Advice on nailing video interviews

While most companies like to meet potential employees face-to-face at some point, first-round or internship interviews often happen on-screen.

You’re almost guaranteed to have an online interview at some point, so it pays to learn all the tricks.

Here's our video interview advice guide, covering:

• What is a video interview?
• What's different about them?
• Why do companies do them?
• Our video interview tips

Lights, camera, action!

Most video interviews follow the same format as a regular interview. The only difference is that they’re held over video calling software like Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. Interviews like these are known as live video interviews.

More rarely, you’ll need to record a video of yourself answering questions. Think of that as a video version of an exam paper or application form.

Right now, you’re probably wondering what all the fuss is about – if it’s just an interview done over Zoom, surely you should answer the questions like you normally would? And it’s true, you should. But, as with any other interview, there’s a lot more to it than answering the questions.

How you come across matters as much as what you say. In video interviews, you need to present yourself well when all the interviewer will see is a face on a screen. You need to be your own film technician – finding the perfect picture, sound and angles.

Big recruiters started to request video recordings to replace lengthy written applications. Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies of all sizes to change their hiring methods. When face-to-face interviews became impossible, chatting to someone on a video call were the next best thing. And now video interviews are here to stay.

Some graduate recruiters will want you to record yourself speaking to camera as part of your application. Others will want to talk to you without meeting in person. Although being filmed takes some getting used to, it gives you a better chance to beat the faceless lottery of the CV. The flexibility of video interviews means companies typically talk to more people, so you’re more likely to get your opportunity to impress.

Confident that you’ve got your answers sorted? Good. But there are other things to consider with video interviews. Here, you don’t need to worry about perfecting your handshake. Instead, you need to make sure your laptop is charged and you know where your headphones are. You also need to think about online etiquette.

We’ve rounded up our online interview tips for on-screen success:

Keep your screen name simple and professional. Nothing fancy – just use your first and last name. Think about how you’d like to be addressed. So, if you’re a William who’s always Billy, it’s fine to have ‘Billy’. Just be consistent across communication. So, if you sign your emails Rebecca, don’t dial in as Becky. You don’t want the interviewer to muddle you up with another candidate.

If the call is via web-conferencing software, you’ll usually need to type in your name or email address before you begin. Beware of typos! And be careful if you’ve used the software before. Sometimes, it’ll remember the name you last entered. So if you share devices with someone or use video calling for anything else, make sure the right name is appearing. You don’t want your potential employer to see a funny nickname.

Did you know that body language accounts for 70% of communication? You’ve got the most powerful communication tool at your disposal, so use it. Sit and react like you would if you were in the room with your interviewer. They can see you.

If you’re not sure how you look on camera, practise by recording yourself. You never know how you come across on-screen until you watch the results. Yes, it’s painful sometimes, (“Please tell me I don’t sound like that!”), but it gives you a chance to correct any unfortunate habits.

Practising is especially useful if you need to submit a pre-recorded video or know what questions will come up. Record yourself answering any guaranteed or likely questions, watch the result and adjust as needed.

Seeing as you’ll be on camera, you need to think about what to wear for your interview. The simplest approach is to dress for a video interview the same as you would for an in-person interview.

If it helps you relax, wear tracksuit bottoms under the desk, but make sure that everything that’s visible is office-appropriate.

Alternatively, some people feel better dressing professionally from head to toe. After all, looking the part helps you feel the part.

Think about your surroundings. You’ll need somewhere private, without distractions and mess-free.

Pick somewhere with a clean backdrop – a blank wall, if possible. There shouldn’t be anything to distract your interviewer (or you). Try to avoid showing anything too personal. Consider blurring your background to keep the focus on you, not your bookshelf.

Think about noise too. Choose a quiet place and ask your family or housemates not to disturb you.

Once you’ve found a suitable spot, set your camera up for a test run. How’s the lighting? Experiment with camera brightness settings and lamps until your on-screen persona is good to go.

You can’t check your notes in a face-to-face interview, but you can sneakily do it during a video call. You’ll have to be subtle though!

If you find that you keep speaking too fast, give yourself a visual reminder to speak slowly. Use a board behind your laptop or place a little sticker by your camera. We all naturally speed up talking when we’re nervous and this will keep you on track.

If there are certain things you want to say but keep forgetting, place a post-it note in your eyeline. Just make sure you don’t spend too long looking away. The recruiter will soon catch on to what you’re doing if you’re distant.

“Sorry, I can’t get the camera working!” – the words no interviewer wants to hear.

Test your equipment in advance to make sure you get off to a good start. If possible, do a trial run with the same application you’ll use in the interview. It’s also a good idea to load up the meeting a few minutes early and make use of the ‘test’ features for your mic and camera before you join.

If the microphone on your laptop doesn’t give good audio, connect to some headphones with a mic instead. By testing the set-up before the interview, you’ll give yourself enough time to change things if needed.

You’ll also need a decent internet connection. Make sure you’ll be sat somewhere with a good signal.

To achieve perfect eye contact via video, you need to look directly into your camera. But for a live video interview, you'll have to look at your interviewer’s face on the screen to respond to them properly. For the best of both worlds, resize the window and move it as close to your camera as possible.

For pre-recorded video interview questions, look directly into the camera. Experiment first to see how well this comes across, so that you don’t accidentally stare. If you’re struggling, some people like to put up a picture of a person behind their camera and imagine they’re talking to them instead. Even better, get a friend or family member to film you and focus on them.

A common mistake people make with video applications is misjudging how much time they’ve got to record their answers. If there’s a time limit to a video recording, stick to it.

Although live video interviews won’t be as strict on time, you still want to keep things short. Being able to communicate efficiently is a skill that graduate employers will be looking for, so don’t waffle.

Finally, look happy and let your personality shine through. Use the body language we mentioned earlier to reinforce your message. The very act of smiling during the introduction will relax you and show that you’re confident.