Get a Job

Get a Job … or  Skype interviews for beginners

You have a job interview coming up and your potential employer suggests that you meet by Skype or another online video transmission service. This is great – Skype is free, you can do this from home, you’re sure to nail the interview.

Interviewee

Some things to remember before hitting “connect:”

-       you should be on a wired connection, if at all possible (video and audio can be slower to transmit over wireless connections).
-       if you’re on a Mac, you’re all set with your built-in camera; if you’re on a PC, do you have a camera attached?
-       Test your connection – practice with a friend. Check your camera, microphone, and Skype settings.
-       Know your Skype username and send it to the interviewers a day or two ahead of time.
-       What will the interviewers see?

• Don’t sit with your back to a window – even on a cloudy day, the light from the window will make you nothing but a dark silhouette to your interlocutors.
• Check the wall behind your head – your interviewers will see your Captain Morgan flag, the wine glass on the bookshelf, etc. Similarly, don’t give them only an ugly cinderblock wall to view.
• Wear a suit or other appropriate clothing for the interview and don’t be tempted to wear just the jacket and shirt paired with pajama bottoms, because there will be a moment when the interview is over when you’ll get up to turn off the camera and they’ll see all of you. Besides, it is just good manners.

Interviewer

A few things to check over:

-       you should be on a wired connection, if at all possible (video and audio can be slower to transmit over wireless connections)
-       if you’re on a Mac, you’re all set with your built-in camera; if you’re on a PC, do you have a camera attached?
-       Test your connection.
-       Do you know your Skype username and password?
-       You’ll need to request a connection with each of your interviewees, so request their Skype username a day or two prior to the interview so that you can get the connection request out of the way ahead of time.
-       If you have more than one person on the interview team, think about how you’ll interact with each other in front of the camera. If you are using one camera, you’ll need to sit near enough to each other that the camera can get you all in the picture.

This list is not exhaustive – what other tips and tricks can you share with interviewers and interviewees?