We asked W. P. Carey Alumni: What are your top virtual interview strategies?
Here are 6 tips they shared:
- Make It Clear That You Want It
- Show Your Value and Interest Through Your Questions
- Practice Virtually
- Double-Check Your Environment
- Be Professionally Memorable With Personalized Follow Up
- Pretend You’re Filming a Movie
Make It Clear That You Want It
To stand out in a virtual interview, it’s important to really let your personality shine and make an impression on your interviewers as you won’t be able to physically be in the room with them when you speak. Have a unique, fun and tidy background to let your interviewers get a feel of who you are. Check out their Linkedin pages before you meet with them so they see your name ahead of your introduction. And make sure you share your camera during the interview so they can see your face and how you answer questions. Let the passion and excitement you have for the opportunity show across the virtual space!
Madelyn Lydon, W. P. Carey B.S. Marketing & Minor in Sustainability ‘14, Lydon Advertising
Show Your Value and Interest Through Your Questions
I recommend asking insightful questions during your interview. Asking unique and thoughtful questions is a fantastic way to express your genuine interest in the role and enthusiasm for the company. Examples of topics could be how the company measures performance, what is the team’s goals/initiatives, who are the cross-functional teams, or how they would describe the typical management style. This will demonstrate confidence in your value by showing you are also assessing if the role and company are the right fit for you. You have 100% control over the questions you ask, use them to become more informed about the expectations and culture of the organization you may join. As an interviewer, I always remember the candidates that make me think and reflect as well when answering their questions.
Madison Harris, W. P. Carey B.S. Finance & Supply Chain Management ‘19, GridMatrix
Practice Virtually
As an HR leader, I’ve done almost all of my interviews virtually since the pandemic started. Simply being comfortable communicating on whatever platform is being utilized helps candidates come off as more polished and prepared. Practice before the interview on the EXACT same video conferencing platform you’ll be interviewing with. Get to know the functionality and which buttons are where. Preview what will be in-screen and consider uploading a background image ahead of time. Remember that eye contact is still important! Put a small, eye-catching sticker next to your webcam to remind you where to look when you flash a confident smile.
Jolean Fleck, W. P. Carey MBA ‘08, Delta Dental of Arizona
Double-Check Your Environment
Most employers will use a common tool such as Zoom or Teams to meet with you, so you’ll want to think about what they can see and hear. Double-check your background and make sure it appears clean, professional and without items that might be distracting to the interviewer. Also, you should be in a spot with minimal noise, so you can hear the person with whom you’re speaking, and they can hear you. Be sure Spot’s spontaneous barking or Fluffy’s runs across your keyboard aren’t possible during your interview. (Save the pet intros for after you get the job!)
Melissa Armistead, W. P. Carey MBA International Business, Nexa Holdings
Be Professionally Memorable With Personalized Follow Up
With virtual interviews, the key is to make sure you show your engagement and energy through the video. Dress appropriately, mind your posture, declutter your background, and be sure you have a speedy internet connection. Ultimately you need to be professionally memorable and leave an impact on your interviewer through your presence and by showcasing the value you can bring to the company. The last key piece is a personalized follow up to each person you interviewed with, pulling in key details about them or topics from the interview along with one question to engage them deeper.
Alex Schutte, W. P. Carey B.S. Marketing & Minor in Communications 03’, Paycor
Pretend You’re Filming a Movie
You’ll want to do the following just as you would if preparing to film a movie:
Costume: Dress for the role you want, as if it were in-person, even if only from the waist up.
Set design, lighting and staging: Open the camera to see how you’ll appear on screen to the interview and adjust your seating, background and lighting accordingly.
Script: Have a list of questions and any notes you want to reference open and ready before the call begins.
Craft services: Keep water or another beverage nearby in case your throat goes dry.
Continuity: If you fidget when nervous (or in general), find something quiet to fidget with that you can use off-screen to avoid distracting the interviewer(s).
Shauna Fields, W. P. Carey B.S. Marketing ‘05 & MBA ‘20, GoDaddy
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