The ultimate guide to video interviews

We all want to get that brilliant job, but knowing how to present yourself to employers can be challenging, especially on video. We have chatted to Inspiring Interns about their tips to acing video interviews. Whether you’re a graduate or making a career change, this is the guide for you.

What is a video interview?

In today’s ever-changing world, video interviews are becoming more and more common. Depending on which survey you read, at least 60% of companies are now using video interviews at some stage in their hiring process. There are many books for graduates on how to excel in an interview - but what if all you have is a screen? This can actually be to your advantage. This guide will teach you how to excel in your video interview, so that you can land your dream job.

There are two different types of video interviews; Live, and One-way. A ‘live’ interview is when you and your employer talk in real time, as you would in an in-person interview. The benefit of a live interview is that you can build rapport with the interviewer, and gain an immediate sense of the company’s culture. A one-way interview is when you are sent the pre-set questions, and given a time-frame in which to respond with a video recording of yourself answering them. The benefit of a one-way interview is that you have time to think through your answers.

How to prepare for a video interview

When preparing for a video interview, the lighting is essential. You may answer the questions well, but if the interviewer is struggling to make you out you will leave a bad impression. Using lamps in your room, make sure your face is clear and well lit - open up your webcam and check how you look from the cameras perspective.

What you sit in front of when you do the video interview is very important. Your background needs to be clean, neat, and uncluttered. Remover everything you can, so that there is nothing to distract the interviewer from your answers. If you can find a plain white or cream wall, that is best.

How you dress is also important. If you are applying for an internship at a start-up that advertises a fun company culture on their website, don’t wear a suit and tie. If you are applying to a law firm, a suit and tie is best. Here is a link with a list of roles and the best way to dress appropriately to help you get hired.

Rehearsing your answers is the most essential preparation you can do to be recruited. There’s a reason actors rehearse scenes, and sport professionals train for the big race. On the day, when the spot-light is on you and it’s your turn to shine - you need to be prepared. Have a look at this list of general interview questions to practice answering. As well as rehearsing these, brainstorm other questions you could be asked, and practice your answers to those too.

TIP: It is important you sit in the chair you will be interviewed in, in your interview clothes, with the lighting on, looking directly into the camera while you rehearse. Actors rehearse their lines on set so their mind and body learn how to perform together. You need to rehearse your lines on set, so that in the interview you look natural, feel confident, and know exactly what you are going to say.

‘I experienced a video interview when going through the application process to get my job here at Inspiring Interns. I was surprised how well it worked! The interview went really well, and through video I got a very clear idea of Inspiring Interns, the people and the great company culture. A video interview made more sense than a standard interview as it saved a lot of time in travel. I lived in the North of England, so travelling to London would have been very time consuming. My number one tip is treat it exactly like a face-to face-interview; dress to impress, use positive body language and make sure you’re in a quiet environment.' – Tyler Milner Marketing Executive

Technology needed for video interviews

To conduct a video interview, you will need a webcam, headphones, and microphone - all of good quality. Most laptops come with these, but not all are good. Test the quality of yours with friends (on a skype call or google hangout). If the image or sound isn’t good enough, it is worth investing in buying a webcam or headphones with a microphone. This link compares the best webcams, and this one compares the best headphone/microphone combinations.

Ideally, be connected to the router physically rather than using Wi-Fi. If you only have access to Wi-Fi, make sure you’re not more than a few meters away from the router to ensure a strong internet connection. We recommend troubleshooting your internet connection so that you can be assured the call won’t disconnect or lag during your interview. If you have a Mac, click here for the steps to troubleshoot. If you are using windows software, click here. Also, make sure no one else will be using the Wi-Fi at the same time as your video interview. To check the speed of your internet, use Ookla Speedtest.

