Tips for Interviews and Video Meetings
- Start setting up and testing as soon as your meeting is scheduled so you’ll be relaxed and confident when the meeting/interview begins.
- Make sure the light is in front of you, as if it’s behind you, you’ll be in shadow and risk looking like someone in the witness protection program. :)
- If the call will be during the day, make the effort to rearrange the room so your desk or table faces the window, as long as the background from this angle will be appealing. If you absolutely can’t face the window, close the curtains/blinds and make twice the effort with the other tips below.
- Turn off all table, floor and overhead lights that are behind you.
- If your call is at night or you’re not facing the window, move one or more floor or table lights so that they are directly in front of you.
- Make sure the background behind you is attractive and flattering – a wall with paintings or a neat bookshelf works well. While you want the background to not be distracting, a plain white wall isn’t flattering for most people, and can make it look like you’re in a hostage video. :)
- Make sure the camera is at eye level or higher.
- If you’ll be using a laptop, place it on a 12-24 inch stack of books so the camera at the top of the screen is at eye level.
- If you’ll be using a desktop computer with a webcam camera perched on top of the monitor, check that the camera isn’t way above eye level. If it is, try lowering the monitor, putting it on lower table, or raising your chair or finding a taller one.
- Generally it’s best to avoid using your cell phone for a video interview, but if you have no alternative, build a stand if you don’t have a tripod – don’t plan on holding it the whole time. Begin by building a deep platform of large books 16-24″ high. Then prop up your phone so that it is completely vertical and the camera is at eye level.
- Always do a test call/meeting using the platform you’ll be using later (Zoom, Teams, WebEx, Google Meet, Facetime, or Skype.
