Zoom interviews offer an amazing opportunity, especially for introverts and people who like to do a ton of preparation. You can take that preparation to an entirely new level when you interview via Zoom. We'll dive in deep on the best ways to take your Zoom Interviews to a new level in this episode, plus I'll share one hack that you are CRAZY to not take advantage of if you are interviewed via Zoom.

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Transcript

I personally believe that the Zoom interview offers an amazing opportunity, especially for introverts and people who like to do a ton of preparation. You can take that preparation to an entirely new level when you interview via Zoom. We’ll dive in deep on the best ways to take your Zoom Interviews to a new level in this episode, plus I’ll share one hack that you are CRAZY to not take advantage of if you are interviewed via Zoom. Ok, if you’re ready – let’s jump in…

If you sign up for my 6-week Career Coaching program, titled: Looking for a place to SHINE: Design a Career and Life of your Dreams, one small piece of the program that packs a big punch is all the information I will share to prepare you for job interviews. This includes Zoom interviews. I go into a lot of detail and will walk you through a step-by-step process for preparing for interviews in the coaching program. For this episode, though – I only want to focus on one small piece of that – and share some tips to rock a Zoom interview like the boss you are!

In the position I am in today, I have conducted a LOT of interviews. Due to COVID, all of them in the last 18 months have been on Zoom, or other similar teleconferencing media. I can tell you we gave people a ton of leeway because of COVID. If we heard kids in the background, for example, we made a point to not include any thought about that in our decision -- at all. As we move forward and transition to a more usual state of being, the odds are high that Zoom interviews will continue to be a thing, especially for people who are interviewing for jobs in other cities. Where I work, we make a point to be supremely fair in the interview process, therefore – if one person is getting interviewed virtually, then 100% of the candidates will be interviewed in the exact same manner so there can be no perception that one person had more opportunity to impress than another candidate.

Also, if the interview panel consists of people from multiple locations around the US, or even the world, platforms like Zoom offer an opportunity to get a robust look at a candidate from a diverse group of company expertise. So, yes – It is likely that Zoom interviews will remain for reasons that have nothing to do with COVID. It is also likely that the further we transition from COVID, the less “leeway” will be given for you not showing up as your best self.

Zoom interviews offer an amazing opportunity, especially for introverts and people who like to do a ton of preparation. You can take that preparation to an entirely new level when you interview via Zoom. But first… let talk about some of the interview fails I’ve seen or heard about when people are interviewed via video calls (zoom, skype, MS Teams, Google, etc…)

Zoom interview fails:

1. Of course all the normal things you might expect, technical issues, landscapers mowing the lawn exactly during the interview, dogs barking, kids having homeschool in the background and asking the parent interviewing for help during the interview.

2. I think one of the most surprising things I saw was a parent who was homeshooling kids during an interview, and when they kept interrupting this person – they put the call on mute and then (in front of the camera) very sternly disciplined the kids. This was not physically, but very verbally intense – it was a tad uncomfortable for all parties involved.

3. A candidate who was so “relaxed” in comfy clothes on a big comfy couch where they could not sit up straight. It was almost as if they had slept there and decided, last minute, to wake up and do the interview.

When you think about logging into a Zoom interview, I want you to take it as seriously as if you were going to walk into a very formal conference room for an interview with the senior leadership team of the company you have applied for. If you would dress up for them in person, then dress as well on the day of the interview. Even if they tell you that casual dress is ok, then I still recommend stepping it up a notch or two. Beside sitting multiple interview panels, where I was part of a team interviewing other people, I did several Zoom interviews doing the pandemic – where I was the person being interviewed. A few of those interviews were a series of successive interviews which ended up in me being offered a very Senior role in the company I work for today. Let me tell you what I did to prepare and how I showed up at the interview.

I found out a week or so before that this major interview I was hoping to be called for would be on Zoom. There were so many thoughts going through my head:

Who would be on the panel?

What questions would they ask?

Would my home environment be calm and quiet enough?

WAIT – does my Zoom “backdrop” seem appropriate and professional enough for such an important interview?

As I pondered those questions what I decided to update a “wall” of my office to be a “Zoom wall”. I had already somewhat done this, due to the pandemic, but it definitely needed to go to another level. I thought about what color of backdrop, combined with the suit I was likely to wear would provide an overall image of who I wanted to project to the interview board. If I got this position, it was going to come with a substantial increase in pay – so what I did next was an investment in my future. I went to Home Depot and bought a gallon of paint in the color I chose for the backdrop. Many of you know, I have auburn hair, so I chose to go with a nice shade of green, which is very complementary to my skin tone and hair color. There is a window in my office which provides a ton of Natural Light, which is helpful to properly light your face during a video call, but it is to the side of my desk. I happened to already have a “Ring Light” due to video recording I’m doing in development of my career coaching course. So, I decided to use the ring light to reduce weird shadows and to create the best presentation of my face during the call. I also went to a home décor store and got a cute wall shelf, a decorative wall hanging, and a vase with a colorful plant.

