3 Tips To Ace Your Remote Job Interview
Job interviews are happening anywhere, anytime right now. You might not even know you're being interviewed. The other day, I caught up with a colleague from a past employer in what I thought was a casual catch up which ended up being basically a full-blown interview about what I’m doing now in my career, am I happy, where would I like to go in the next five years and had I considered XYZ job or company.
I hadn’t considered anything more that day beyond what I was having for lunch. Needless to say, I was a bit caught off guard.
With the job market booming and many employers looking for people they know, can trust in a remote setting and people who can motivate and manage themselves, it’s no wonder recruiters and managers are revisiting old connections and acquittances.
For those of you actually applying to jobs and not doing a casual catch up-turn-job-interview, here are my top tips to acing your remote job interviews.
Pre-Interview Prep
You should prepare for a virtual interview just as you would an in-person opportunity. Practice your “tell me about yourself” or opening few lines. Be sure you have questions to ask the interviewer that help you figure out if this job, team, company and way of work is right for you. Such as what have others done to be successful in this job? Or how does this particular team like to celebrate big successes and wins as a team? Or what do most people do after this position? Do they move up within the company or move into different areas?
If you are interviewing for virtual work, it’s important to ask more questions related to leadership, management, frequency of check-ins with your supervisor and what are the cultural norms around working nights and weekends. All of these questions help you figure out if you want the job and do you want to work for that company.
Write out and practice responses to commonly asked behavioral questions like tell me a time you failed and what you learned from it or tell me about a time you lead a team etc. Do your homework on the company and research!
You can learn a ton off LinkedIn or Glassdoor or reading a company’s website/blog to better understand what type of work the organization is engaged in and what matters to them socially.
During The Interview
It may feel a bit weird to sit on a virtual call for 2-3 minutes early but do it. For in-person interviews you want to arrive about 15 minutes early. I think that’s a bit too long for virtual.
For virtual interviews, a solid 5-minute early arrival time shows the employer you are prepared, excited to interview and respect the team’s time to start the interview promptly. Don’t jump on right at the start time or even a 1 or 2 late. Trust me, those couple of minutes matter!
When you get into the interview it’s always best to speak a little slower than you normally would to ensure the folks interviewing you can understand you even if there is a slight technology lag. Consider a solid 2-3 seconds before answering a question just in case anyone else on the interview panel wants to jump in or the video is lagging.
As with in-person interviews, you should be dressed professionally, have your resume and the job description printed out in front of you, have a small glass of water and pen and paper to take notes. Sit close enough to the screen the person can see you clearly but not too close that all they can see is your face. Make good eye contact and close all other browser windows and tabs on your computer and anything that makes noise like your cell phone or email.
After The Interview
Make a digital thank you card on Canva (free) and brand it towards the company colors with a thank you message and something specific you talked about in the interview. Send that as an image in the body of an email and boom- that is your thank you card sent!
I’m honestly considering making the move towards custom thank you images for in-person interviews too because sometimes the mail takes too long or the hiring rounds move very quickly so to be able to interview, follow up and get a thank you out in the same few hours is gold.
After sending a thank you note, connect with folks you interviewed with on LinkedIn and reflect on what went well during the interview, what was a challenge and what are things you could improve on for the next interview. Having that immediate feedback reflection keeps it authentic and real. If you wait too long, you will forget!
Related:
How To Manage Your Time In A 30 Minute Informational Interview
Why LinkedIn Isn’t Working For You: 4 Mistakes You Might Be Making Right Now
5 Tips To Elevating Your LinkedIn Profile Headline To Get Noticed Fast
6 Creative Ways For Candidates To Stand Out During Interviews
Meet The Writer!
Hi! My name is Nadia Ibrahim-Taney and I help people design happy and fulfilling careers through authentic career coaching. My expertise includes career exploration guidance, resume writing, interview prep and LinkedIn profile optimization. My pronouns are She/ Her/ Hers and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I focus on how diverse identities impact and influence folks holistically and professionally. Please connect with me on LinkedIn or at Nadia@beyonddiscoverycoaching.com
