Last week’s article in Fast Company is yet another indication that video interviewing is on the rise. As companies embrace this technology as a routine part of their recruitment process, it’s a good idea for job seekers to get themselves and their home environment camera ready. Below are some highlights from the article which include advice from Colleen Aylward, CEO of InterviewStudio, and Mark Newman, CEO of Hirevue (with additional notes from us):
Invest in quality gear: That cheapo, built-in Webcam and microphone that came with your laptop is fine for recording your karaoke version of “Eye of the Tiger,” but this is real life. If your prospective employer doesn’t provide you with equipment, Aylward recommends shelling out $200 or so for a Logitech Webcam and a Blue Snowball microphone. You’ll look and sound way better. Our note: The Supporting Cast allows candidates to take video interviews on-site at our studio, eliminating the need for home-equipment. We will also drop-ship a camera to remote candidates and walk them through the setup.
Be sure to follow the interviewer’s directions. “Don’t be like the IT person who thinks he or she knows everything and comes off looking clueless,” Newman cautions.
Create good lighting and ambiance: Too little is obviously bad, but too much is worse, especially if it’s a stark spotlight that makes you look like an interrogation subject. Aylward recommends using diffused lamps or wrapping your lights in wax paper or professional soft-tint paper. Make sure you’re facing the brightest light source or else your interviewer will see a dark outline sans facial features. Our note: Sometimes a simple table-lamp with a shade is all that’s needed to provide appropriate lighting. Fluorescent lighting should be avoided whenever possible, unless green is the look you’re going for.
Also, make sure the windows are closed to shut out traffic noise, and that the dog and kids are occupied elsewhere. Pay attention to your background — a bookshelf is good, an Insane Clown Posse poster, not so much.
Practice: Whether you do a live two-way or record a video-on-demand clip on a corporate Web site, you don’t get a do-over if you come off like a noob. Aylward and Newman recommend doing a few dry runs on your own to check the equipment, lighting and camera position.
Have someone ask you some potential questions and record your responses so that you can critique your oral delivery and mannerisms. Go over some talking points, but don’t memorize a script. “Companies don’t like to hear something practiced,” Newman counsels. “They want that raw response.”
Give maximum content, minimum bloviation: Remember, video isn’t like a face-to-face interview, where you might try to establish rapport by spending 10 minutes discussing your prospective boss’s favorite NASCAR drivers or collection of vintage troll dolls. Your video responses may be watched over and over and analyzed for substance, so stay relentlessly focused and succinct.
Aylward recommends keeping your answers to two minutes maximum, and suggests concentrating on getting the main point into the first 15 seconds. “Be sure to read or hear the entire question and answer it fully,” adds Newman. “When you give an example, always organize it the same way — situation-task-action-results.” And be passionate. But not too passionate. That is, unless you want to come off like that “Leave Britney Alone” guy on YouTube.
