How to Ace a Skype Interview - Our Top 4 Tips

Top tips and tricks for Skype interviews

Do you need to be at a job interview on the other side of the country, or even another continent altogether?

Many hirers these days won’t require you to be physically present to meet them for first or second interviews.

Skype software has allowed candidates and hirers to interview without the costs or logistics of meeting in person.
 

Here are some of our top tricks and tips to succeed in your Skype interview.

Dress well. It pays.

One of our team members told us a great story about applying for a graduate job in corporate compliance with the investment arm of a large multinational bank.

It was the first job she’d interviewed for after having finished university. She made it through three rounds of interviews, and was shortlisted against one other candidate.

She didn’t get the job. The feedback from the hiring manager to her recruiter was that it had been an extremely close call. The decision had come down to smaller details like the fact that she hadn’t worn a suit to her interviews.

Had she turned up dressed like one of the hiring manager’s team, she may have come across as a better fit.

Dressing appropriately can make as much of a difference in a Skype job interview.

You’re going to be judged on your personal appearance and how familiar you are with the hiring manager’s organisational culture and environment.

Important: don’t just dress your top half well! You’d be surprised at how many people have been caught out wearing pyjama bottoms (or less!).

There’s always a chance you’ll need to stand up during your interview – to retrieve documents, to deal with some external noise or to adjust your equipment. Play it safe! Dress appropriately and fully. 

Eye contact is important.

Have you ever noticed on Skype the person you’re speaking with will in most cases be looking towards the bottom of your screen?

This is because they’re looking at your image on their screen, which on most computers or laptops is below the camera.

To simulate eye contact with your interviewers, you should try looking into the camera rather than your screen.

This can be a little tricky as you’re going to want to catch the facial cues of the interviewers as they ask questions and react to your responses.

We recommend trying out some mock Skype interviews with friends and family to practise balancing between the two.

Set the scene.

Make sure your background is pleasant to look at. Try to set up your computer where you have lots of space, and don’t look cramped.

Avoid bright colours, clutter and eye-catching objects in your backdrop. Anything that distracts from you should be moved out of the frame.

Lighting is important. Don’t make your interviewers’ eyes strain to make you out in dim lighting. You should be lit from the front, not from behind. Generally speaking, the more light, the better you’re going to look (within reason).

Test all equipment before your Skype interview.

Make sure everything works – sound, lighting, camera. Test everything with a friend the day of your interview and shortly before the scheduled time.

You risk looking disorganised or incompetent if you run into technical difficulties at your end.

Skype can be hugely useful for jobseekers. Make sure to use it to your full advantage.

Good luck!