7 Essential Skype Job Interview Tips

With improvements in technology such as the advancement of webcams over recent years, faster internet connections and the increased popularity of geographically dispersed virtual teams, more and more interviews are being carried out over web conferencing platforms such as Skype. At their core these interviews still hold the same principles, although there are a few aspects you have to take into account when interviewing for a position over Skype. Here are a few tips on how to excel as an interviewee through this modern medium of communication.

Test Your Skype Connection
Conduct a trial run with a friend well in advance of your interview to see if your Skype connection is running properly. If things aren’t up to par, at least you’ll have time to get things fixed before the actual interview. General problems include Skype settings, port forwarding, and webcam settings. Refer to your webcam’s or laptop’s (if the webcam is built-in) owner’s manual for more information on handling such issues. You wouldn’t want a small technical difficulty to cost you the position, so it pays to take these extra precautions.

Dress Appropriately
Even though you won’t have to step foot out of your room to interview for this job, you still have to be clean and presentable for your interviewer. Typical guidelines apply for men with the suit, tie, and jacket and for women with the business suit or blouse with a pantsuit, depending on the company and position. In addition, avoid wearing any white clothing that could reflect light onto your face, possibly causing it to look overexposed through the webcam.

Clean Up the Visible Area
Make sure the area of your room that the interviewer can see through Skype is cleaned and not full of clutter or dirty laundry. You don’t want to give your interviewer a bad impression with a mess in the background. Also, you want to isolate any outside distractions from your webcam interview area such as pets, loud noises, and other people you may live with. This is an important moment in your life, so they’ll understand.

Be On Time
It may be a job interview over Skype, but that doesn’t mean the rules of engagement are any different. You wouldn’t dream of turning up to a job interview late, so you should be logged on to Skype and ready to go well before the interview is due to begin. Don’t take any risks with this as being late looks really bad! In fact, being late for a Skype job interview is probably more difficult than being late for an interview at an office… and the employer knows it! Play it safe, be on time.

Eye Contact
Like with all other job interviews, eye contact is very important. However, on Skype, remember that you need to look directly at your webcam so it seems as if you’re looking directly at the interviewer from his or her end. Looking at your screen makes it seem like you’re not paying attention to them. The lack of eye contact also makes you look less confident. You want to sell yourself to show the interviewer that you know what you’re talking about and to display that you want the job.

Have Supporting Documents Handy
During an interview you could be asked anything. If you’re a designer, the interviewer could ask for examples of your previous work. If you’re a writer, they could ask to see some of your published work. If you are a web developer, they’re probably going to want to see what you’ve developed. If you want to look professional, it’s best to at least have this material to hand or be able to refer them to an online portfolio of your work.

Record Your Interview, Analyse Later
Interviewing is a skill that you have to learn, and what better way to learn than by recording your interview so that you can analyse it later. There’s no better way to record Skype video calls than with VodBurner, a piece of software for Windows that will allow you to record the video and sound from the entire interview. If you’re interview is audio only, then check out CallBurner, an application from the same developer that records Skype audio calls.

Summary
There are many similarities between a Skype job interview and a traditional interview, although aspects such as eye contact come into play. It is very important that you double check your internet connection, be prepared with your material, and show this potential employer the best version of yourself, even if you’re not in the same room as the interviewer.