How to Achieve Success in Your Online Interview

The current global pandemic has shifted everything online. We are now truly living in the “digital age,” with meetings, interviews, family calls, conferences, concerts, and everything else taking place online.

With this shift in how we interact, the way we look for work and conduct interviews has also shifted significantly. We can no longer meet with a handshake, break the ice over a cup of coffee, or be ‘wowed’ by a place of business. Things have changed, and we’re now making our own cup of tea or coffee, greeting each other with the standard “can you hear me?” greeting, and then getting down to business.

Rather than being intimidated by the prospect of meeting someone online (and possibly having your meeting interrupted by poor internet service, a howling pet, or a sniffling child), follow these simple guidelines and ace your interview:

Before you click the meeting link, make sure your internet connection is up and running.

As previously stated, avoid the typical start of an online call by sitting in the room in your house with the best connectivity. Accidents do occur, and as with all technology, things can be unpredictable. Don’t let the screen freezing or being cut off from the call disrupt your interview flow and confidence. “I recommend to all my clients that they close the tabs on their computer, restart their laptop, and update any software they need to before the interview,” says Katrin Mantay, one of our top recruitment coaches. A pre-interview sound and video quality check will help ensure that your internet connection is up to the task of handling a video interview.

Your background can say a thousand words.

Instead of sitting in front of a favourite family photo or displaying your latest macrame collection, choose a quiet background with no distractions for the interviewer. Choose a room with a door you can close to avoid people, pets, and unexpected noises. Natural light from behind you is not permitted. Sit with the light on your face to highlight your features and share your emotion and excitement.

Experiment with different locations in your home, such as using lampshades or windows to disperse light evenly on your face.

It’s all about making eye contact.

Focusing on your own face on video is a natural reaction to a video call. It’s also easy to have your laptop/computer/monitor at an awkward angle, causing your eye contact to be off. Katrin recommends placing your laptop on an ironing board so that you can easily adjust the height. “If your laptop’s camera is too low and you’re looking down into it, you risk appearing condescending. When the camera is too high and above your eye level, you can appear dismissive.”

Another thing to keep in mind is posture: make sure you’re sitting upright and not slouching in your chair or leaning over your desk. Look alert, interested, into the camera, and maintain your focus throughout.

Choose your outfit carefully.

Wear whatever you would have worn to your in-person interview on your Zoom / Skype / Google Hangout call. Investigate the culture of the organisation for which you are being interviewed and try to imitate the dress code.

According to Social Psychological and Personality Science research, wearing business attire and ‘dressing up’ can boost your confidence and abstract thinking.

Avoid the temptation to wear business attire on top, and stay comfortable out of the camera’s view!

Don’t go overboard with the notes.

When you’re being interviewed and you’re constantly looking down at your notes or reading from a’script,’ you sound unnatural, appear nervous, and don’t make eye contact with the interviewer.

Katrin recommends the following clever trick:

“Stick your notes near your camera on top of your screen, and write down three bullet points of specific achievements or past successes that you want to communicate.” Let the interviewer know if you want to take notes during the call.

Vigour and zeal

“People can come across flatter on video calls than they would in person, making them appear less excited about the opportunity,” Katrin says. It may be time to turn up the passion and energy to get the message across on camera. Add hand movements, head nods, and lots of smiles to show enthusiasm, even if it feels unnatural.

If you’re new to online interviews or phone calls, a helpful tip is to record yourself beforehand. Answer any typical interview questions and watch how your body language changes when the recording is played back.

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How To Restore Your Confidence.

How To Restore Your Confidence.

Self-esteem is not something we consider working on until we become aware that it has deteriorated. And by that time, we’ve forgotten how to restore it to optimal health. If you break a leg, the doctors in A&E will perform the necessary repairs – you may expect it to be back to normal within a few weeks. Your leg will be strong enough to support you and propel you forward.

Run.

Jump.

Extremely high.

If only A&E could assist with more complicated multiple fractures that negatively impact self-esteem.

It takes time to develop low self-esteem and time to totally restore it.

Depending on your choices — decisions, actions, and reactions – your disenchantment with yourself would have developed over time. If you neglect your garden, weeds will take control. Have you ever noticed how effortlessly they can infiltrate your environment, obliterating the brilliance of your past work and claiming any available space without permission? Continuous weeding is necessary unless you can fill the holes in such a way that weeds are just unable to thrive or fade into insignificance.

Consider this.

