Online interview – the 5 biggest mistakes

Do you want to make a good impression in your online interview? Avoid these mistakes!

During the last decade, I have done multiple online interviews with potential PhD students and postdocs. I have seen an astonishing variety of strange behaviors during an online interview (and made several mistakes myself). Here are five common mistakes made by interviewees.

1.      DO NOT USE A SUSPICIOUS NAME IN YOUR ONLINE INTERVIEW

If you do a job interview, you should not use an online name that elicits funny or unfavorable ideas about you. “Partyanimal99” may let the interviewer question how seriously you take the job.

“Bigdude69” may provoke dirty jokes, and “Johntherebel” may raise some doubts about your motivation to integrate into a team. I changed these online names slightly to protect the privacy of the candidates.

2.      DO NOT EXPECT ZOOM/GOOGLE MEET/TEAMS/SKYPE TO WORK

In my experience, every second online interview suffers from a bad internet connection or technical problems. The most frequent problem is that the microphone does not work. Sometimes, switching off the automatic microphone configuration in the options menu is sufficient. 

In other cases, you need a different microphone. You should test it with a friend. Take also care that you do not sound like a robot or do not have to shout to be heard. In my experience, this kills any good atmosphere. 

Be prepared and have your telephone number at hand and kindly ask to be called or call the interviewers yourself (maybe expensive). Turn down the microphone and the speakers to avoid an echo and other sound effects. This creates a professional impression and allows the interviewers to see you live while on the phone.

3.      DO NOT FORGET TO SET THE STAGE BEFORE YOUR ONLINE INTERVIEW

A classic mistake is to forget the background. When sitting in front of a window, your face will be dark and difficult to see because there is too much light in the background. In general, there should be enough light to see you well. 

You should also ensure you are not surrounded by rubbish, a chaotic workplace, a dead potted plant, posters of scarcely dressed persons or other aspects of your life which should not disturb the first impression you want to make. 

In addition, avoid noisy environments such as internet cafés or Starbucks. My colleagues debate whether you should use a neutral and professional background or a more personal one, which may create a warmer impression.

4.      DO NOT LEAN FORWARD DURING AN ONLINE INTERVIEW

If you move your face too much towards the camera, your face inevitably gets distorted, and you look like a disfigured monster. 

In addition, every tiny skin irregularity becomes grotesquely enlarged. This is great to amuse children but typically does not help to get a job.

5.      DO NOT WEAR UNFAVORABLE CLOTHES DURING AN ONLINE INTERVIEW

This is a classic mistake I have made several times (fortunately, only during informal conversations). You may expect that the other person cannot see whether you are wearing business trousers or just underwear. 

However, there is always the possibility that you have to stand up to get some files, stop the cat from eating your money, or your baby from climbing into the dishwasher (these things happened to me). Thus, always dress completely and in an appropriate way.

 There are a few guidelines on what to wear in a job interview. Do not wear just anything; be prepared!

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