Video Interview Guide: Tips for a Successful Virtual Interview

For Beauty Executives in the market for new career opportunities, virtual interviewing is the new normal. Video interviews have some innate challenges, even for seasoned pros, so here’s a list of our top virtual interview tips to ensure you set yourself up for success.

1. Test your tech

The company you’re interviewing with will likely choose the video conference platform, which may be one you’ve never used. To ensure you can navigate the platform comfortably, ask a friend if they’d be willing to do a test with you. Utilizing the platform beforehand will help ease nerves and allow you to focus on presenting the successes of your career, not fussing with mute/video settings. 

Also, make sure your interviewer has your cell number as a backup. We can test all we want, but sometimes tech fails. By quickly pivoting to a phone interview, you will save precious interview time and not miss your opportunity.

2. Make sure you’re in a quiet environment

With many of us working from home, our new “coworkers” can include spouses, children, pets, or roommates. Sometimes these coworkers have trouble understanding how to keep the volume down for an extended period of time.

Take time to consider the place in your home where you are least likely to be interrupted or hear background noise. This can be distracting for both you and the interviewer. You don’t have to be perfect – if there’s a potential for disruption, making your interviewer aware of that possibility at the beginning will help ease any awkwardness and demonstrate your care for professionalism.

3. Be Camera-Wise 

It can be challenging to understand how to best make eye contact and listen attentively over a video interview. A good rule of thumb is to have your computer’s camera at eye level and to move the video window as close to the camera as possible. That way, when you’re looking at the face of the person speaking (as you will do naturally), you’ll appear to be looking into the camera – the video equivalent of making eye contact. 

Finding good lighting can also be a challenge. If it’s an option, natural lighting is always best, but here are a few other ways to help the quality of your lighting and ensure you’re coming across at your best. As mentioned, test your camera beforehand, and pay attention to how you appear. If your face appears dark or in shadow, placing a piece of white paper on the table below your face can help bounce light back at you.

Another way to achieve good lighting is to ensure your light source comes from behind your computer/device, ideally at 10 and 2, if the computer is 12 on a clock. Backlighting can cast unwanted shadows and distort your expressions.

4. Wear your dress shoes/heels

This may sound like an odd tip, but dressing for an interview from head to toe can help you to feel polished. Don’t underestimate the power of your subconscious, particularly when interviewing in an unfamiliar format. If you feel put together, you are more likely to project a sense of confidence to those you’re interviewing with. 

Don’t give into the temptation to pair a button up with sweatpants safely concealed out of sight. Things happen, especially when we’re interviewing from home. There’s no need to have the added stress of not being able to stand up to grab another pen or a supplemental document at a moment’s notice. 

5. Be aware of your background

It’s important that everything in the frame of your video projects professionalism – not just your outfit and lighting. Interviewers will pick up on subtle clues about you based on your space. A clean, well lit, neutral background will convey your level of organization and preparedness.

While this may seem like an opportunity to show your personality with the knickknacks, art, and books you love in the background, refrain from having distractions in view. The less items in frame, the better. This will ensure you are the focus of the interviewer’s attention.

6. Focus on new ways of sharing

Just because the interview is virtual doesn’t mean you can’t share your portfolio, projects, and work samples just as you would face-to-face. Ideally consider sharing your screen (being aware of everything visible on the screen and making sure the appearance of your screen is professional) to go over projects together. As a backup plan, you can email documents you would like to review. If you have product or packaging examples to share, keep them next to you and bring them into frame when the timing is right.

Having links, PDFs, and other touchpoints ready to go demonstrates a level of preparedness that will be appreciated by your interviewer, as will having product samples at the ready. It shows that you have given thought to the format of the interview and are adaptable. 

7. Take notes and listen attentively 

Be prepared to ask questions and take notes as you would in an in-person interview. While it may seem that a virtual interview requires less preparation than an in-person meeting, showing your level of commitment to the process will help you stand out from others.

Having well-researched questions at the ready and writing down important information as you cover them in the interview shows that you’re engaged, interested, and actively listening to the person on the other side of the screen. 

Remember to keep it conversational yet professional. Virtual interviewing can be inherently stiffer than in person and allows for less nonverbal communication. Putting in a little extra effort and points of discussion will help achieve a good conversational flow. 

Lastly, it can be difficult to tell over video when your interviewer is done speaking or has finished their question or comment. Be aware of this and err on the side of caution. It’s much better to allow for a slight pause than it is to interrupt or talk over your interviewer, even if it’s unintentional. 

8. Make It Easy

Virtual interviewing is a challenge, even for the most seasoned interviewer. The experience of trying to project your personality and professional experience to a camera can be jarring. 

So our best advice is to keep it simple. Have your resume in front of you, so you can quickly reference your experience and remind yourself of accomplishments you’d like to highlight. On your notepad, write down the name(s) and title(s) of the person or people you’ll be speaking with along with 5-10 well constructed questions.

As always, within 24 hours, send a well-written thank you that highlights something you learned in the interview and expresses your level of interest. This attention to detail ensures you’re giving 100% to the process, even if you can’t meet face-to-face.

In conclusion, by dressing the part, testing your tech, setting up your shot, and reviewing a few best practices, virtual interviewing can be an opportunity to demonstrate your adaptability through any circumstance and drive home your experience and value even without a face-to-face interview.

Please know that we’re always here to help. If you have specific questions or want advice in regards to an upcoming interview, please contact us and we’ll schedule a call to make sure you’re set up for success. Good luck out there!!