How to approach online interviews and be successful

Online interviews aren’t as popular as they were during covid times but they do still exist. Some employers will offer an online interview to see what your like as person before inviting you in to the office. It’s so important to make the first impression count to move along in the progress!

To begin with

Don’t just think “oh its an online interview I don’t need to bother dressing smartly”. This is not the case. If anything, your being judged more on an online interview as they want to know if you’re going to meet company standards before bringing you in to meet the team and see the office environment.

First steps would be to ensure your dressing smartly and your hair is done. Plan your outfit and we mean a whole outfit not just the top half! This will not only make you feel professional it will also set your mindset to interview mode. Helping you make the right impressions from the start. If you need advice on what to wear check out this blog of ours.

Find a quiet space

Finding a quiet and clean location to conduct the interview is a must. They don’t want to see your unmade bed, dirty socks or cluttered shelfs in the background. They especially don’t need to see your dog in the background or your cats bum rubbing against the camera mid interview.

Having a quiet space with no distractions can help you stay focused and become more engaging with the interviewer, also gives the impression of professional and dedicated.

Test your tech

Technology can be unpredictable so ensure you have tested it. Check your device is charged, there is nothing worse than a low battery distracting you and you franticly trying to wrap up an interview or searching for a charger. Confirm your microphone is working, your speakers are at a great hearing level and that your camera is clear. You can make a test call to check all of these or go in to the settings.

Body language is important

Play attention to your body language. Some online interviews can appear to be informal chats so you can become more relaxed. Interviewers use this technic to see if you give too much away by chatting and over share. They will see if you’re slouching on the sofa or sitting confidently. They will notice things like if you cross your arms during questioning, start to fidget. These are all signs of nerves, protecting yourself and being defensive.

Try to sit at a desk if you can, sit up and be confident. Keep your arms on the desk fairly relaxed. Try not to talk with your hands to much as this can be distracting in itself for the interviewer. Just take a moment to breathe don’t just jump in and be eager with the risk of spoiling it.

Confidence and preparation are key.

Preparation

Ensure you prepare for your interview. Research in to the company, read their website and check out their company LinkedIn. Check out your interviewer on LinkedIn as this will show them that you’re looking. This is a great move as it makes them more intrigued about you and they can see your doing some research.

They will check out your LinkedIn so make sure its up to date! Check out this blog for help. The more research you do with prep the better you will come across. With all of our candidates we send for interviews we have a prep call the day before. This is so we can give you all the tools and knowledge we have to ensure you get the best experience with the hope of being successful.

Notes

Don’t just sit and read notes off a note pad. When the interview asks you a question, they expect an answer not you sitting there looking through your notes to find it. They want to see that your invested in their company and have taken the time to learn about them.

They want to see the passion and determination for the company to see if you have the fire in your belly to join their team. You can put key notes around your screen on post it notes so you have a reminder but nothing to lengthy. This way you will still look like your engaged in the conversation and your giving answers. It can also help you keep yourself on topic and not wonder.

Follow up

We will always ask our candidates to let us know how they felt it went. We will take notes and refer these back to the client to find out what they thought about you. How you handled the interview, how prepared you were and to hopefully secure you a face to face interview.

If you haven’t used an agency its always worth following up a few days after the interview to see if they have any feedback for you so you know where you stand with applying for other roles.

Remember

You secured this online interview so now its now your chance to impress. Don’t let the small things stress you out try speaking to friends and family about the role and the company, they may know someone who already works for them or know about the type of role and can help you understand what to expect.

Remain calm and collected throughout the interview so you can concentrate on your questions and answers. Most of all enjoy the experience, you’re meeting someone new and branching out into a new work world. It can be exciting.

If you would like any help or support with finding a Graduate role, then please do contact us and check out our LinkedIn for up to date job posts.