Interviewing By Skype? How To Prepare

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How to prepare for a video conference interview.



I have to admit that the first time I heard about a job interview using a video conferencing site like Skype,I thought that it was a joke. Or, at the least, a one time fluke. I thought that it was so odd, in fact, that I decided to do a little bit of research to find out how prevalent this sort of thing is.



Much to my surprise, I discovered that many companies have begun using services like Skype, Gtalk, and even Google + to do webcam interviews. It seems that many hiring managers are looking at it as a way to conduct preliminary interviews before going to the expense and trouble of bringing someone into the office. Unlike a phone interview, a webcam interview allows the parties to actually see each other, which gives more information and a better idea of a candidate's suitability for the job.



Since this sort of interview is used primarily as a way to rule out applicants, it's really important to make sure that you make the best impression possible. Here are some tips to help make it a little bit easier:

• Do a trial run - Or several. If you don't do much video conferencing, this is the time to test it out and get comfortable. You don't want to be fumbling around with your equipment during the interview. Webcam with your friends and family using whatever program the employer prefers and find out how your equipment works in a real time setting. Ask the person you are video chatting with about your video quality, sound quality and lighting. Sometimes, if your internet is slow or you have limited bandwidth, the other party may only see halting video and static. Again, during the interview isn't the time to find this out.

• Get familiar with the options and settings - Depending on the program you use and your comfort level with it, it's a good idea to try out all of the different settings and options. For example, Skype allows you to either broadcast your webcam feed or share what is on your computer screen. You should play around with the video options to make sure that you have the best brightness and and video quality settings for your equipment. Depending on your setup, you may need to position your computer or webcam at a different angle to ensure that you are being recorded at the most flattering angle. You don't want to have the interviewer looking up your nose the whole time.

• Select a professional location - Typically when I am using my laptop, I am lounging on the couch or sitting in my bed. Neither of these are appropriate locations for a video conference interview. You'll want to set up a place, like maybe at a desk or table, where the lighting is bright but not too harsh. Make sure that the area around you is tidy and clean. I like to position myself so that my back is near a wall so that the other person doesn't have to see the rest of the room. The wall should look like something you would see in an office. For example, you can hang a few framed degrees or professional awards on the wall behind you. The goal is to make it really easy for the interviewer to imagine you in the office, working at the job. After you have your location set up, use your webcam to take some photos so that you can be sure that you will be viewed at your best.

• Practice looking at the screen - This one is sort of hard if you aren't used to using a webcam. One of the problems is that you naturally will want to look at your screen to see what the other person is doing and saying, but when you do, you aren't looking at the camera. It can make it seems as though you are looking down at something else rather than paying attention. Remember, we are social creatures and even though it's through a webcam, we want to feel like we're making eye contact. An easy way to minimize this problem is move the window of the other persons video feed as close to your webcam as possible.

• Wear professional clothes - This is still an interview and you should look the same as if you were going into the office for the interview. This probably means a shirt and tie for men or a nice business outfit for women. If you think it's acceptable for a traditional interview, it's probably good for this as well. One tip - Don't wear a jacket. It's understood that you are at home, so there is no reason to wear a jacket, doing so would only look like you are trying too hard. Also, it's good to stick with solid, dark or neutral colors because stripes, patterns or bright colors can look different on the interviewers screen. Some busy patterns and vibrant colors can get "digital noise" on the receiver's end, especially when you move and it is really distracting.

• Clean your desktop - If you plan to share a presentation with the interviewer (or just to be on the safe side) clean off your computer's desktop and make sure you have a copy of the resume and cover letter you sent somewhere that you can get to quickly. A folder on your desktop that only has those files is the best idea. Especially if you are sharing a view of your computer screen, you don't want to have to browse for it and inadvertently show the contents of your downloads or document files. You never can be sure what's in there and sometimes the file names might look questionable. It's better to avoid it altogether. Also, change your desktop wallpaper to something plain and professional. The interviewer might not be impressed with your Jessica Alba or Hello Kitty wallpaper.

• Consider that you might have to get up during the interview - You can't know ahead of time if you are going to need to get up at some point during the interview. This means that you want to make sure that your area looks professional, even if you aren't sitting behind the computer. Also, be sure to wear pants. I know this sounds silly, but there are plenty of people who can tell you horror stories about telecommuting or video conferencing while not wearing pants. They assume that because the camera is only recording them from mid-chest up, that the bottoms don't matter. It would be embarassing and unprofessional if you had to get up and the interviewer got a glimpse of your underwear or pajama bottoms. For a touch of added class, you could hang the jacket I told you not to wear on the back of your chair.

