According to some studies, over 4.5 million Filipinos were jobless in the last year, the highest it’s ever been in 15 years. Getting a job today is more important than ever for your continued safety and prosperity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably altered multiple facets of human society, especially commerce. As businesses shift their operations to accommodate stringent safety protocols to keep their employees safe, you must also change with the times.
One of the most significant ways the job market has altered is how employers conduct job interviews. Almost all job interviews are now done over the internet through video conferencing apps.
Here are five tips to ensure your next online job interview is as professional as possible.
1. Check Your Internet
Hours before your interview, check if your Wi-Fi or home internet provider is up to speed. You don’t want to keep your potential employer hanging because you had to reset the router or call the phone company.
If you’re sharing the internet with other people in your household, politely ask them to postpone any high-internet speed activity, like video calls or large file downloads, until you’re done with your interview to ensure maximum internet speed for your call.
2. Clean Up Thoroughly
There have been too many social media posts by people bragging about how they didn’t wear pants or underwear to a video conferencing call because no one will see that part anyway. You may also be tempted to skip bathing and stick to putting on makeup. This is unwise and unprofessional.
If you are going online for a job interview, take a bath and put on a complete outfit. This will not only ensure that you are prepared for the interview, but it will also put you in the right mindset for a professional conversation.
3. Take Advantage of the Screen
Online interviews give you access to your screen and you should use it to your advantage. Have text documents ready with the information you may need to answer.
For example, you can have your resume opened on your screen, with other files regarding your employment history or achievements open in the background. You can also use the screen to look up information you may need about your potential employer, such as latest developments and efforts.
4. Secure Your Equipment
Nothing can derail an online interview as much as your equipment breaking down all of a sudden. It can be your webcam suddenly shutting off, your laptop going on the fritz or your microphone dying.
Check the integrity and security of your equipment hours before your interview. Do routine checks to make sure every piece of hardware you’ll be using and you can avoid an embarrassing and potentially job-costing technical failure.
5. Prepare a Space
A job interview in your own home can be a trial, even without the hassle of commuting. Family members may burst in on the wrong moment, a neighbor’s car could backfire or your dog can suddenly start barking. This is why you should prepare a space specifically where you can take your online interview in peace and quiet.
Find the most isolated and quietest part of your house and prepare it. Put curtains behind you or scrub the walls. You can put down some nice furniture to give your background more personality. But the best thing you can do is to soundproof it with heavy curtains and by locking the door.
Times are swiftly changing because of the pandemic — and you need to change with it. Adapting to the shifts necessitated by the pandemic is the key to finding a new job and securing your future in these uncertain times.
What's Your Reaction?
