Videos interviews for expats are becoming more popular with international recruiters who need to save time and money whittling down a list of job candidates.
Instead of arranging expensive interviews in different locations, or paying for expats to visit a foreign location, video technology can quickly and easily put both sides in touch.
If you have never sat in a video interview, here are 10 tips for acing that few minutes in front of the camera.
- One or two or more way interviews – Video interviews can have several people looking in at the same time. Make sure you know when you are on.
- List your answers – Write out a list of questions you expect before the interview and script the answers. A good idea is taping the list just above your laptop or web cam so you only have to slightly shift your gaze to see the prompt.
- Rehearse your answers – Read your script through out loud and edit the responses to make sure they sound okay. Get someone to listen and make suggestions
- Eye to eye contact – Look at the camera as much as you can without staring down the lens. Maintain eye contact helps show you are paying attention and want to be part of the conversation
- Dress to impress – Treat a video interview as any other, so where the same clothes as you would for a face-to-face chat.
- Background information – Try and find somewhere with a neutral background that’s well-lit without shadows or silhouettes for the interview. Ask other people in the house to pop out for an hour while you are online and pass the kids off to a babysitter to avoid unwelcome emergencies and interruptions.
- Cut the jargon – By all means express that you are industry-savvy, but do not talk in too much jargon. Plain English is always best.
- Enjoy yourself – Act relaxed and you have plenty to smile about, after all your CV has won the interview and you can give yourself a pat on the back for that and hopefully deal with this stage and move on towards the short list for that dream job.
- Don’t panic about mistakes – If you make an error, go back, point it out and correct the information
- Ask some questions – Have a couple of questions up your sleeve like how long the selection process is likely to take, what would be a suitable start date and what you want as a salary and remuneration package
Video interviews are no big deal – they are merely the same as any other interview but harness technology.
