Sunday, April 24, 2011
10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interview
Life After College: "You may already know this, but allow me to reiterate: corporate HR has discovered Skype. And they’re using it with increasing frequency to interview candidates. It’s cheaper than flying you in, and it’s more personal than a phone call.We10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interviewlcome to your huge advantage in the job search. Do use it accordingly. Even if you’re not job searching, these tips are helpful for any Skype calls you do, including informal interviews and networking.
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8 comments:
I found these tips to be really useful. I had my first experience doing a Skype interview this spring with a company in Brooklyn, and the thing I found the most difficult was multitasking. I mean this in the sense that I tried hard to make eye contact with the interviewers, but I was also checking how I looked on my screen, and my eyes would dart down as I tried to take notes inconspicuously. The key thing, I think, is to make sure you're well-lit, and be gracious and patient. Be aware that there's probably a delay, and don't forget to smile.
Skype is very strange. I had an interview at the beginning of the year for a work study job. It's difficult not to look at the screen, and it's often difficult for me to get lighting and camera angle right. I much prefer in-person interviews to Skype or phone, but this is the wave of the future. I think these are good tips for Skype, but I do think it's important to look like you are prepared for an in-person interview.
I recently had a Skype interview, and with the shitty wifi connection, my call got dropped about three times. That being said, for me personally, Skype interviews are less daunting than in-person interviews. My CMU interview was perhaps the most bizarre as I had to show my portfolio pieces through the tiny webcam due to the snowpocalypse. But I still had a relatively nice interview. I really don't know what it's like to be on the other side of the interview, but I might even prefer Skype over in-person ones for the sake of convenience and comfort on my part. I still haven't perfected the eye contact, however...
I also found these tips very useful. The eye contact note is very interesting. It's so tempting not to look at the person you're talking to...but if you do then they see you looking down. I think that getting the hang of that would definitely take practice, but it seems like the smart thing to do. The lighting note made me laugh because I remember trying to get the lighting just right when I had my Skype interview. It was hard to find a balance between having a ton of shadow on my face and too much light coming from in front of me. This definitely taught me that it's good to take some time before a Skype interview to really check your environment. I think Skype interviews are very cool. They seem more personal than phone interviews, and I think having a conversation with someone is a lot easier when you can see their body language. I think Skype interviews still seem a little awkward because everyone's still getting used to the program (and figuring out how to look at the webcam). I actually did my last Cirque interview over Skype and it took them three minutes to figure out how to get their picture to show up. They ended up making jokes about how they could run a gigantic circus but not Skype. It ended up really calming my nerves and making the whole interview more comfortable for all of us.
These are such great tips! In this decade, it's important to get tips like this out to the public. i particularly feel that the tip to look at the camera in very important to point out, since it is so tempting to look at the screen. One would not think that this was such an important part of a skype interview, but form the other end, this could be a very big deal.
This is a good article with basic tips that we should definitely use and might forget. Skype interviews are very awkward and skype calls can be awkward in general. Making eye contact with the camera is one thing I found the most important and interesting. If you are staring at the screen when they will mostly be looking at you, there will be some odd times because its not very personal. Thinking about this as a real interview and taking the time to make sure that your location and technology is up to date might be something people forget to do but is a big flaw seen all the time.
I don't know why we need to be told to make eye contact, but I hope that this is common sense and not something that an article needs to tell you. I haven't done any formal interviews over Skype, but having the small image of what you look like over the screen is actually really helpful in keeping good eye contact. Although the technology can make things awkward, I think that small aspect of the program can be really useful. It's important to find a way to seat yourself so that looking at the screen and looking at the camera are close to the same, so that it looks like you are making eye contact while looking at the screen.
I truly appreciate this article for providing information that is both useful and extremely relative to today's job hunting world. It wasn't until I began skyping with family members that I realized the strange nuances that I have when I communicate with people. As noted in this article, it's good to practice, as it may come as a surprise the interesting reactions that subconsciously have when talking to people. This has not only helped me in my Skype communication but also in everyday life interactions. I am more conscious of my facial expressions, but intentional and unintentional.
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