This Is How You Nail Your Remote Interview
Interviews. They can be intimidating. They can also be, and often are, the key to landing the job. That being said, it’s important to be prepared for them, and that means a lot more than merely signing on to Skype five minutes before it’s your time to shine.
While the improv nature of the interview will always be difficult to prep for beforehand, there are plenty of things you can do to get yourself feeling as ready as ever for whatever questions are thrown your way. When it comes to being interviewed, there’s no such thing as being overprepared.
Once you’ve got a remote interview in the books, mark the date in your calendar and start prepping. This is how you nail a remote interview.
1. Be there on time.
Mark your calendar. Set alarms. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you are not late for your remote interview. It may seem like an obvious tip, but there’s nothing more frazzling than forgetting about your interview and then signing on ten minutes late.
You want to approach your interview with a calm and cool demeanor, and the best way to do that is by being on time, even if it is from halfway across the globe.
Insider Tip: Also, if your interview is from halfway across the globe, make sure you confirm the time zone beforehand.
2. Do your research on the company.
You don’t want to go into an interview knowing nothing about the company or the position. Before the interview takes place, do everything in your power to research the company, its mission, and its values. Also spend time getting to know every angle of the position and what it requires.
Most interviewers will ask if you have any questions for them before or after the interview. You should. Doing this shows your investment in the job, as well as your enthusiasm for the company.
3. Practice answering typical interview questions.
There’s no better way to prepare for a remote interview than by practicing your answers to remote interview questions ahead of time. Write down every question you can think of on notecards and spend time preparing your responses.
You don’t want to sound rehearsed during your interview, but you also don’t want to freeze on the spot. Instead of preparing monologues, memorize the major bullet points of what you want to be sure to cover during your interview. This way, you can be prepared without sounding like a script.
Insider Tip: Practice answering not so typical interview questions. Need some prompts? We’ve got them. Check out our roundup of 40 unique interview questions for any position.
4. Prepare work samples.
Having work samples on hand is a wonderful way to truly steal the show during your interview. Nothing shows off a person’s skills better than examples of already completed projects.
It’s a smart idea to have available links or easily transferable files to your work that you can send over to your interviewer while you’re talking, or after the interview is over.
Talk is cheap, but actual work can move mountains.
5. Dress professionally.
Finally, even though you aren’t having an in-person interview with your potential employer, you are still going to be seeing each other via video. We’ve got two words for you: dress professionally. Pick out your interview outfit a day or two before the big day so that you’re not scrambling twenty minutes before it’s go time.
Insider Tip: Also spend some time beforehand deciding where you want to set up your computer for the interview. A quiet, clean, well-lit location is ideal.
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This article was originally published on Remote.com