‘Based on seven years’ experience arranging interviews, some of which have been online, we often hear from employers how much they love video interviews. They save them time, while still giving a clear impression of the candidate and a sense that it’s a real interview – as opposed to a phone call.’ – Benedict Hazan, Head of Innovation

Tips and tricks for the interview 

When choosing your outfit, avoid wearing anything white. It can come across as distractingly bright. Body language speaks louder than words - if you say you are confident while slouching and shifting your gaze, the interviewer will not believe you. Posture - sit up straight, shoulders relaxed, and back. Look directly at the webcam (make sure you rehearse this while practicing your answers). Check out this link which shows poses to do before your interview to increase your confidence.

Before the interview, remind yourself how amazing you are. We live in a culture which doesn’t encourage us to feel proud of ourselves – forget about that for the moment. Who cares what society thinks. You are amazing. You’ve achieved things, felt nervous and done them anyway, and produced good work. Be proud of who you are.

Be proud of the value you can add to a company. Many graduates go into an interview hoping to get the internship, and hoping to get paid well, while feeling on a lower level than the interviewer. Realize that they are interviewing you because of the potential value you can add their company. And they’re not the only ones interviewing – you should be interviewing them as well. Ask questions to find out whether it’s a company you would actually enjoy working for. This will impress them, and give you the information you need to know whether you would want to accept the job or not.

As an internship recruitment agency we love graduates who come in passionate, confident, and asking questions to make sure the job is the right fit for them long-term. Here is Nicole’s success story to show you the internship possibilities that are waiting for you around the corner.

Checklists

Setting up the space:

• Lighting
• Comfortable chair
• Appropriate clothes
• Clean uncluttered background

Equipment checklist:

• Camera
• Headphones and mic
• The program you will be interviewed through (likely to be skype or google hangout)

Preparation:

• Rehearse your answers
• Do the powerful postures
• Remember you are interviewing them too 

List of Links

• What to wear
• 10 tips for dressing for the interview
• General interview questions to rehearse 
• Best webcams 
• Best headphone and microphone combinations 
• Power poses
• Nicole’s success story

For more information, contact Catherine from Inspiring Interns at catherine@inspiringinterns.com

Read Oishi's story on how she got a Vodafone internship through TARGETjobs Events!

Oishi attended many of our TARGETjobs Events, including IT's not just for the boys!, Future Female Engineers and STEMinism presents Vodafone. All helping her gain valuable insights to a variety of STEM related fields and learning insider tips for applications to major companies in these fields.


As a result of the event, Oishi secured an internship with Vodafone. We caught up with her to find out how she got on..

My internship at Vodafone

I am Oishi, Software and Electronics Engineering undergraduate student at University of Leicester, and I have just completed my second internship at Vodafone over the summer. I was working as a ‘Technology Operational Management’ intern in the team of the Vodafone’s Technology Director and senior managers. It was a great experience to work closely with such senior people at Vodafone. I worked on various weekly and monthly technology reports which involves analysing and checking data. I was responsible for production of Technology Weekly Trading Pack and the reporting pack for the Director. My role involves analyzing and managing monthly Technology Objective Dashboard and Technology Key Performance Indexes (KPIs). I was also responsible for managing the Director’s meeting governance and creating agendas, minutes and pre-reads for various meetings.

Through these accountabilities I improved various skills which includes analytical thinking, while gathering, analysing and managing information for production and review of various reports. I further improved my written and verbal communication skill while interacting with various teams within Vodafone to fetch information for regular reports. Furthermore, I improved technical knowledge of telecommunication networks and transmission techniques through courses in Vodafone Academy. These helped me to relate to the technical aspects of the reports much clearly. 

I really enjoyed working with such great people at Vodafone. The internship has been a great experience and has definitely boost my confidence a lot. I highly recommend and encourage other students to get involve with internships and build up their skills. Moreover, the internship at Vodafone became more memorable as I got the opportunity to celebrate my birthday there. Just a week before finishing the internship it was my birthday, and my team greeted me and gifted me with a bracelet. I never expected it, and I was really surprised and so pleased. I was so fortunate to be able to work with such amazing people. 

