Our world is in an incredibly unique situation with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no exception in the working world.

As we continue to make conscious efforts to practice social distancing, job interviews are drastically changing. Zoom job interviews have been incredibly popular since the start of the coronavirus quarantine. Carter Recruiting and Associates has had the opportunity to test out Zoom when speaking with our clients, and we’ve done a ton of research on how a quality job interview on Zoom tends to flow. So we’ve decided to put together 10 helpful tips that’ll help you ace your Zoom interview with your prospective job.

WHAT IS ZOOM?

Zoom is a video conferencing software that lets you easily connect in a remote place with one or more people. It’s quite similar to Skype, but is typically used for more professional settings, as Skype is a more conversational platform in comparison.

You need to treat your Zoom interview like any other job interview, and you also need to download the app well ahead of time and familiarize yourself with the technology and how the system works, so that you’re fully comfortable and prepared to solely focus on the interview when it comes time.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR DURING MY ZOOM INTERVIEW?

You need to wear clothing similar to what you would wearing during a normal job interview. Keep it professional and modest. You should also avoid wearing bright-colored clothing, large earrings, etc.

It’s best to avoid anything that will easily distract the interviewer.

10 TIPS TO NAIL YOUR ZOOM JOB INTERVIEW

1) Get familiar with the technology. We briefly mentioned this earlier, but it’s incredibly important to familiarize yourself with how the platform works, so that you’re not concerned about it while the interview is happening. Take 20 minutes out of your day to play around with Zoom and figure out where all of the controls are and how you join a Zoom meeting.

2) Make your space distraction-free. Find a room or space of your home that’s quiet and will help you and the interviewer focus. There shouldn’t be children running in the background, or any TVs and music on.

3) Be on time, but not early. This may sound like a weird tip, but it’s important. A lot of these employers are interviewing tons of candidates from the same Zoom meeting room, so if you’re too early and you join the meeting room while another candidate is still in the middle of their interview, it could be seen as distracting or even disrespectful.

4) Set up a professional, non-distracting background. To elaborate further from tip #2, make your background look professional if you can help it. Take your computer into your home office if you have one. If you don’t have access to a home office, at least choose a background that doesn’t have a ton of things or anything moving behind you.

5) Ask questions. Write some questions down for the interviewer well before you log onto Zoom. Employers love curiosity, and they love a candidate that seems genuinely interested in the position. If you have several thoughtful questions about the job, you’ve got another leg up on the competition. Typically, these interviewers are doing a ton of interviews a day via Zoom, so this’ll be a great way to make yourself stand out.

6) Speak slow and clearly. You have to remember that you are physically not in the room with the interviewer. They could have a small lag in their Internet connection and may miss a word or two. Practice speaking slowly and clearly before you log onto Zoom.

7) Appear confident. Confidence is key when it comes to any style of interview, but especially in a Zoom interview. Since your interviewer is not actually in the same room as you, it’s more important to accentuate your confidence. Work extra hard on your body posture and speaking clearly. Get in front of your mirror and practice a professional smile.

8) Practice on your webcam. Sit in front of your webcam and watch yourself to see how you’ll look to the interviewer. Record it and play it back to see how loud and clear you’re speaking.

9) Don’t be shy to ask for clarification. With any Zoom interview, Internet connections are a bit different from you and the interviewer. There might be a slight connection issue somewhere along the line and you may miss something that the interviewer says. Ask them to clarify what they said if you missed something. Missing questions or information in a Zoom meeting is very common and your employer is used to it, so it won’t bother them at all.

10) Wear headphones. Technology is amazing, but it’s not perfect. As previously stated, there could be several instances of lag at any time in the interview, and points where it may be harder to hear. A good pair of headphones will help alleviate a lot of that, and will make the interviewer run a lot smoother.

Carter Recruiting loves providing helpful interview tips and getting our readers ready to speak to employers. Click here if you’d like to read some more helpful insight for preparing yourself for an interview.

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Carter Recruiting and Associates is one of the largest independent recruiting and outplacement companies in Arkansas. Our headquarters, located in Little Rock and our satellite office in Conway, both service accounts nationwide. We have satisfied clients and references from some of the largest companies in the state. With over 50 collective years of experience in the recruiting business, we have a vast amount of resources and knowledge to ensure a job well done.