket, minimal jewelry.

Once I completed the above, I knew I was ready for the interview. As I mentioned last month, the interview went very well and I was offered the position.