Virtual Interview, Now What? Here Are My Top 6 Easy Tips for Being Successful

Research Goes A Long Way

Most people don't know that you don't have to walk into an interview without some knowledge of what to be prepared for. The internet is a great way to get some insight into the questions that hiring leaders and/or recruiters will ask during the interview. Glassdoor is one of my favorite places to go to gain a better understanding of what to be prepared for. People basically give you the answers on there, so why not take advantage of it, right? Also, understanding the average compensation range for what your level of experience is prior to any interview can help eliminate a lot of wasted time. Salary.com and Payscale.com are my go "two" sites that I use to see how salaries compare from city to city.

Ask The Recruiter

What is a recruiter for if not to help get you to the next level? Us recruiters play the Devil's advocate on a daily basis and our goal isn't to hinder you from getting the job but rather make ourselves look good in the fact that we know how to find great, quality candidates. We know better than anyone what the hiring leader is looking for, and while I'll never tell a candidate exactly what to say or how to say it, I will give some hints or clues as to what they should expect and what they need to be prepared for. Then I leave it up to the candidate to be resourceful and do their own due diligence in figuring out how what I meant and how they should proceed.

Know Whom You're Interviewing With, Inside and Out

I walked into a meeting once with a CEO who, I will admit, was a jerk because his goal (in my opinion) was to intimidate everyone around him. He asked me a question I'll never forget - "What is my background and what do you know about me?" In my 4 years of owning my own company, I have always researched whom I had meetings with but he was looking for a very in-depth description, and with it being on the spot, I had to be honest and say: "I know you've been in healthcare and have held many Executive titles, but I'm not exactly sure of the in-depth details, and I apologize for not being better prepared." I stepped up my research game significantly after that, and now I don't walk into meetings unless I know everyone I'm interviewing/meeting with and have my detailed notes on the things I found to be most important during my research.

Dress Appropriately - From HEAD to TOE

I think we've probably all seen some horror stories out there about people having virtual interviews and standing up and only having boxers on but they completely forgot and horrified their interviewers. If you're a man, dress in suit and tie and in my opinion, be clean-shaven if your beard is scraggly. If you're a woman, wear minimal jewelry and have on a nice, corporate style dress or pencil skirt and nice shirt paired with a jacket/blazer if needed. The saying: "Dress for the job you want," is so simple yet so true. Wearing something you feel confident in will only help boost your mood and help to maintain that confidence throughout the interview.

Don't Be Distracted

I understand a lot of people are working from home, but an interview is not the time to have your dog chasing his tail and barking or your children sword fighting in the hallway outside of the door. As a hiring leader. I know that things happen - especially if you're a single parent or your spouse is busy, but being prepared will help negate situations like these so you can be FOCUSED, calm, cool and collected. First impressions are everything and according to different studies, you have anywhere from 2 - 30 seconds to either make a good first impression or a bad one. Overcoming a bad first impression could take a long time so make sure you have all of your ducks in a row, and you're somewhere quiet, with good lighting and ZERO distractions. (Pssst - you don't even need your cell phone either. And if your i-watch dings, for the love of God, please don't look at it! One of my biggest pet peeves.)

Ask GREAT Questions

I think a lot of people go into interviews nervous about asking questions or feeling as though they didn't prepare the right ones. Always do your research, and be curious about why the role is open in the first place. Is it to replace someone who left? If so, why did that person leave? Or maybe the person was promoted. If that's the case, what position were they promoted to, and is that the position you're working towards? Another question is to ask what type of leader your manager is - are they a micro-manager and they're always watching everything you do? Or are they a hands-off leader and expect you to be responsible for your own success? Don't just stick to the normal "What are the challenges of this position?" - although I like that question too, but rather dig deeper. Find out who you'll be working for. Remember, you're interviewing them just as much, if not more, as they're interviewing you.