Skype Interviews

Skype Interviewing – Take it seriously!

Long before Skype became a part of our lives or mobile phones were considered essential attire for that matter, I was interviewed over a landline many years ago – (it’s a device that connected to a socket in the wall). Although it clearly wasn’t necessary to dress the part for the interview it was essential that I considered it as formal and as important as a regular face-to-face interview.

Skype interviews are common place these days and at Carrick Recruitment it’s a part of our daily routine. We conduct the meeting as we would any other but find that applicants don’t always think of it as being as formal.

Before sending candidates forward for interviews with clients we will always advise them to treat this interview as they would any other. Here’s a few tips that we think are vital to success:

1. Dress the part. Consider your attire as you would for any interview. We recommend you put on your suit as you would normally. This includes trousers! I emailed a candidate during a Skype meeting and asked that he print the document, I got a bit of a shock when he walked to his printer….
2. Consider your surroundings – what’s in the background? Keep the area neutral and clutter free. Is there someone cooking dinner or are kids playing? You must be in a private, quiet room where you won’t be disturbed by family or pets. The last thing the interviewer wants is to see the cat jumping onto your lap.
3. You still have to do your research and prepare as you would for any interview but probably the biggest advantage is that you can have notes prepared and can consult them as long as it doesn’t look like you’re reading from a script.
4. Practice! Especially if it’s something new to you. You need to see how you look on camera. Remember the essentials: don’t slouch, remember to smile and listen carefully to the questions.
5. It’s annoying for everyone but it’s a regular issue with Skype that a technical issue may arise. If there is a voice delay or it’s hard to hear, hang up and redial. This is important as you won’t do yourself justice and the technical problem will just be distracting for everyone.

Whether you’re a software developer or a project manager, we advise all of our candidates in advance of an interview.

If you need any interview advice give us a call on 012548105 or email eddie@carrickrecruitment.ie.

P.S. I got the job as a result of my telephone interview!

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