Before I could realize, the eight weeks were gone. On my last day, I had farewell lunch and following that was awaiting my final internship review, I was anxious to know my performance and was so pleased to receive great feedback from my manager. I am glad I made the most of this opportunity and will always cherish this wonderful experience and the amazing people I met. 

So, how did I get the internship?

I found out about this internship having attended IT's not just for the boys! I passed the selection process and was offered the internship for the summer. Following the first internship, I was invited back again for this summer. 

My message to other students

I definitely encourage other students especially females in STEM to take part in TARGETjobs Events and to make the most out of these opportunities. Who knows, you might end up with an amazing internship experience!

With the team at Vodafone.

Catching up with the 2015 TARGETcareers School Leavers' Challenge winner!

This time last year, I received an email from my head of sixth form about the National Schools’ Challenge (now known as the TARGETcareers School Leavers' Challenge), with some information about the challenge and a link to an online test. Whilst at the time I didn't think much of it, later on that evening I had another look and thought I would give the online test a go, just out of interest to see what it was like. I knew that these types of psychometric tests were quite commonly used by employers when selecting for graduate posts, so I thought it would be quite a good experience to have. I certainly wasn't expecting to be invited to the Grand Final, held at Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co in Birmingham, and even less was I expecting to win!

Here's my top tips for the challenge:

• For the online portion of the test, you're given a warning before you start that the test is timed, so try to make sure you're in a place where you can focus for the whole duration of the test – when I was taking it my dad came in to my room halfway through to ask my opinion on something and looked hopelessly confused when I started frantically shushing him!

• On the day of the final, though it may be tempting to work yourself into a nervous frenzy, try to stay calm and take it as the great opportunity it really is. You're getting the chance to spend the day talking to employers from a really diverse range of fields, networking and getting to find out what they're really looking for in employees – have fun and enjoy it! You'll be in a group with other, like-minded students as well, so though you are being assessed individually, teamwork does play a big part in succeeding in the tasks you're set.

I would encourage everyone to take part and have a go at this challenge – you never know what might happen! Obviously there are great prizes to be won if you do well, but more importantly opportunities to meet representatives from so many different firms all in one place don't come very often, and you get the chance to develop some really key skills that are important in the world of work, and find out some of the techniques employers use to assess those skills (and you also get a really fun day out!).

What's next?

I've just started Year 13, and am planning on going to university to study Maths – in fact, I just finished my UCAS application not long ago, so whilst that made the start of term quite hectic, I'm glad to have everything sorted and out of the way so that I can concentrate on my A-Level studies. I'm still not too sure on my plans post-university, but I know that the experience of taking part in the TARGETcareers School Leavers' Challenge has given me a taste of what the future could hold, and has given me invaluable skills that I will no doubt find essential in later life.

I wish everyone taking part the best of luck in the TARGETcareers School Leavers' Challenge 2016 – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

Interested in applying to the UGOTY Languages Award? We had a catch up with our Winner, Aysel!

After some very busy summer months travelling around and expanding what will be my infinite repertoire of useful and not-so-useful expressions in foreign languages, I have finally arrived in Copenhagen to undertake my LLM in Human Right Law.

It has been a very busy time for me after winning the Languages Undergraduate of the Year award all the way back in April. Immediately after the incredible ceremony in East Wintergarden, where I got to meet the lovely people working at different EU institutions, I had to get back into study mode as my exams were fast approaching. Thankfully, there was my visit to Brussels to look forward to, not to mention an additional trip to the EU offices in London! It was completely unexpected and a very kind gesture by everyone on the EU team to arrange an additional part of the trip. They put in a lot of effort to rearrange events and work their schedule around mine, just so I could get more exposure to their work in various locations. It was both incredibly flattering and very humbling to be in the presence of so many very accomplished individuals, who were taking time off their busy schedules to spend it with me.

