The number of online job interviews has rapidly increased over the past two years and only seems to be becoming ever more popular. In a recent Indeed poll, 82% of employers said they are using virtual interviews.
A virtual interview, from an employer’s perspective, is quicker, easier, and cheaper. The convenience of being interviewed at home also has similar advantages for the potential employee – no travel required, saving transport costs, and having to put time aside to travel. But it also has a downside, the hiring manager gets a glimpse at the applicants’ private lives.
This sneak peek is a peephole into an applicant’s personal life. Just like a face-to-face job interview, where the candidate’s clothes create an unconscious bias, the background of a virtual interviewee can influence the employer’s hiring decision-making process.
Background Matters
Many online platforms offer fake backgrounds; a beach, a beautiful countryside, or an office setting. These backgrounds either look fake, seem inappropriate for a job interview, or create a ghost effect – where the applicant’s body has a white shadow around it.
The number one rule for a virtual job interview is to use a real background.
3 Background choices
With a real background there are three obvious choices:
Clean space (often a white wall)
Single item (plant)
Full view (able to see the whole room)
It is common for interviewees to choose a clean space, a close-up camera that captures the applicant’s face with a blank background – a painted wall.
The camera position is highly important as discussed in our ‘online interview tips’ article. But a blank background can be boring. A white wall doesn’t say anything about the candidate’s personality. Some hiring managers may even feel the applicants are hiding something.
If a blank wall is chosen, use a coloured wall. Ideally blue. Blue conveys relaxation, calmness and as discussed in Very Well Mind, blue is associated with stability and reliability.
Your Background Shows Who You Are
The background an applicant chooses says a lot about them, often speaking to the employer’s subconscious decision-making process.
Having one or two items in the background makes the who image a little more interesting. Too many items make a ‘busy’ image that can be distracting.
The question is, what to choose to place in the background? A bookshelf filled with industry-related books can create the impression of authority or knowledge. But bookshelves can be overcrowded.
A few books on each shelf separated by an additional item can make a cleaner and more professional background.
Plants are ideal for an online interview background. Potted plants, especially in bloom, are pleasing to the eye. They look good in the background and help create a calming atmosphere.
Ensure the plant isn’t looking dried up, shriveled, or dead.
Whichever object is chosen should be to one side of the frame, not taking more space than 1/6th of the whole space.
Don’t Show Everything
A full room frame is bad for virtual interviews. One, in a full view, shot the applicant’s face is less clear which leads to less non-verbal communication, facial expressions.
In addition, a full view of the room will either show too much – which is distracting, can highlight mess which doesn’t create a good impression, or has lots of clear space, which is seen as boring.
Camera, Lights, Action
Finally, think about the essentials of creating a video. The virtual interview setup is similar to setting up a space for a video or film.
One of the most important elements of being on camera is the lighting. Some candidates will set up the camera with a large window behind, where the sun blinds the interview panel, hiding the applicant’s face.
Others will set up the video call in a dark room with little like creating dark shadows that create a horror film type of environment.
If a job seeker has the equipment, they can set up lighting behind the camera facing the interviewee which lights up their face. If not, a cheaper option if to have the camera in front of a large window, facing the job candidate, allowing the sun to naturally light up the room.
The idea is to find a well-lit clean room where the job hunter feels relaxed and calm. Ensure the room is clean and add one or two small items in the background, a flower or book.
Most job applicants fear the job interview. Some, who are highly anxious, will even go as far as turning down an interview offer due to excessive low confidence.
This fear is real. In fact, the fear of speaking in front of strangers or in public – also known as glossophobia, is the number one fear in the world.
The job interview can double the impact of glossophobia and many candidates put an ‘all or nothing’ association on the job they are applying for – “if I fail this job interview, I will always be stuck in a job I hate”.
An article on Psychology Today explained how confidence comes from experiencing achievement in a task. There more you are successful in a task the more confident (in that task) you will be.
Most people fear public speaking, job interviews, or talking to strangers because of a previous negative experience. The experience of failure increases anxiety and fear.
As an example, a job hunter will fear being invited to an interview for a job they truly desire because of a past memory: when they were asked to read out a text in front of their classmates in school or their first public speaking experience that ended in disaster.
The job interview should be easy. Interviewees are asked questions about something they know well – themselves. Job applicants’ confidence should be high. If an application has resulted in a job interview offer from one company, it should then result in a second interview from another organization. This means a failed job interview can be a learning point that will increase future job interview performance and the applicant’s interview identity.
These 7 ideas will help you improve your interview confidence and interview performance.
People buy what they like.
In the psychology of sales, the ‘liking principle’ is quoted as one of the key determinators in persuading customers to make a purchase.
