As we are all practicing social distancing due to COVID-19, job interviews and our point of contact with one another has changed; it’s a new and changing world out there!
Recruiters, interviewers and hiring managers are now using online platforms to connect with people they are meeting with for the first time. First interviews or virtual interviews are often online with platforms such as on Zoom, Facetime, Microsoft Teams as well and other virtual sites.
Here are a few tips to be successful in your next remote interview:
- Dress professionally. Although you are at home dress as you would for an interview. Dress from the shoes up – be prepared to close a door, window or get up from your desk. Make sure the area you are sitting in is neat and tidy. If the camera drops or you have to get up form your desk you want to be fully dressed and prepared.
- Have eye contact with the camera. Be eye level with the camera so that the person you are talking with is not looking up or down at you.
- Situate yourself at a desk or table without interruptions. A loud TV, barking dog or person talking in the back ground is a distraction and will set off the interviewer. A bright room with lighting and a neutral background is great. Turn off your phone and email so that you are not distracted during this meeting.
- Be Prepared. Do your research on the company, review the website, review the job description as well as have a copy of your resume printed to refer to. Don’t forget to have your laptop charged or plugged in. Have a cheat sheet prepared with your strengths, weaknesses, and questions for your interviewer.
- Practice with a mock virtual interview. Job interviews are nerve racking so familiarize yourself with zoom or the platform you will be using. Become an expert. Contact a friend over family member using the method so that you know how to turn your mike on, adjust volume or lighting to see your interviewer. Be aware of the text chat, video recording, muting if a n emergency arises as well as screen sharing.
Most important to do list item in our opinion? Smile and have fun. You’ve got this!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email our team for advice or suggestions.
Interviews are stressful – you want to be organized and appear to be fully qualified for each job you apply to. When getting ready and prepared for a job interview, it is important to think of the questions you may be asked and be ready with great responses.
One of the most common questions that still gets asked is some variation of “tell me about your weaknesses”.
Let’s get ready for this one together!
First, let’s consider why interviewers ask questions about your weaknesses.
They ask about weaknesses to see how and if candidates will fit into their organization when it comes to taking ownership. They also want to see if a candidate has the ability to recognize their imperfections and then be able to implement strategies to learn and grow to overcome them. Employers care about the process of coming back from errors, more so than the mistake itself.
Do not reply with “I am a perfectionist” or “I work too hard”.
It can be tricky to identify weaknesses.
One way to communicate positively about a weakness is to identify a skill or a trait that you are learning or have learned to overcome and that has now become a strength.
When asked “what is your weakness”, this is a great time to tell a story about yourself of how you have learned to improve yourself. This can be done by identifying a hard or soft skill you wanted to improve and then telling you interviewer the steps you took to actually do it.
Show that you are ready for self-improvement and growth.
Here are a few examples of good responses:
EXAMPLE ONE
I am still learning to set boundaries. I have a tendency to people please and in the past, took on too much I don’t like giving up projects and can get caught up in the details. To help with this, I have learned to give myself deadlines to stay on deadline. I also ensure I prioritize and delegate when needed.
EXAMPLE TWO
A weakness of mine is that I don’t speak a second language. In my last job at ABC Company, most of our clients were from Mexico or Southern USA and spoke Spanish. I took it upon myself to buy a Rosetta Stone (Audio Book) to learn conversational Spanish in my car to show my clients that I acknowledged my weakness and that I was committed to making a change.
EXAMPLE THREE
We also found a great response from Hubspot, about delegating. “I’m incredibly self-motivated, and I sometimes find it difficult to delegate responsibility when I feel I can finish the task well myself. However, when I became manager in my last role, it became critical I learn to delegate tasks. To maintain a sense of control when delegating tasks, I implemented a project management system to oversee the progress of a project. This system enabled me to improve my ability to delegate efficiently.”
Remember that the common “what is your weakness” question can take many forms.
Interview questions can be straight forward or geared towards behavioral questions such as:
- How has this weakness negatively affected you?
- What would you like to improve in the next year?
- What would your pas manager say you need to improve on?
- If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
This is a great time for self-reflection. It’s not only helping you rock your next job interview; it will also be a really good opportunity to check yourself and see what improvements you can make to eliminate an answer from the roster.
Please feel free to contact our office with any questions.
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