Get set for your virtual interview: Nicholas Francis takes you through the steps for acing an e-interview

Gone are the days when top professionals around the world whom companies sought had to do a virtual interview on Skype. This was done so as to not miss out on vital opportunities to get the best talent at whatever cost. It was also done to save time, cost and give the prospect the luxury of meeting without having to strain themselves.

After COVID, virtual interviews have emerged as a key window that employers are giving prospective candidates. This is now a standard mechanism to select entry and mid-level employees in most sectors.
How does this shape up in the scheme of things for young and fresh graduates? This is the precise reason that I am taking up this aspect through this column — to sensitise the youth on basic elements that are necessary to be taken seriously for their career development.

• Job interviews are always nerve-racking, to say the least, whether it is physical or virtual. Project the best version of yourself in a calm and comfortable manner. For this, you need to keep the virtual interview in mind and prepare in advance.

• A fundamental issue with a virtual interview is that you lack personal connectivity with those on the interview panel — you need to be expressive and enthusiastic to convey your positivity. Their window of seeing you in action depends on how you showcase yourself on screen, which is within a frame.

 
• Familiarise yourself with the video conferencing software that are mostly used by companies. 

• Stay connected visually with the interview team that you are facing. This is critical because lack of eye contact will not impress the recruiters. You need to look straight into the camera, in a professional sitting posture with very few distractions in the camera frame in front of you and behind you.

• Keep yourself organised by having all the papers and documents in digital format and most importantly a printout, so that you can take cues from it without ruffling papers. Do not resort to searching for answers online or checking your mobile while you are being asked a question, it amounts to unprofessional online etiquette.