Zoom interviews! If you are a fresh college graduate looking for a job that is even remotely in the career field you got your degree in, then you are probably familiar with the newest form of conducting and scheduling a Zoom interview. I have yet to schedule a Zoom interview, but I have a feeling it will come sooner rather than later. Based on the many tips, advice, stories, and videos that have been made and shared, regarding Zoom interviews, I assume that not many people know how to properly be involved in a Zoom interview. For a better idea and understanding, here are the 12 do’s and don’ts of Zoom interviews.
Honestly, I do not understand why in your fresh-out-of-college mind some of you would think that because of the pandemic that it is okay to wear your pajamas to a scheduled Zoom interview. Seriously? This is the interview you have been waiting months for, and now that you have it, your attire of choice is your matching PINK fleece pajama set?
It is a common interview courtesy to never leave the room once you have entered or the interview has started. Whether you have to use the bathroom, forgot something in your car, feel some leftover spinach in your teeth, and you want to excuse yourself to get it out. Tough luck. Once you are in the room of the interview and the door is closed, you have no choice but to push through with the interview and move forward with it. The same courtesy and common sense should be applied when being part of a Zoom interview. Besides, if it really mattered then you would have remembered or checked your teeth beforehand.
Are you kidding me? You think just because you are home and being quarantined that it is not required of you to wear pants to a Zoom interview. Whether you can see your bottom half or not, always wear pants! If not pants, then at least slip on a skirt, please.
During a Zoom interview, you must have all of your paperwork prepper and ready before the interview. You would not want to look like disorganized while searching for your paperwork, or anything else you may need for the interview.
While you are being interviewed via Zoom, be sure not to lean back or recline in the chair or seating you have chosen for the said, Zoom interview. Not only does posture say a lot about your work ethic, but it also makes you appear lazy. Like you kind of have an I-don’t-care attitude. Trust me, if they can read this through an in-person interview than the interviewers will be able to see this via the Zoom interview.
Again, with the interview courtesy. I cannot stress this enough. During a Zoom interview, refrain yourself from looking, touching, or even thinking about other devices that may be in the room you are using for your Zoom interview. This includes cell phones, computers, iPads, or even a book. Your attention should 100% be on your interviewers and answering their questions as earnestly and professionally as you can.
Before your Zoom interview, you must choose a room to have it in. I recommend doing this a couple of days before your interview. Once you have done this, be sure to clean it and make it look presentable for your Zoom interview. This maybe your room and your house, but that does not mean that your area, room, or space should not look presentable. No interviewer wants to see a disorganized and messy room. Especially one who is genuinely considering you for a role or position.
Blocking out any unnecessary sound or noise is essential to a successful interview. The best way to do this for a scheduled Zoom interview is to wear headphones, earbuds, or Air pods. If you do not have any of these sound blocking devices, then I advise you to ask a friend, relative, or neighbor if they have a pair you can borrow for your Zoom interview. I am sure if you explain the situation, they will understand.
Like I said before, do not wear your pajamas to a Zoom interview. Wear pants or slip on a pencil skirt. Throw on an ironed blouse and blazer, and do not forget to do your hair and makeup. I know this may all seem tedious, because you are home, and it is not like you are driving to your interview. It is a Zoom interview. Still, just because you are not physically there, at an interview, does not mean appearances do not matter. First impressions always matter.
Back to interview courtesy. Like the do-not-leave-the-room-once-you-enter rule, you should refrain from eating drinking anything during your Zoom interview. Not only can this be seen as a sign of disrespect, but it can also be viewed as a sign of being unprepared.
Whether you live alone, with roommates, your parents, or your dog, make sure to close the door of the room you are using for your Zoom interview. I highly doubt your interviewers are going to want to hear what your roommates have to say about the Tiger King, or the neighbors’ dog barking at the running squirrel.
Lastly, when being a part of a scheduled Zoom interview, do not mute your interviewers. Ever! Not only does it come across as inappropriate, insulting, and overall rude, but there are the chance and possibility that you may forget to unmute them.
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