• Eliminate distractions - During the interview you don't want to have to excuse yourself to take phone calls or deal with your family members. Turn your phone off and if you have children, get someone to watch them or take them out of the house during the interview time. Make sure that the room is quiet and don't have a television or radio on. Even soft ambient noise can be distracting or cause your microphone to have trouble picking up your voice.
  
  

Hopefully these tips will help you out the next time you get asked to a Skype interview. Video conferencing feels almost exactly like talking to someone in person, but it can feel awkward if you aren't used to it. Practice with a friend and you should be well prepared.

Have you ever had an interview via video chat? Are there any other tips you can think of? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comment section.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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The 4 Most Common Personal Branding Mistakes

Are you making any of these personal branding mistakes?

The term personal brand is one that has been used almost everywhere. Especially if you have been looking for a job, I'm sure that you have seen it before (maybe even on this site). The problem is that many people still aren't sure what exactly it is and how to use it to make yourself more attractive to employers. Since this is every job seekers goal, if you haven't given much thought to your personal brand, maybe it's time to look into it.

So, what is a personal brand anyway?

In our highly connected world, people can find out all sorts of information about you simply by doing a web search. Because it's so easy, employers will often Google a candidate prior to the interview. They want to get a general idea about who the person is and what they are all about. If you haven't shaped your brand, it's very likely that the employer will only get bits and pieces of information about you and may draw a wrong or incomplete conclusion about who you are. Since you can be certain that they will look, you can make sure that instead of seeing random information about you, they find a well thought out picture of you at your best. This is where a personal brand comes in. Your brand is the image that you present. It includes your online presence, your resume, cover letter and you as an employee. In a nutshell, it is your professional image across many platforms.

What are the most common mistake people make when branding themselves?

Branding yourself isn't difficult, but there are still a few mistakes that I see people making every day. Whether you already have a brand or are just creating yours, make sure that you aren't making any of these:

• Decide what you want and stick with it - If your brand keeps changing focus, it can present the wrong image entirely. You can't brand yourself as an excellent Healthcare administrator on one site and as a motivated sales person on another. When you have two different images, no one believes either of them. If both things are true, then maybe your brand should be that you are a professional who strives for success in every area of your life. This way, you are still presenting a clear, consistent image while still persuing the types of jobs you want.

• Have a focus - If you think about it hard enough, you can find what your area of expertise is. Everyone has one. Think about the areas of your job that you are best at, the ones that you are most passionate about and the things that make you different from everyone else in your position. There are thousands of medical assistants in the world, so instead, you could be a pediatric medical assistant who cares about making even the youngest patients feel at ease, or a medical assistant that is committed to treating senior patients with respect. Whatever it is, narrow down your focus to what makes you unique.

• Show your benefit - When you are creating a brand, it's important to focus on what you can offer an employer. Look at some of the most successful brands today and pay attention to what they do that works for them. Nike, for example, doesn't run advertisement telling you how great thier shoes are and their slogan isn't "Our shoes are the best". Instead, they show how you can live a lifestyle by wearing their shoes. Most of the time, the ads for the shoes just show someone participating in a sport and their slogan is "Just Do It". People respond to the image because they instantly understand that the shoes can help you be someone who plays sports and lives that lifestyle. That is what people are buying. They could get running shoes anywhere.

• Be original - When you get started creating your brand, you want to stand out. In order to do so, you have to think about what makes you different. Add parts of your personailty, your hobbies or anything that makes you stand out. Remember that your brand represents you as a person just as much as it does you as a professional. Make it original.

Developing a personal brand takes some time and a whole lot of thought. The payoff, however, is worth it and it's the best things you can do to make yourself stand out from the other applicants.

Do you have a personal brand? What do you think are the most important points of branding? Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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Digging up the Dirt on Where You Want to Work

If you can cyber-stalk all of your old exes, friends and frenemies you are perfectly capable of digging up dirt on any company you’re considering. Learning the good, the bad and the ugly truth about the business before your interview will help your chances of getting the job if you even want to take it. Don’t rely on common knowledge, word of mouth, or company produced materials as your sole sources, really dig deep. Even if it takes some time, think of the investigation an investment and the payoff is the position.

