What is one tip for getting out of a virtual interviewing rut?
To help job-seekers break through a virtual interviewing rut, we asked HR leaders and recruiting professionals this question for their best advice. From revamping your interview space to changing your pre-interview rituals, there are several tips that may help you get out of a virtual interviewing rut and one step closer to your ideal career.
Here are 12 tips for getting out of a virtual interviewing rut:
Revamp Your Interview Space
Have Your Camera On and Express Your Personality
Learn a New Skill
Find Interview Buddies
Switch Up Your Interview Schedule
Build a Job Search Support System
Get Referrals from Vetted Sources
Have a One-Shot Mindset
Energy is the Key
Imagine You Are Solving a Puzzle
Focus On Others More Than On Yourself
Switch Up Your Interview Pre-game
Revamp Your Interview Space
Giving your space a few upgrades can give you the confidence you need to nail your next interview. Consider adding a piece of your favorite art or a few of your favorite books in the background to not only highlight your interests but to make you feel more comfortable while you're interviewing. Once you have your space set, you can even consider buying a new outfit to interview in. Looking and feeling your best helps ease nerves and prepares you to put your best (digital) foot forward for your interviews.
Himanshu Agarwal, WorkBoard
Have Your Camera On and Express Your Personality
Virtual interviews can be dry, but you can still showcase your personality through the call. Always having your camera on is vital for interviewing candidates and ensuring they have their cameras on. Reading people's expressions and facial emotions is a significant component of connecting with people during the interview stage. Making small talk before or after the interview can help break up the coldness of the call. Think about what's done in person - and how can you showcase the human element virtually? This is going to be necessary during the calls.
Annie Raygoza, WebEnertia
Learn a New Skill
Take advantage of the virtual interviewing era by using the time to improve your knowledge. Learn a new skill, like reading body language. There are endless books and resources online that can help you learn more about what your candidates’ posture and facial expressions say about them during an interview. Challenge yourself to use a word of the day in every new interview to keep things fresh, exciting, and personable. Go beyond standard interview questions; instead, do a deep dive into the advanced skills needed for the position so you can set your team up for success by making sure a candidate is truly qualified.
Tammy Cohen, InfoMart
Find Interview Buddies
Virtual interviews after a while can be tough, looking into a camera with a bright light in your face can start feeling more like an interrogation than an interview. I encourage my coaching clients to find an interview buddy with who they can practice in person. Taking time to practice what you want to say and how you want to say it with another person in the same room is critical to calming your nerves and ensure your responses aren't stale when you're in the moment of actually interviewing with a prospective new employer.
Barbie Winterbottom, the Business of HR
Switch Up Your Interview Schedule
To avoid virtual interview burnout, switch things up! Whether it's where you sit to conduct your interviews or the days and times you schedule interviews. Give yourself the afternoon or morning for other tasks and batch your virtual interviews together whenever possible, and/or have specific interview days that then allow you to have one or two days for your other tasks and a rest from the virtual world.
Jenna Hinrichsen, Advanced RPO
Build a Job Search Support System
If you find yourself in a virtual interviewing rut, consider reaching out to professionals who can assist you in the job search department. Researching and connecting with the right recruiters, career coaches, and resume writers can be a great way to receive fresh and insightful perspectives to improve your approach when looking for a new opportunity.
Benjamin Farber, Bristol Associates, Inc.
Get Referrals from Vetted Sources
Interviewing is an essential process that helps the organization sift through a ton of applicants to look for the best fit for the team. However, it can be repetitive and tiring.
You can tap your network and ask them to refer you trusted and vetted individuals who they have worked with or are continuously working with. The good thing with this is that they already have a proven track record. Leaders are also less likely to refer someone who will bring them down. Alternatively, look for agencies. Most agencies have a pool of diverse workers whom they have already sifted and interviewed so you no longer have to do it.
Ian Sells, RebateKey
Have a One-Shot Mindset
I encourage my clients to believe it only takes one! Don’t waste your time with low energy or negativity. Before the meeting, stand up, jump around, smile, sing! Remember a joke and laugh. Enjoy the time you have- regardless of the outcome– you’ll feel great knowing you gave it your all.
Jennifer Peatman, Coaching and Consulting
Energy is the Key
Bringing your "A" game during what can be stressful sometimes can be challenging. It is important to remember that the organization chose you for the interview and they want to see an alert and positive person during this
interaction.Before your interview:
Clear your space of any clutter
Be in a well-lit area
Exercise and get your heart rate up
All of these options will help you to prepare for a great interview and bring energy to the interaction.
Michelle Lenore, LENS Consulting Firm
Imagine You Are Solving a Puzzle
When you're interviewing potential candidates, you're looking for the best fit for both the role and the company. If you're interviewing a lot of candidates, it can start to feel formulaic. But if you come to it like you're solving a puzzle and approach each individual candidate with deep curiosity, it can be more fun. You can connect with them from a stronger place, even when you're on a screen. You're looking for all the attributes of the person who will be a great fit in the whole picture. Think about all those dimensions that need to fit and be curious about each candidate's individual piece fitting into your puzzle – not just their experiences but their values and their career story too.
Sonya Shelton, Executive Leadership Consulting
Focus On Others More Than On Yourself
Take the focus off yourself and keep things interesting by paying close attention to others - the interviewers. You want to understand them. Try to think of relevant questions tailored to specific positions and interviews. Asking good, interesting questions helps you stand out and decide if the position is right for you. Note and write down your observations after your interview. This can also give you ideas for follow-up correspondence.
Ludmila Praslova, Vanguard University of Southern California
Switch Up Your Pre-Interview Rituals
We all have our pre-interview rituals to get us in the right mind-frame and energy to show up to the interview as our best self. (These are in addition to the company, interviewer, etc. research you're doing). If you're in a virtual interview rut, rethink how you prepare for interviews - get outside, try a new breathing exercise, designate a new pre-interview theme song, schedule interviews for a different time of day, test a new workout, or even switch up your pre-interview coffee flavor. Adding some variety to how you prepare for an interview can help spark new energy that is so easily depleted when you've been interviewing a lot or just from the barrier of a screen during interviews.
Dana Hundley, Allspring
Brett Farmiloe is the Founder and CEO – and currently CHRO - of Terkel.io, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their
insights. Brett is a #SHRM22Influencers and has also been a keynote speaker at several state SHRM conferences around the topic of employee engagement.
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