Most of people have done at
least one job interview in their lives. Some have done thousands of interviews
in the last years. If you ask your friends, they might associate the situation
“job interview” with something like “two people talking, one in front of the
other, one is taking notes, etc”.
However, things are changing
fast in the Human Resources area, and technology is playing a big role in the
recruitment field nowadays.
Companies’ wants to optimize
their employee´s time, save money and reach candidates from all over the world.
You might need your smartphone or your computer ready when you start your next
recruitment process.
If you are still not familiar
with other kinds of interview, or even if you are, but you are not very
comfortable with that yet, the following information might help you.
I personally prefer to do a
face-to-face interview, and have the candidate in person in front of me when I
do an interview. But I know that, in a Recruiter´s daily schedule, that is not
always possible. The more dynamic and international you go in the company and
position you are applying for, the most likely you are to have to use
technology even to start the recruitment process and send your CV.
I have selected thousands of
candidates for entry-level positions, staff level and Managers, and most of
them, at some point, were submit to an interview with the Recruiter or his
future Manager, and this interview was not in person.
Telephone interviews are
frequently used, but normally for a quick first screening of the candidate, to
confirm the key aspects of the CV and check if the candidate is ready to go to
the next step – which could be another interview.
I do not take the relevance of
a phone interview, because if you fail, you won´t go ahead in the process.
Still, at some point, you will have to show yourself more, literally “show your
face” to the Recruiter, and there are different ways to do that.
Skype interview, Video
interview and Video presentation: do you understand the differences between
them? Do you know how to prepare yourself for each of those situations? Let´s
review case by case shortly.
There might be slightly
variations from company to company about the following Recruitment tools, but
in any case, you will be able to get a general idea about it with the
information here. Your spotlight in any interview is being present in the
moment and show the best version of you as a candidate. Nothing else should be
distracting you from that.
If you already know what to
expect when you are invited for one of those kinds of interview, your stress
level will be lower and you will be able to focus only on what is relevant.
Video presentation:
You receive an invitation to record a video
about yourself and send the final version to the Recruiter. Most likely, this
video will have to be upload on the company´s webpage, so follow the
instructions you will receive in each case.
Typically, the company suggest some topics that the
candidate could speak about – for example: “Introduce yourself, tell us about a
moment that you exceed the guest´s expectation with your service; tell us about
a difficult situation at work and how did you solve it”. Try to speak about the
subject recommended by the Company, but also fell free to add any other
relevant information you consider. Show your unique skills as a candidate. This
is your chance to exceed the Recruiter´s expectations about this video.
Although many people feel
totally paralyzed in front of a video camera, and can be nervous only by
thinking about it, the good aspect about the video presentation is that you can
record it more than once if you need. You can practice what you want to say,
write down a script and record the video as many times as you want, until you
are satisfied enough with the version you want to send.
If you try to be perfect, you
will never get things done, so rehearse a few times, but do it at some point.
Please be careful with the size
of the video, because as a rule, there will be the maximum size mentioned somewhere
in the instructions. If your video is bigger than the limit the web accepts,
you won´t be able to upload it.
Video interview:
You receive a link and the instructions,
and once you click on the link, a specific question will show up on your screen.
You are supposed to answer that question in a period, and most likely, there
will be a watch or a live counter showing you the time passing.
You could have for example 2
minutes to answer each question. Once the time for the first question is over, the
next question will pop up on your screen, and you should answer now the new
question, considering the time limit. Interview follows this dynamic until all
the questions are “asked” by the computer and you record your reply.
In some companies, you have a
“practice time” before your reply starts to be recorded. It means you have some
extra time (like 30 seconds, for example) to think about the answer you want to
give to that question and to organize your ideas, before the official recording
starts.
You can do a quick rehearsal
of what you want to say, and once the practice time is over, the precise time
for recording the reply will start automatically. It is helpful to have a
“practice time”, but you might not have this option in all the cases.
Skype interview:
It is very similar to the
Video Interview, but in this case, you have a person on the other side of the
screen at the same time that you are online. This person will talk to you, you
won´t deal with a video nor a text in which you have to read the questions.
There is no “practice time” on
Skype interviews. Once the Recruiter online asks you a question, you should
start to answer immediately.
Commonly the candidate cannot
choose the interview method that the company will use to evaluate him. At some
point of the recruitment process, you should be informed about how the
interview will be conducted, and that´s it.
Because things work like that,
try to be familiar with those three methods and do not be afraid of the web cam.
You can record some silly
videos of yourself at home, watch then and record again, just to be more
comfortable speaking to a machine. You can also exercise speaking in front a
webcam recording a video about any topic you like and fell confident about it,
as a training (for example, speak for 2 minutes about your hobbies or your
morning routine). A part from that, think about the time and money you are
saving by not going in person to the interview place.
We are facing modern times,
and we all need to adjust to them…
For any of the Recruitment
tools mentioned before, you will need a good internet connection; a web cam; a
microphone; enough light (so the video recorded will show your face in a clear
and visible way, not a dark and unclear face) and headphones with microphone.
Headphones are not mandatory, but if you decide not to use then, at least make
sure there is enough silence in the room, so the sound of your voice can be
record in a clear way and you can hear the Recruiter or the computer´s
instructions.
You should read carefully the
instructions sent by the Recruiter or by the company, to see if there is any
specific requirement for computer programs that you need to install on your
computer before the interview or video recording starts. The technical requirements
will be on the instructions, and normally the demand is easy to fulfil.
In case you have doubts or
problems, try to contact the company before the interview time to clarify things
in advance. If you get all dressed and ready for the interview, and for some
reason the program does not open, you will for sure be nervous, so try to avoid
that.
As in any job interview,
please watch your appearance and try to avoid external noises and interruptions
during the process. Also, it´s always good to keep a glass of water close, a
pen and a paper (in case you need to write down something) and a copy of your
CV, just in case.
Do your best and go ahead!
As you know, English is not my
native language. I use it because I can reach more people and share my
experience with you. Feel free to visit my blog at julianarabbi.blogspot.com
and find more articles and videos.
Click here to watch the video on You Tube.
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