It works through creating a likeability association. As an example, many brands will use celebrity endorsements to sell their products. Example: The audience likes George Clooney, so they will like a coffee brand if they see Clooney drinking that coffee brand in a TV advert – even though the audience knows Mr. Clooney was paid to star in the TV commercial.
Tupperware famously embedded likeability into the sales of its product. Rather than have their products in retail stores (they tried this approach and it failed) they created Tupperware parties. A host would invite friends and family round for a party and promote the Tupperware products. People purchased the products, not because they were good or they needed them, they made purchases because they liked the host – their friend or relative.
To improve your interview outcome, you can create likeability.
Likeability can start prior to the job interview. We know from recent data that 70% of employers check social media before a recruitment day. Create likeability through a second persuasion law – authority. If an employer views an applicant’s LinkedIn profile and the feed is filled with relevant industry insights, sector-related intelligence, and positive opinions the employer will create a halo effect that will have a big influence on the interview outcome.
Research has also found that commonality creates likeability. By disclosing information that highlights commonalities with the hiring manager a positive impression will be made. Commonality can include, well anything: same interest or hobbies, attending the same university, or living in the same town.
Which interview timeslot to choose
Timing makes all the difference. The interview timeslot allocation given to each interviewee makes seem unimportant. In fact, the timeslot can change the way an employer scores the applicant.
The timeslot is related to the hiring manager’s confidence in conducting the interview, the interview panel’s tiredness or alertness, and if you become the baseline applicant.
Research has found that the first interviewee becomes the baseline applicant – following interview scores for other candidates are influenced by the original scores given to the initial interviewee.
The final applicant of the day is often interviewed by a panel of hiring managers who are tired from a full day of recruitment affecting how they view the last interviewee. And post-dinner candidates are affected by biology – the process of digesting food affects a person’s decision-making processes.
It’s the second or third interview time slot around 10:30-11:00 that is the ideal interview timeslot.
What we see we feel
Whatever the mind focuses on the body feels. A person looking forward to a holiday, a networking event or a job interview will feel positive. Whereas someone who fears flying, is anxious about meeting strangers or someone who hates talking about themselves will have a negative response to a holiday, networking event, or job interview.
If what you imagine you feel, you can feel positive about a job interview by imagining yourself being successful in a forthcoming recruitment process.
To have a lasting impact, the process has to start with a relaxed state. Taking deep breaths or imagining being in a relaxed place; a countryside or peaceful beach helps to calm the mind and body. In this peaceful state imagine by relaxed during a job interview, then imagine being confident in a job interview, and final imagine being charismatic in a job interview. Make each visualisation vivid; see yourself confident, hear yourself being confident, and feel confident.
The repetition of the visualisation creates new neuro-pathways that create a positive association: job interview = calm and confident.
The hands have it
A little technique to help improve the first impressions is to manipulate the hands.
Anxiety kicks off the fight or flight response which sends oxygen from non-virtual parts of the body (hands and feet) to essential organs. The redirection of the blood cells leaves hands feeling cold and clammy.
At the initial introduction, where a welcome handshake is expected, the first impression is weak as a damp and cold handshake has a negative unconscious bias.
To be viewed as confident requires a warm and firm introductory handshake. When you arrive for the interview, either accept a cup of coffee (and wrap your hands around the warm cup) or visit the bathroom and hold your hands under the warm water for a few seconds, to warm the hands.
Turn off your phone the night before
One sleep study showed how using your phone three hours before you plan to go to bed can disrupt your sleep.
In addition, many people charge their phones overnight in the bedroom. If the phone is left on small LED lights will be on display. The brain is trained to stay more awake when there is light. Charging the phone in a different room, and having thick curtains to cut out any streetlights allows for a deeper sleep.
Deeper sleeping restores energy, increases blood supply, and improves cognitive ability. All this helps the brain to respond to tricky interview questions.
Create high status
How we view ourselves, as high or low status, is leaked through our language. The language used in a job interview is subconsciously filtered by the hiring manager creating a ‘gut feeling’.
As an example, a low status would use weak language such as ‘try’ – ‘I would try my best’ compared to a high-status person who uses assertive language ‘will’ – ‘I will achieve the task’.
One experiment found that writing a letter to yourself that assertively states skills, strengths and abilities increase self-worth, creating high status. The letter must use positive language, be true, and be assertive.
Get good at asking questions
The tip to improve a job interview outcome seems a little odd, it’s to be good at asking, not answering questions.
Obviously, in a job interview, the ability to confidently communicate competencies within a job interview answer is essential. But what makes a person stand out is their ability to ask the interview panel questions.
Questions create a conversation. Conversations improve likeability. Likeability, or rapport, increases job offers.
