Online interviews: getting the room, camera and timing right

An online interview looks easier than going to the office, but there is more that can go wrong. The interviewer only sees you through a camera, so a dark picture, an echo or a dropped connection mid-answer can make a good answer sound worse.

The room

• Pick the quietest corner of your home and tell everyone when you must not be disturbed.
• Keep the background plain: a light wall or a tidy bookshelf. Skip virtual backgrounds unless you need one; the edges often break up.
• Rooms with carpet, curtains or furniture echo less than empty ones.

Camera and light

• Put the camera at eye level. On a laptop, raise it on a box or a few books.
• Frame yourself from head to mid-chest, with a little space above your head.
• Light should come from the front. Face the window; never sit with your back to it.
• When you speak, look at the camera, not at your own picture.

Sound and connection

• A headset with a microphone sounds far clearer than the built-in mic.
• Test the company's video app a day ahead: log in and install updates.
• Keep mobile data as a backup and note the coordinator's phone number. If you drop, message them straight away.
• Turn off notifications on both computer and phone.

Timing

• Join the waiting room 5 to 10 minutes early.
• If the company lets you choose, pick the time you feel freshest and that does not clash with anything else that day.
• If you want to know which time slots on your interview day support you and which way to face, try Interview Time. You only enter the interview date, no birth details. Use the seating direction when you set up your desk in front of the camera.

During the interview

Keep a note of key points beside the camera, but do not read from it. If you did not hear a question, ask for it again; it costs you nothing. At the end, say thank you and ask what the next step is.

Rehearse once

Ask a friend for a 10-minute video call in the same room at about the same time of day. You will catch light and sound problems you cannot see on your own.

See time slots and seating direction for your interview day at Interview Time, and turn on LINE job alerts from your account page.