{"id":538,"date":"2012-02-03T17:07:28","date_gmt":"2012-02-03T17:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/careerplanning.me.holycross.edu\/?p=538"},"modified":"2012-02-03T17:07:28","modified_gmt":"2012-02-03T17:07:28","slug":"skype-interviewing-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/2012\/02\/03\/skype-interviewing-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Skype Interviewing 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you’re applying to internships while studying abroad or applying for a job far away, you may have to participate in a Skype interview this spring.\u00a0 Skype is a great opportunity for connecting you to these opportunities, but it poses some unique concerns.\u00a0 To address these issues, I turned to Jenny Foss of JobJenny.com<\/a>, who describes herself as “Your job search BFF and tough love expert on finding career passion.”\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Her tips for using Skype may help you move from a virtual interview to a real job offer!<\/p>\n

. . . . .<\/p>\n

\n

10 Tips to Shred the Competition in your Skype interview (by Jenny Foss)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You may already know this, but allow me to reiterate: corporate HR has discovered Skype. And they\u2019re using it with increasing frequency to interview candidates. It\u2019s cheaper than flying you in, and it\u2019s more personal than a phone call.<\/p>\n

Welcome to your huge advantage in the job search.<\/strong><\/span> Do use it accordingly. Even if you\u2019re not job searching, these tips are helpful for any Skype calls you do, including informal interviews and networking.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re competing with older candidates for your dream job, they may very well have the \u201cyears\u2019 experience\u201d edge. But if you\u2019re already comfortable using Skype? You really, truly could outshine that senior level candidate if he or she is \u201cgreen\u201d with this technology.<\/p>\n

Of course, you must then make this your mission. Outshine, friend. Outshine.<\/em><\/p>\n

To ensure this mission is successful, here are 10 tips to help you shred the competition on your next Skype interview:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
  1. When confirming the interview, provide your Skype account name.<\/strong><\/span> Show the interviewer that you\u2019re comfortable with the technology right from the start. Also, ask if you are to dial them, or if they will call you. No sense starting off on this weird note.<\/li>\n
  2. If your Skype name is cutesy or unprofessional, set up another account. <\/strong><\/span>And not MadSkillz or HireMaddie. Just your name, please. Or something close to it if yours is already taken.<\/li>\n
  3. Practice first<\/strong>.<\/span> I recognize that this might sound obvious, but you\u2019d be amazed by how many people don\u2019t do it. Dial up a friend, relative or professional mentor and run through a few mock questions. Check the audio levels, make sure the room lighting looks normal<\/li>\n
  4. Get the eye contact thing down.<\/strong><\/span> This can feel a little strange on Skype, but eye contact is VERY important in an interview. Be sure and look into the webcam a large portion of the time. You\u2019ll be tempted to stare at the screen, because that\u2019s where the interviewer\u2019s image appears. But if you look there the whole time? It will come across that you\u2019re looking down the entire time. Eye contact. A must<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t even think about doing it in a coffee shop.<\/strong><\/span> Quiet, clean room. Absolutely no environmental hustle and bustle, none. \u00a0Oh, and when I say \u201cquiet, clean room?\u201d Assume I mean \u201cquiet, clean room with no weird crap in the background. (Editor’s note: Career Planning<\/a> has rooms you can book to ensure you have a quiet space to conduct your interview!)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Silence any other phone or potentially interrupting technologies before the interview.<\/strong><\/span> That\u2019d be your cell phone, your land line and any other audible alerts that could pop up on your computer during the call.<\/li>\n
  7. Go professional, but remember you\u2019re probably sitting at home.<\/strong> <\/span>Some professionals will argue me on this, but I think that, for most positions, it\u2019s unnecessary to get all spiffed out in an \u201cinterview suit\u201d for a Skype interview. \u201cHi, I\u2019m sitting in my apartment in pinstripes. Just a regular old day here.\u201d It just seems odd to me. Absolutely look polished, ironed and professional (and wear pants, for heaven\u2019s sake,) but I say suit is not required (unless, of course, you\u2019re in the running for some big Wall Street or CPA gig, then yes, probably.)<\/li>\n
  8. Prepare in the exact same way that you would for a face-to-face interview.<\/strong><\/span> Research the company, the industry and the players with whom you\u2019ll be interviewing. Come to the interview with thoughtful questions related to these. Listen. Listen. Listen. And then answer questions calmly and succinctly. Smile. Just like you\u2019d do in person.<\/li>\n
  9. Don\u2019t panic if you have a dropped connection. <\/strong><\/span>More than likely, the interviewer already knows that this happens sometimes with a Skype call. In the event it happens on your interview? Take a couple of deep breaths and wait for him or her to re-connect. If five minutes passes and he or she doesn\u2019t? Redial.<\/li>\n
  10. Say thank you. <\/strong><\/span>And do so while you\u2019re looking at that webcam.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Finally: pat yourself on the back when it\u2019s over. Your comfort level with newer technologies like Skype may well help you land the dream job!<\/p>\n

    <\/strong> . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

    More questions on interviewing? Check out more online resources<\/a> on how to interview including behavioral interviews<\/a> and interviewing for shy people<\/a>. You can also set up a mock interview with a Career Planning counselor.
    \n<\/em><\/p>\n

    Article Source<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Whether you’re applying to internships while studying abroad or applying for a job far away, you may have to participate in a Skype interview this spring.\u00a0 Skype is a great opportunity for connecting you to these opportunities, but it poses some unique concerns.\u00a0 To address these issues, I turned to Jenny Foss of JobJenny.com, who … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “Skype Interviewing 101”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[165],"class_list":["post-538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.holycross.edu\/careerplanning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}