You would nurture your Self Esteem if it were a rare and valuable plant. You’d nourish it. You’d hydrate it. You’d situate it optimally in your garden to maximise its chances of success. You’d inspect it for dangerous pests. You could provide frost protection. You would not allow your neighbour’s cat to urinate on it!

Your Self Esteem requires the same level of attention.

To nurse your Self Esteem back to health, you must first understand what is causing you to feel less than you truly are, what needs to be done to fix it, and how to establish the idea that you deserve to feel better about yourself than you presently do.

You’ll need to educate yourself, break harmful behaviours, and establish new, beneficial ones.

Take actions that will result in rapid initial progress. However, be cautious of the superficial sticking plaster. Noticing good change fast demonstrates that you have the ability to alter your feelings. It will raise your confidence, encourage you to persevere, and give you a reason to feel better about yourself.

To maintain significant, inherent, and lasting power, you must continually feed it.

This type of work is enjoyable and, as you develop new habits, will seamlessly integrate into your daily life. As you and others experience good change, the urge to care for yourself, respect yourself, and love yourself will self-perpetuate.

As your self-esteem grows, so does your self-care.

Your confidence in your own competence grows.

You regain your confidence.

You are aware of your accomplishments.

You understand that you can create a better future for yourself and believe that you deserve it.

You demonstrate to both yourself and others that you are deserving of attention.

You confront your obstacles and have faith in your ability to overcome them, rework them, and transform them into what you desire.

You experience an increase in happiness. You appear to be happier.

The small nuances of rehabilitating Self-Esteem are highly individual, which makes sense when you consider all the personal situations you’ve had that have harmed it over time. Locate an experienced Life Coach to assist you on your path. Certain things, on the other hand, are universal, and you can accomplish them for yourself:

Self-love

It’s easy to lose track of oneself. You realise that something has to give in to the craziness of your day-to-day. You should not have created it. However, you!

Unconsciously, you prioritise others’ wants over your own — burgers over fish because they prefer it, a comedy night over classic theatre because they enjoy it, cancelling your yoga class to meet their pals. You demonstrate your concern for them by putting them first.

You teach yourself that you are insignificant.

When you care for someone – whether it’s your child, parent, or lover – you naturally want to look after them. You want to know that someone is eating healthfully, sleeping well, and exercising often. You should do the same thing for yourself. Maintain a healthy sleep regimen. Allow yourself to begin the day in the manner that is most comfortable for you. Prepare nutritious and delectable meals — when you sit down to eat, you’ll have the added bonus of knowing that you made the effort for yourself. You will be nourished by more than simply nutrients.

Continue to look out for those you care about and begin to incorporate your preferences. You deserve to live, eat, and think in a way that is comfortable for you. You should not sacrifice your self-esteem for the sake of others. Balance is necessary for the survival of a busy household and any relationship. The folks around you may be unaware of the rebalancing you’ve done in order to be there for them. Kindness toward others is unhealthy if it is not accompanied by self-care. It eventually results in negative change. Consider your scales and devise methods for ensuring that everyone receives what is necessary. Additionally, keep in mind that “everyone” includes you!

Be truthful in your relationships.

Unhealthy relationships contribute to a decrease in self-esteem. Examine your relationships and look for patterns in your own and others’ behaviour. And then determine whether those behaviours align with the types of connections you truly desire in your life. Occasionally, partnerships persist simply out of habit. If you believe they are worthwhile, you could attempt to improve them while remaining mindful of your own bounds. However, there may be some relationships that you need to reconsider in order to better match with your beliefs. Constant fighting, enmity, and envy are harmful and needless. Determine which connections require some distance and give yourself a chance to observe if you feel happy as a result. “Why would you keep striking yourself over the head with the same brick?” I once heard. That is one to consider!

Recognize your strengths

Recognize when you excel at something. Are you the one that comes to the aid of those in need? Are you a source of amusement for your coworkers? Are you the go-to person for your team when they need to think outside the box? Or are you the family’s director, ensuring that everyone succeeds? When your self-esteem is low, you become aware of what others excel at. You lose sight of the fact that you, too, possess valuable abilities or characteristics.

Make a note of the things you performed well each day before night. Increase your stature a little! Have you brewed a great cup of tea? Did you deliver an effective presentation in today’s meeting? Did you console your children when they were in distress? All of these factors are significant. Include them in your list. This is a discussion about the quality of your work, not the number. Take a time to congratulate yourself on a job well done.

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