Also, the ability to ask questions relaxes the interviewee and helps them to clarify the required content of the interview answer.
At the interview start, the applicant can ask the interview panel questions about their day or the company.
During the questions, the candidate can ask for specifics to generic questions and can ask the employer’s opinion or an aspect of the interview question.
Towards the interview end, the employer will allow the interviewee to ask any questions to help clarify the company culture and job role.
Asking questions shows confidence, and confidence is a quality that all employers want staff to possess.
Questions, or their answers, also allow the applicant to decide if the employer is one they want to work for.
Confidence equals charisma and a charismatic interviewee is the one who steals the job offer
Don’t ever underestimate the power of a confident interviewee. Confidence is the packing for your gift and your gift of course is your unique selling point. People admire confidence, are spellbound by charisma and are naturally persuaded by those who ooze self-esteem.
This article will teach you how to increase your job interview confidence, confidence that will win you the job offer.
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Job Interview Confidence #1
Confidence is an emotional state. The natural state for most in the job interview is anxiety.
This technique is quick and powerful and will spin your anxiety into a feeling of extreme confidence
First think about being in a job interview. As you imagine this situation, focus on the feeling of anxiety inside of you. Notice where this anxious feeling originates from in your body; your stomach, feet, chest, head
As you focus on this feeling of anxiety you will feel it move inside of you, you will feel it spinning. Imagine you can see this spinning feeling and give it a colour.
Imagine pushing the feeling externally. See it spinning in front of you.
Flip this spinning feeling back on itself so it spins in the opposite direction, spin it faster and faster, faster still until it changes colour.
Once it changes colour, push it back inside of you replacing the old feeling. Spin it faster and faster inside of you until you start to feel the feeling of confidence spreading throughout the whole of your body.
Do this before your job interview and you will double your job interview confidence
Job Interview Confidence #2
All job interview coaches will tell you to use examples and stories to sell your skills and unique selling points. This is a great strategy to adopt.
Using stories has a confident side effect, it makes you feel more confident. Anxious interviewees have an external perspective, they focus on the employer’s reaction. By using stories you will naturally go inside yourself, imagining the event from your own eyes as you dictate the story-line.
When you have this internal focus your fear evaporates and you focus on the emotions attached to the story – which will be positive as the story or example will be one of you being at your best
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Job Interview Confidence #3
Put yourself into awkward situations
Confidence comes from familiarity. This is why most people are anxious in job interviews, this random activity – the job interview, is so uncommon that your frame of reference is one of fear. By making, being the focus of attention, a common experience, you eradicate the fear through exposure.
Attend public speaking groups, approach and talk to strangers, go to speed dating, as for directions…anything to get you speaking more. To key skills, you will want to learn and develop is improv speaking and debating
Job interviews are competitive. It simply isn’t good enough to discuss your past experiences. Instead you need to stand out in the job interview, you need to create an unbreakable bond with the interviewer and you need to be seen as pure gold.
These 3 techniques will help you influence the job interview outcomes.
Taking off the Invisibility Cloak
You might not believe this, because you put so much effort into your job interview……but most job interviewers forget the people they have interviewed.
Thats right, interviewers will forget the people they have interviewed, wrongly believe that one applicant said a key point when in actual fact it was there competitor who discussed it and interviewers can even associate their mad-mood onto the applicants interview.
You need to be remembered and to be remembered in a positive light. To stand out in you job interview it is important to make the interview an emotional journey. 3 ways to create an emotional journey are:
Use intriguing stories instead of generic interview answers
Embed your answers with emotionally based words
People remembering being praised. If you make the interviewer, through positive praise, feel good about themselves, they will remember you more
Having a Unique Selling Point
People applying for positions in the same salary bracket tend to have similar experiences, skills and qualifications.
To boost your chances of having a positive interview outcome you need to stand out in the job interview. But more then standing out, you need to be seen as a valuable asset. To stand out you need a Unique Selling Point
What do you possess in terms of skills, qualities and experiences that others don’t:
Can you turn around under performing teams?
Can you make companies on the bleak of bankruptcy profitable?
Can bring in high levels of business?
Ensure you discuss your unique selling point throughout the job interview
Come Across Confident
Confidence is undervalued in the job interview.
People believe what confident people say, people are influence by confidence and confidence is an attractive quality.
You need to boost your confidence levels by going to the job interview well prepared, practiced and feeling good about yourself. Boost your confidence by:
Predicting the job interview questions – read the job spec and turn each criteria into an interview question
Record and re-write your interview answers 3 times as this improves the quality of the interview answer and helps you to remember your answers
Attend a mock interview with a friend or interview coach, as this helps you prepare for unrehearsed questions
