Skype Interview Etiquette (tips, job, interest, resume)

[drunkwithwords]

Hello,

I have an interview via Skype tomorrow afternoon. The interview will be done through my phone (I have no internet at home since I turned it off, and I plan on using an office to do the interview.

I have done a few telephone interviews, but I have never done one via video conference. This will be the third interview for this position and unfortunately, I was unable to attend in person for all of them. They seem really interested, and I will be speaking with all of the Directors. I am nervous and don't want to ruin my chances with them by not knowing how to act.

What should I wear? I'm thinking I could wear a blazer with a simple button up shirt.
What in the world should I stare at? Them or the camera? Both?

I'm just really not sure what to expect and definitely appreciate all advice (or horror stories).

[Wry_Martini]

First of all, good luck!

Make sure whatever you wear isn't distracting - no angry/buzzing prints. Even something like stripes can look bad on camera. Try for something that will direct the eye to your face, in a subtle way.

Be conscious of what will be visible as your background, to the people interviewing you. Anything distracting, bright light coming from lamps or through windows, people walking by? If you have a chance to get into the room a bit early, play with the cam a bit, make sure it's angled in a flattering manner, and that you don't have any issues with light or glare bouncing off your face.

[groar]

in addition to what wry_martini said....

look at the camera, that will make it look like you're looking at them.

i'd do a test run with someone to make sure everything works ok, figure out a good volume to speak at, see how your background, outfit and lighting look to other people, figure out how you can place the phone so it stays still and has a good angle and you can be heard, etc.

dress just like you would for an in person interview although if you set things up right you can feel free to go pantsless!

whenever you're doing a phone or video interview it's good to keep the job description and your resume in front of you so you can refer to them. i'd spread them out in front of you at a desk/table so they can't tell you're flipping through papers but you can glance down at them if your brain suddenly shorts out.

this is probably obvious but make sure you are in a quiet place where you won't be interrupted by cats or kids or partner or a squeaky chair or whatever.

[Nell Plotts]

Crossing my fingers for you. Before long you can cheer for the Timbers.

[nightlysparrow]

Read this:

Skype Your Way To Being Likeable | The Likeability Guy

[skinnayyy]

For skype interviews, especially ones that are in place of a F2F interview, you should wear what you would be wearing to the F2F interview. You would act the same way as you would during a F2F interview as well. Since you are using your phone, looking at the screen (at them) or at the camera lens really isn't going to make much of a difference.

also, try not to squint trying to see the screen. make sure it's far enough away to get from at least your upper chest and up. Not just a your face like you were holding your phone in front of you.

[drunkwithwords]

Thanks everyone. These suggestions were really helpful. I'll spend thirty minutes before the interview making sure the camera position is correct and making sure the space I'm in is quiet. I think I'll have my back to a wall, so they aren't looking at anything else. Other than that, I'm prepared for the standard interview.

One thing I realized while I was looking at my camera was that my face looks really "blemishy" even though I don't really have very many blemishes. I'll see if I can put on some makeup beforehand to minimize it. I'm sure they won't care, but I was like, "Dang, I look pretty busted."

Again, thank you!

[groar]

yeah, the low quality images that are used for skyping make your skin look like crap!

[drunkwithwords]

Okay, so the interview went well. It was definitely informal, but they had a lot of questions. I think I did okay, but I had a few problems.

1. The light in the office I was in was really bright, so I felt like I looked like a sheet of paper
2. There is a lot of delay when speaking, so sometimes it sounds like I'm interrupting them when I'm not.
3. I can hear myself, and it's really unnerving, and made me lose my concentration quite a few times. I felt bad, but I was just honest about it and let them know I was having some problems.
4. I felt really weird looking into the camera and pretending it was a pair of eyes. I would go back and forth from looking at them to looking at myself.
5. I got a little self-conscious when looking at myself. If this happens in the future, I am definitely covering up my face (on the screen)
6. It is really easy to slouch when people are right in front of you. I had to keep reminding myself to sit up straight.

Overall, it went well, but I feel like it could have been better. It definitely doesn't beat going to an in person interview, but hopefully they'll understand.

Again, thanks for the helpful tips.

[groar]

they probably will understand, skype is just awkward for everyone. good luck!