I selected some of my favorite books out of my own collection (that were 100% appropriate for this audience). My son and I painted the wall, which only took a couple hours and I hung the shelf, which took about 15 minutes. All in all, including the shopping trip, took about 4 hours and cost about $125.00. Many people would spend 3-5 times that amount on clothes and shoes alone, if you were interviewing in person. So, this was a no-brainer. The plus side – from that day on, I have received tons of complements on my presentation during Zoom calls, even ones where no one would care, at all, how I looked. Are the pictures appropriate? Tasteful? Is the room behind you “clean and tidy”? How quiet is the environment? Do you have pets? What is you plan to manage their unexpected noise (if you are home)?

I did 100% wear a suit to this interview. I highly recommend you wear what you would normally have worn to interview in person. Would you have worn a suit? Then a suit it is. A couple things to consider is: 1) test what you will wear “on camera,” how does it look when you are seated? Does it clash (for any reason) with your other environment. Will you be too hot, does it have a button that will click repeatedly on the desk or create unknown sound interference? I suppose it is true that you could focus on the top half only, but I’d caution you in doing that – should anything go wrong at all and you have to stand up for any reason – and you have on your bright lululemon leggings, it could be funny and work out in your favor, but I wouldn’t count on that. Try to anticipate what could go wrong and prepare to be ahead of the game. Also, when you “look your best” it naturally elevates your brain and mood. By presenting in your most appropriately professional manner, you will come across with an attitude that is on par with the look and it will be a different interview than if you are sitting in in Micky Mouse pajama pants.

It goes without saying that you should test all your tech – plus backup tech. I highly recommend when you are on a Zoom that you always use some type of headphones that have a microphone on them. Apple EarPods, Beats, and all the wireless versions are usually quite suitable for this. You will hear better and the ability for you to come across clear and crisp will be night and day, compared to using your build in mic from your laptop. If you don’t believe, call your mom or do a test with your partner, one with a headset or headphone/EarPods and one with just the laptop computer mic and speakers. Do not even consider using your laptop only. Figure this one out, it is too easy to solve. Make sure you know where the Zoom link is ahead of time, do not lose it. I recommend creating a calendar event that will remind you to login early, just drop the Zoom details in that calendar event.

This next tip is the biggest Hack of all, and I have a feeling that most people don’t take the time to do this…

You know there are certain questions you will be asked, “Why are you the best person for this job.” “What is your biggest strength and biggest weakness and how do you overcome it.” “What is one project you’ve accomplished that demonstrates how you’ll create a positive impact in this role.” “How have your handled challenging employees in the past?” Also, there will be some point that you 100% want to make sure you work into your answers, no matter what questions you ask. Plus – at the end they will ask you if you have questions for them. What I am about to say is very hard to do in person, but is the easiest thing to do in the world if you are being interviewed on a video call. Sure, there are pros and cons to every situation and if you care about getting a position, you should position yourself to have your very highest advantage. In person, it might be easier to make a human connection. On a Zoom interview, you have the opportunity to create reminders and cheat sheets for what you want to be sure to cover. One thing you can do it get large poster-sized 3-M Post-It paper, where you can write out points for all the likely answers you will get, projects you do not want to forget to mention, an outline for a “why you are the best person for the job,” your superpowers, what you would do in the first few months if you got the job, a great answer for your greatest weakness and how you manage to overcome it, etc. IF you do this, the key is to hang it in front of your eyes, and make sure you can see it with an unobstructed view, and that it only takes a glance to get your reminder. This does take work ahead of time, as well as testing to make sure you can see it and that you don’t look distracted when giving it a quick scan. I wouldn’t put too much on this paper. HINT: If you are doing a phone interview, this hint applies even more. You can literally write out some of these and have them printed out on paper or on your computer for quick reference. Again, it might take a couple hours preparation to do this, but if it means you have your thoughts clear during a critical interview, it could greatly reduce your stress, and will clearly communicate that you prepared. (They won’t see the cheat sheets, but the fact you have great responses so clearly ready will demonstrate through your answers and your words that you did prepare and are taking this interview seriously.)

If you do all of this work to prepare and show up as the most professional version of yourself, it will demonstrate you are playing a bigger game. There is unconscious bias of all types, and you can’t control it – but don’t let yourself get caught having the worst technical issues or the least professional background. Even if all your answers are amazing, you never know what it will be that cause a close comparison between two candidates to lean toward the other one. This is an example of you controlling all the aspects that YOU can control. Make it VERY hard for them to tell you no. Surprise them with you show up as, even if they already thought you were awesome. The last tip is to come with energy, and let your personality shine through. My company isn’t called “Genuine Driven Women” for nothing. Come ready to be hired, come with energy, look into the camera as much as you can, to simulate making eye contact, smile, breathe, relax (but maintain posture). When you are playing a bigger game, they will hear you more clearly and be more ready to notice your expertise. You’ve got this! If you take all the tips in this episode, you will Zoom your way toward becoming their number one choice.