If you are also preparing for an online interview to land your dream job, we will cover some prerequisites you need to consider and tips you should follow to ace your online interview.
1. Explore Your Employer
You should spend some time researching your employer before preparing for your interview. If a company does not have a professional website, starting your search on LinkedIn is the best option.
Check out the company your employer is associated with, what they do, understand their motto, and how you can contribute to their success. By aligning your expertise with employers’ needs and expressing your passion for following their motto, you show your commitment, and the employer will see you as a hardworking professional.
Identifying and addressing the pain points is essential. Thus, the more time you spend understanding your employer’s needs, the better you will perform during the interview.
2. Brainstorm Possible Questions and Plan How to Answer
Think of questions the employers might ask you during the interview based on the information you gathered while researching him and the type of job you are applying for.
Prepare the answers to general questions by brainstorming them, so you can answer them well during your interview. However, answer questions naturally during the interview, even if you prepare them beforehand, and avoid sounding scripted. Careermatch, Skillscouter, Indeed, and similar sources can help you find the relevant questions for the position you’ve applied for.
3. Give a Mock Interview
Interviews can be stressful, especially if it’s your first one. Hence, try a mock interview to identify your strengths, filter out the areas that need improvement, and get accustomed to the interview atmosphere.
Having someone in your network with expertise in the relevant field to conduct your interview is a plus, but if you don’t know anyone, several online sources can help. You have the chance to give an interview through platforms such as Pramp, interviewing, and InterviewBuddy, giving you a real-life experience of what an interview is like.
Experienced instructors, on the other end, interview you and evaluate your performance just like the real one. Every time you have an interview, you receive feedback that will help you identify your weak spots and strengthen them before the big day.
Find out what more these platforms can do for you and how they can help you better prepare for interviews in our article covering different mock interview websites to help you land your dream job. Besides identifying where you can improve, mock interviews are a great way to boost your confidence, which will allow you to perform better during an actual interview.
4. Sign In on Time
Attending the interview on time, or even a few minutes early, is a sign of punctuality. Every company values this attribute highly. Hence, setting a reminder in advance is imperative to avoid forgetting the interview time.
You can set a reminder using a task management app, TickTick. Here is how:
Open TickTick. Go to your Inbox in the left-sidebar. Create the task title, such as, “Sign in for an interview. " In the task box, click the calendar symbol. Click on the Reminder and choose Custom. Set the “Days in advance” and select your desired time for the reminder. Click OK. Hit Enter.
The above steps will create a task with a reminder. You will now receive a TickTick notification when the time for the interview approaches. For those who prefer not to use this method, you can use the other reminder apps on your cell phone instead.
5. Ensure Your Tech Gadgets Don’t Fail You
There is no doubt that our tech gadgets sometimes malfunction at crucial times. To prevent that from happening during your online interview, make sure your gadgets are working at their best. Here are a few general checks you should make before the interview process begins:
Consider making a call to a friend of yours through the same app you will use during the interview to ensure that the microphone works properly. If you’re expecting a video call interview, make sure your webcam isn’t having issues. You can confirm this by making a video call to your friend using the same app. Make sure your Wi-Fi is working correctly and restart your router to rule out any network issues. Ensure that the app you’re using has appropriately configured settings, i. e. , the audio isn’t muted, the video permissions aren’t blocked, etc. Ensure that your laptop is fully charged, or arrange for a power backup for an emergency. Make sure the light intensity is adequate where you plan to sit during the interview. Ensure that the earphones you are using are fully functional.
Performing the above checks will ensure your gadgets do not cause any problems. As such, you’d be ready to appear in an interview once everything has been appropriately set up.
6. Keep Alternatives Ready
Unless you must use a single app for an interview, set up and keep one or two other video conferencing apps open so that if anything goes wrong from your end, you can request the employer to switch to another app without taking so long. Choose the video conference apps based on the following criteria:
The app does not have a time limit for the call if you plan to use its free version. The company hasn’t reported any maintenance downtimes during your interview hours. The app has all the features you might need during an interview.
Don’t forget to properly configure the settings beforehand once you have chosen your options. Moreover, you can also request the interviewer to switch to the app of his preference if you start having trouble with the app during the interview.
Ace Your Online Interview With These Tips
Use the tips in the article to prepare well for the interview and not let anything stop you from landing your dream job.
If you have trouble preparing for the interview, check out websites such as the interview guys, interview school, and culture queries to manage your preparation and impress your interviewer.
