Articles From the Team

Skype interviews and how to prepare

Skype interviews are now becoming more and more common nowadays. With the increasing pressures of day to day life it can often be tricky to attend interviews in person, and that's not just from a candidate’s perspective but also for the employers themselves. Candidates looking to relocate may struggle to get time off to attend interviews in other cities (or even countries), and the increasing popularity of remote working means a number of clients are looking to recruit for other offices across the country where they themselves may not be based.

So how should you best prepare for a skype interview? The answer is – not the same way you would prepare for a face to face interview! Usually in a face to face to interview, the meeting is taking place in the employers’ office, or a location of their choosing. Over skype, the interview is on your turf, be that the living room, kitchen, or even the local Starbucks. When the interview is taking place in your chosen location, it is imperative it takes place in front of a sensible, neutral background. As daft as it sounds, you hear horror stories of skype interviews taking place in front of Pamela Anderson posters, or in loud busy cafés where you are unable to hear yourself think let alone speak. So make sure you are in a nice quiet (tidy!) room, with no distractions. Turn your phone off, and if there are children in the house, make sure they are being supervised in another room for the duration of the interview.

What to wear? A recently placed candidate of mine was offered her new job through skype interview. I checked with her before hand that she would be wearing full business attire during her interview. “It goes without saying” she said. We then joked about wearing business wear on the top half and pyjamas on the bottom half – but the candidate raised a really valid point. “What if I have to go and get something mid chat?!” – good point! No one wants to see you run off in your Simpsons pyjamas to go and grab some paperwork half way through the interview. So as daft as it sounds, sitting in your living room fully suited and booted talking to a computer screen –make sure you really are suited and booted from top to toe!

For more interview advice, please contact Rozie Hunter at BCL Legal.