Don’t know where to start? Try these tips…

Google, Bing, and beyond – You’ve probably thought to scan your favorite search engine for information but make sure you look past the top 5 results returned. Usually the sponsored link and the first few listed are produced by the company itself so you’re only getting their side of the story. Scroll through a few pages and see what else turns up. Add keywords like “community”, “charity”, “lawsuit”, or the name of the C.E.O. to focus your search.

Socialize yourself – Check out what their social media sites say about them. Read through the comments and also looks for groups that were created to voice a negative opinion of the place you’re considering working. It’s a great way to find out about upcoming events and even intramural activities. If company has a dodge ball team you might want to play up your playground skills when you meet with the manager.

Cold hard facts – Check the Better Business Bureau to find out the company’s rating and read reviews. Fortune is also a good resource for researching financial aspects and corporate stability. If you’re thinking of working for a non-profit Charity, Navigator lists organization facts and statistics.

The horse’s mouth – Find out what people who have worked there have to say at sites like glassdoor.com that lists “company salaries, reviews, and interviews – all posted
anonymously by employees.” If you can’t find info that way try posting a topic on craigslist.org where people love to give their opinion.

Knowing about the place you’re applying to is one of the most important things you can do to prepare for any job interview. Human resources managers across the board will tell you that applicants who haven’t done their homework are hardly ever considered. To set yourself apart from other candidates, know more about the company than just what’s listed on their website. With deeper understanding of the business’ goals and infrastructure you can answer and ask questions that are intelligent and insightful and that will help get you hired.


By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for PhillyJobsBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, BlackChip Solutions with fellow Beyond.com blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.

Apple Alienates Publishers With Their New App Subscription Service - And Google Offers an Alternative

The war between Apple and Google heats up as Apple offers subscriptions for apps and alienates many of its partners, Google steps in and offers alternatives.

Earlier this week, Apple announced that it had come up with a plan for companies to be able to sell subscriptions to their services, magazines, newspaper, music and video content on the iPad, iPhone and iPod through iTunes.

The catch is that the new plan is going to cost them. Apple is asking for 30% of the profits from the subscriptions and it will keep ownership of all subscriber data like email addresses and names if the subscription happens through the App Store. This new arrangements is upsetting many of the companies who offer apps for their existing customer base like Netflix and Kindle.

Many companies in the publishing world are also upset by the changes, as they want the option of offering subscription based services along with single issue purchase capabilities. Additionally, they want to know who is buying their content. That information helps them sell advertising, which is the way that most magazines generate revenue.

This new plan will also have a huge impact on other companies who offer Apps for their services. Companies like Amazon, Netflix and Pandora will have to start sharing income with Apple. Up until now, when users added their free Apps, they were able to click a link to visit the company's website to subscribe or log into their existing accounts to access content. Under the new plan, the companies won't be able to redirect users to their websites and any new subscriptions will be made through Apple's App Store, and Apple will collect its 30%. If the subscribers sign up outside of the App Store, Apple wouldn't be entitled to a cut of the profits.

For example, I have a Kindle and a Kindle App on my iPhone. If I were to purchase a book on my iPhone, Apple would be entitled to 30% of the cost of the book and my iTunes account would be charged for the purchase. However, if I were to buy the same book from Amazon using my Kindle, or by visiting Amazon's website, the book purchase would be processed through my Amazon account and Amazon would keep 100% of the money. The book would, of course, still be accessible through the Kindle app on my phone either way.

Apple's CEO Steve Jobs released this statement about the changes:

“Our philosophy is simple — when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing.”

The bigger problem is that since Apple will no longer allow Apps that redirect users to their websites, customers will have to either purchase the subscriptions from the App store or find their way to the websites on their own.

Coincidentally, shortly after Apple announced their new changes, Google announced a new service that will allow publisher to have more control over the prices and terms of their digital content. Google One Pass is an e-commerce system that can be embedded into Android apps and websites. The service offers publishers the ability to sell subscriptions, free access to existing subscribers, premium access or just sell individual copies or articles, giving them complete control over how, when and for how much they sell their content. In addition, Google will share subscriber information with publishers.

Although Google didn't disclose what sort of revenue share they would be asking for, the service is expected to be popular among publishers. That being said, it may not be the answer, because Google isn't able to offer the same degree of client base and multi-platform packaging in a moblie app as Apple can. Apple has the client base and the apps that can be used on many more types of devices.

It remains to be see what the fall out of the announcement will be. Some experts are worried that it may be the end of Apps for content providers like Amazon and Netflix.

What do you think of Apple's announcement? Let me know in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.