At this point of time, we can assume and be sure that the way the job market is functioning is changing, “WORK FROM HOME” is now a new normal. Earlier, people used to walk in to the office and give the interviews and very rarely they used to do online face to face interviews. But now, since Work From Home has become a common approach, people are required to be available online more than ever.

Stating the above, allow me to give you some insights as to how you can prepare yourself for an online interview.

1. Choose a quiet place to sit and give the interview

Our Home is not just our home, we live with our family and oftentimes, there is always some kind of disturbance in the background. Please ensure that you have a quiet place to be, and the distractions are minimum. This would help you to focus more on the interview rather than focusing on what is happening behind your back. Also, the person who is taking the interview would also not like to have any background noise coming from your end, this might result in a negative first impression for you.

2. Give interviews on laptops/desktops and not on mobile phones 

Giving online interviews on phones are considered to be unprofessional by many people. It is ethical to be present on the laptop for the interview as it shows a more professional behavior rather than roaming with your phone during the interview from one place to another. Always be stable where you are while giving an interview, which would be easier from a laptop rather than using your mobile phone.

3. Being Presentable

Being presentable does not mean to sit with a coat, shirt, and a tie. It is more related to how you present yourself overall. Is your hair combed, is your beard trimmed, and so on. Remember : Although this is a virtual interview still the interviewer can see you well and good, so dress accordingly like you are going to give an in person interview.

4. Choose a Background photo

Today, most of the applications which are being used to take video interviews (Example : Zoom, Microsoft Teams, skype etc.), all of them have an option in which you can choose a Virtual background. There are multiple options that you can select. The benefit of this would be that the virtual background would help shift all the focus of the interviewer to you and not to your surroundings, which can benefit you a lot.

5. Login 5 minutes early

Consider a virtual interview same as the in person interview. Would you be late to reach to the interview location if it was not virtual, but face to face? No right? The same applies here. Always log in 10 minutes early to the virtual interviews because sometimes it takes more than 5 minutes to actually complete all the procedures (setting up video, checking mic and typing the interview link etc.) which makes a person late by 2-5 minutes. Be respectful of the interviewer’s time and always make sure that you are all set to go 5 minutes before the meeting is scheduled.

6. Prepare rigorously

Your preparation should start the day before the interview. Study the job description, research the company and the interviewers, and memorize the key points on your resume. Make sure you haven’t missed something that might be important in your presentation. In either case, coming in prepared to your virtual interview will help set you apart from other applicants and increase your chances for landing the job.

Next time you have a virtual interview try these six simple tips. You will see that by setting up the right conditions and making sure you are on top of your game in every aspect of the presentation you will significantly increase your chances of landing that dream job.