The visit to Brussels itself was an action-packed three-day trip, whereby I probably visited more EU institutions in 72 hours than most of the people working for the EU do in the first few months of their employment. Since my preferred destinations were kindly asked for before my arrival, my whole time in the city was spent meeting what I thought were the most interesting people and participating in what seemed like the most engaging conferences. Everything from law to refugees, to new EU regulations that were coming into place, and even a lovely lunch with David Barfield was in place for me. Once more, I felt tremendously privileged to be where I was: in the heart of Europe and its legal machinery amidst the most impressive individuals from all over the continent. I would really love to thank everyone who made my trip as special and insightful as it was for all their effort and encourage every person out there with an interest in languages to apply. Just going through the application process is an eye-opening experience, whilst getting to the final stages is an incredible opportunity to meet remarkable individuals from all over the country who share the same passion as you.

Today, I am in Copenhagen to undertake my LLM, a decision, which has come to be thanks to the Erasmus programme, yet another EU initiative. Coming here for a year, meeting the country’s people and picking up the local language, was so incredible that I had to return. I am now studying Danish intensively alongside my studies, whilst also taking final level Spanish upon a reassurance by someone on the EU team that it wouldn’t be that hard. I took the challenge and although it is proving difficult at times, I love the feeling of excitement and deep achievement I get every time I commit a new vocabulary word to my memory. Thank you, TARGETjobs and EU Careers for once again reminding me how much I love languages and seeing me worthy of this incredible award!

Register for the 2016 Undergraduate of the Year awards now. 

Our Male Undergraduate of the Year, Harrison Dent, tells us what he's been up to since winning the Award!

Why L’Oréal? Because it’s worth it!

What a summer it has been for me! While it seems only yesterday that Managing Director of L’Oréal UK & Ireland read out my name at the 2015 Undergraduate of the Year awards ceremony, so much has happened and I have come so far since that moment.

Straight from the morning of my first day with L’Oréal, I was inducted into the Giorgio Armani fragrances team and given real responsibilities and a very real workload. Day to day administrative tasks were, in fact, kept to a minimum; instead, I was given big project work, from allocating and distributing Christmas gifting elements following complex retail analysis to conducting assessments and analysis on a brand’s promotional performance to adapt and enhance their promotional strategies.

I would even spend time out of the office, analysing the market from a consumer’s perspective and feeding back my findings to the division’s Managing Director. Every task that I carried out added value in some way and that made myself, as an intern, feel valued and essential – something which is often hard to come by in larger companies.

Me at the Body Shop HQ

It has to be said, a marketing internship with Armani fragrances does not mean a marketing internship with Armani fragrances. I was carrying out tasks relating to finance, sales, logistics, commercial to name but a few; and was even given the chance to work across a few of L’Oréal’s designer fragrance brands rather than simply remaining with Armani Fragrances; from Diesel, to Ralph Lauren and even Viktor & Rolf.

As part of winning the award, I was also lucky enough to spend a few days in Paris, meeting various members of Senior Management and shadowing them in certain meetings, giving me a wider understanding of the company as a whole. Upon my return, I was given the chance to have lunch with Michel Brousset, MD of L’Oréal UK&I and discuss with him my experience with the company, his views on certain brands as well as my future career; it felt surreal to be eating fish and chips with the top dog of L’Oréal discussing what my future with the company could entail.

Towards the end of my internship, I applied for the Management Trainee scheme that would begin after I graduated. As I was already integrated into the company, the application process was extremely straightforward. After a short presentation of my work and a brief interview process, I was accepted onto the graduate scheme! It took a while to sink in that before my final year at university had begun, I had already secured a position on a graduate scheme for the following year!

I can honestly say that working for L’Oréal has given me some amazing opportunities and has provided me with a brilliant platform from which to launch a future career. The company as a whole supports its employees in any and every way possible and makes each and every person from the top to the bottom feel valued and important. Although I knew little about neither the beauty industry nor marketing in general before I joined, I can now say that I have a passion for both and cannot wait to start next year’s graduate scheme. Applying for the Male Undergraduate of the Year award is turning out to be one the best decisions I have ever made in terms of my future career!

Myself with Michel Brousset, Managing Director of L'Oréal UK!

Apply for the 2016 Undergraduate of the Year awards now.