5 tips for candidates to have a successful pre-recorded video interview

July 29, 2020

 

iCIMS Staff

3 min read

Dear Candidate,

Congratulations, you are about to participate in an innovative recruiting experience: pre-recorded video interviewing. Instead of facing a person, you will be facing the camera through using your smartphone, tablet or computer. Here are our 5 tips for a successful video interview.

1. An informed candidate is a shortlisted candidate

Before you start selling your many qualities to the recruiter, make sure you have first identified all the essential information about the company: who they are and what they do. How many employees are in the team or department? Have a look at the trade and local media for coverage, you will find information which is not necessarily on the website.

Once you have the information on the company, ensure you have understood the position. Your time is precious and so is theirs! A recruiter will appreciate dealing with an applicant who has researched and understands the different duties and responsibilities for the role.

2. Look after your look!

To convey a positive image to your future employer, it starts with being neat and well presented; show the recruiter that you are serious about the video interview. The look you choose will depend on the type of job you are interviewing for. If you are not exactly sure if you need to wear a shirt or if a clean t-shirt will do, go look at pictures on the company website (which you should anyway as mentioned in our first point), career space, but also social media pages to get a general idea of the company culture and how casual people are. Either way, needless to say, PJs and sloppy clothes should be avoided at all cost. Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression!

3. Manage your environment

Choose a neutral location with a neutral background, or select one that conveys your personality, and make sure it’s in line with the position being promoted. To enhance our two previous points, the more informed you are about the company, the better you’ll identify what background fits best with the company culture. But most importantly, choose a place where you will not be disturbed or interrupted the duration of the interview, preferably a quiet room where you can be alone. Again, avoid interviewing on your bed or on a slouchy couch. Not only can it be interpreted as lack of serious, you can also be distracted more easily.

4. Prepare for the video interview

Ensure you have enough time; allow 15 to 20 minutes longer than the time indicated so that you are not at risk of being disturbed. If interviews stress you a lot, perhaps take extra time to review your notes and squeeze in a few breathing and relaxation exercises. Turn off your phone, check you have a steady internet connection and enough battery to last the interview.

5. Practice doing a video interview

Finally, practice talking face to camera;  EASYRECRUE allows you to respond as many times as you like to a test question to replicate the video interview. Take this exercise seriously. Practice your speech rate, your body language and how you appear, these are elements that grab the attention of the recruiter .

We wish you the best of luck with your interview, and hope that you enjoy this exercise. Feel free to give us your experience feedback, we would love to hear from you!

CONCLUSION:

Prepare and be prepared. Think about how you, your appearance and your environment will come across. And take the opportunity to practice prior to completing your video interview. And be yourself, as you can’t be anyone else.