Advice & Insight From Interview Specialists
​Just because an interview is taking place online doesn’t mean that you can’t thoroughly prepare for it. Indeed, you should now focus your preparation specifically towards online interviews, to give you the best chance of success.Â
You’ll need to ensure that the setup you have at home (or wherever you will be interviewing from) is good enough for the interview. You should try to use a laptop or computer, rather than a smartphone. Try to use a newer model with a good microphone and webcam. Test your wifi in different areas of the house to make sure that your signal strength is strong enough to handle the video call. If your environment is a bit louder than you would like, you should consider purchasing a headset or a good set of earphones. The university that you are interviewing with will provide specific details on the video platform that you will need to use. Popular options are Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Download the software well in advance and give yourself some time to familiarise yourself with it.Â
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It might seem obvious, but there’s no better way to make sure everything is working than to run a mock interview via Zoom or Teams. Just get whoever is acting as your interviewer to create a meeting on the software, and separate yourselves into different rooms. Then try to join their meeting, greet them as you would the interviewer, and have them run through a virtual mock interview. This will allow you to familiarise yourself with the format, as well as giving you confidence that the technology won’t let you down.Â
You may well wish to prepare notes beforehand, but this should be advised against. Trying to glance through notes in a high pressure situation will slow you down and could lead to you becoming flustered if you cannot find the information that you were looking for. Additionally, time spent looking at notes is time spent not looking at the interviewer. Instead, you may wish to run a mock interview which you record. This will allow you to go back through each of your answers to understand where your strengths and weaknesses lay, as well as further analyse your style of answering questions. Smaller things that could be improved, like increasing eye contact with the camera, or fidgeting less to ensure that you remain framed by the camera constantly, will be highlighted in a recording.Â
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You should thoroughly check what the university that you are applying to requires you to provide at interview, or to submit beforehand. You may need to send in a copy of your ID beforehand, or show it on the webcam when the interview commences. There may be further requirements, like work placement forms – check the university’s site and ensure that you have all paperwork prepared well in advance.Â
Dress as you would if the interview was happening in-person. Indeed, as only your head and shoulders are likely to be visible, make doubly sure that you look smart! Avoid heavy makeup, and ensure that your hair looks professional. A smart shirt is a good choice. The normal interview advice of wearing an outfit appropriate for a hospital placement stands true for video interviews too.Â
Try to find a space that will permit you to remain undisturbed and relaxed for the duration of the interview. You should try to find a place as quiet as possible, to eliminate background noise. Speak to your family in advance and explain that you will need peace and quiet for the duration of the interview – many people feel self conscious about the thought of their family listening in on them, and this is completely understandable. If you feel that this is the case for you, ask your family to move out of earshot whilst you are interviewing. If this is not possible, ask your school if they can provide you with a room to use.Â
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​Make sure that the lighting is correct in the room that you are using, and that you don’t appear washed out or in darkness. Test the webcam in different lighting environments until you find one that you are confident looks good, and that you are comfortable in.Â
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