Tips for Alternative Interview Methods

Even before the COVID-19 started changing how we work and how we hire, companies started to look towards alternative ways of interviewing candidates. Phone, video recordings, and live video interviews are a fast and cost-effective way for companies to screen more candidates for more positions.

However, for those like myself, it is sometimes hard to feel confident with these other interview formats. It is easier to know how an interview is going when you can connect with another live human being in front of you. But the reality is that as alternative methods of interviewing rise in prevalence, so must our expectations of having to go through them. As such, I've decided to pass on a few tips on how to prepare and be effective during these other interview types.

General Preparation:

When you think about interview preparation, it is the first step to start with yourself. Think about your top five strengths, both in general and in relation to the position you're interviewing for. Go through the job description and think about what skills they are asking for, then think about stories in which you demonstrated those qualities. Most importantly, as you're going through this process of reflecting on you and your experiences, WRITE IT DOWN. I don't mean write a script of what you're going to say to these potential questions. In my experience when students write a script, if the interviewer asks a slightly different question than they were expecting, they freeze and don't know what to say. Instead of a script, write down keywords and/or notes to help you remember your strengths and stories. This list will be much more helpful in the long run than planning out your answers word for word.

Now that you have an idea of the main points you want to hit, it's time to practice saying those things out loud. Most people know (or at least are about to find out) that to prepare for interviews, you can practice in person with a mock interview. These can be done through a career office if you are a current student, and sometimes even if you are an alumnus. (If you are an alumnus I would check with your institution as policies vary from campus to campus.) These can also be done with a friend or family member as well. The premise is simple: the other person asks you interview questions and you practice answering them as if you were in an interview. The problem I see when people participate in mock interviews, particularly if it is with a friend or family member, is they don't always want to take it seriously. But for this method to be helpful, you have to! It's a good time to think about how you will sit, what you will say, how you will say it, and to think about what you would bring to the interview. Don't just go over what you would say or the highlights of your answer. Practice your whole answer from beginning to end. This way you'll have experience answering questions you might not have expected.

I could (and probably will at some point) write an article with more ways to prepare for specific interview questions, but since this article is about alternative interviewing methods I'm going to move on to specific strategies for phone and video interviews.

Phone Interviews:

One of the biggest tips that I can give you when you are practicing interviewing is this: when doing a mock interview, face the wall. I know that sounds silly, but stay with me. The reason that phone interviews are so hard is because you can't get a read on the person that you're speaking to. You hear their voice and their inflections, but it doesn't feel like it's enough since body language isn't incorporated. Having only half the picture is very jarring for those who haven't done a lot of phone interviews. Because of that, if you do a mock interview with someone ahead of a phone interview, face the wall instead of the person you're practicing with. This gives you practice at hearing someone and not seeing them. You don't have to stay turned around for the entire mock interview, but it will help to build your confidence about phone interviewing.

Here are some other tips for phone interviews:

• Think about how you end your responses! Since they can't see you, they won't know when you're done talking. To avoid talking over each other or rambling too long, practice your endings as part of your mock interviews.
• Find a quiet, empty space to interview. Starbucks is not a good place to interview as it has lots of distractions. Minimizing distractions and noise is key! If you don't have a quiet place where you're staying, a private study room at the library or other public place would do fine.
• When you identify a place you'd like to have your phone interview, make sure you have cell signal in that place BEFORE the interview. Not 5 minutes before, either. Give yourself plenty of time to find a suitable alternative space.
• Make sure you have plenty of battery, and BRING YOUR CHARGER. Better safe than sorry!
• Feel free to reference the notes you've taken during the interview. They can't see you at all in phone interviews, so feel free to have the company website, any notes you've taken on the company, and the notes you have on yourself in front of you.
• Even though they can't see you, still dress nice for the phone interview. It will put you in the professional head space and help you to take it more seriously.

Video Interviews:

Video interviews have an advantage over phone interviews because you can see another person. At least, the live video interviews do. There are a number of companies using software like HireVue to have you record your answers to certain questions as a screening tool. In these cases, the awkward factor of not seeing another person comes back into play. When you do a video interview, regardless of if it is recorded or live, you must look at the camera, and not your screen when you're speaking. For some that isn't hard, but for others it can be awkward staring at a black dot for half an hour. I've heard of some people putting a picture of their friend/family right behind the camera so they have someone to talk to. I've heard of others putting arrows pointing towards the camera on their laptop to remind them. Whatever the method you choose, just make sure that you look at the camera when speaking.

Here are some other fast tips for video interviews:

• As with phone interviews, find a quiet space without distractions to do the interview. If you are recording your answers, you won't get a chance to redo your responses. You definitely don't want your dog barking or your roommate to walk in during this process! Also make sure that whatever is serving as your background isn't distracting either. Posters, art, pictures, etc. should all be taken into consideration when choosing your location.
• If you've never done a video interview, check with your career office to see if they have any software to use to practice. StandOut and Big Interview are just a few opportunities to not only practice answering questions on camera, but review what you look and sound like as well.
• When choosing a place for your video interview, make sure you have good lighting! If you have a light behind you, it can turn you into a black silhouette. If you have too much light to one side of you, it can make you look washed out. Having a soft light either above you or in front of you is ideal. You can pull up the camera on your laptop to check how you look on that device to make sure that everything looks the way it should.
• Similar to phone interviews, make sure you have good strong WiFi at whatever location you choose to have your interview at. Get there in plenty of time (30 minutes or more) to resolve any technical/network issues well before the interview start time.
• Make sure your device is charged and BRING A CHARGER! Better safe than sorry.
• When setting up your space, place your laptop on something so that the camera is eye level with you. If your camera is below eye level, it can make it seem like you're looking down at your interviewers. It can also give you a double chin, which isn't a flattering look. Again, bring up the camera on your laptop to make sure it is at a good level before interviewing.
• We've all seen the memes of people that have a suit and tie and a button down on top, but sweatpants on bottom when video interviewing. This is a bad idea! Should you need to get up to readjust something, your true outfit will be revealed to the interviewers. In addition, dressing nice from top to bottom will also help you take it seriously and put you in the necessary mindset.

In Conclusion...

For interviewing in general, preparation is key. I use this example all the time with students: Did you play a sport or an instrument growing up? Were you amazing the first time you did that thing? Probably not. It probably took a lot of practice to not only improve, but also feel confident in that thing. So why do people think they can wing an interview and it will be good? The answer is that they shouldn't. Regardless of the interview format, preparation and practice are key.

The tips I shared today are for specific format types, rather than questions, but I hope they can help you as you move through the job search process. Using phone and video interviews as screening tools will only increase as time moves forward. Preparation and practice is essential to nail your future interviews.

Thank you as always for reading my article! If you have any advice to share or questions about phone or video interviewing, please feel free to comment.