5 Video Interview Mistakes to Avoid

Doing interviews via video has become increasingly popular. More employers are increasingly adopting this mode of interview, especially for their first stage assessment. Unfortunately, there are several mistakes that can destroy your chances of success in a video interview. Here, we look at 5 of the most common mistake that people make in video interviews, and how you can avoid them.

1. Treating it differently from a physical interview – A video interview gives you the opportunity to showcase your expertise and qualification for the job role from the comfort and privacy of your home, or any location of your choice. However, this does not make it any less important or different from a regular interview. The same rules apply. Do your due diligence, find out all you can about the company and the role you will be interviewed for and approach the whole process as you would a normal face to face interview.

 

2. Arriving late to the interview – Yes, it happens. You will be surprised to note the number of candidates who turn up late for their own video interview. You have an interview for 8.15am, but you log in by 8.30am. This shows a huge red flag to the interviewers. When preparing for a physical interview, experts suggest leaving your home early and arriving at the interview venue at least 30 minutes before the interview. The same thing applies to a video interview. You should be logged in and waiting at least 30 minutes before the interview starts. This way, you have enough time to test and double check that your equipment is functioning properly.

 

3. Not testing your equipment – That you use Skype or any other video conferencing software everyday is no excuse for not double checking your equipment. Things like this have a knack of failing at the worst possible moment, like minutes before your interview. Don’t take anything for granted. Check and double check your equipment to be sure that it is working well, prepare your surrounding and background, and ensure that you have enough light and no interruptions.

 

4. Dressing shabbily – Most candidates assume that because they are being interviewed from the comfort of their homes, they have the freedom to dress how they feel like. A video interview is no different from a physical interview. The interviewers look out for the same things. Qualification, suitability, confidence, dress sense and a lot of other factors. Pay attention to what you wear, in fact, dress as though you are going for a physical interview. You can’t go wrong that way.

 

5. Forgetting you are on camera – There are stories about interview candidates who got carried away that they forgot that someone else was watching them on camera. Some even went so far as to go off a bit in order to chide someone, attend to a child or welcome a friend. A job interview is a serious engagement and should be treated as such regardless of where it is happening. Ensure that no one is home, or close by when having your interview in order to avoid distractions and interruptions. Don’t your phone off and concentrate on what you have in front of you.