How to show your best you at an online job interview

What’s the difference between remote and face to face recruiting? All of us could probably list a number of aspects, but the most important is the human one. Body language plays a lesser role, it is easier to hide some imperfections or stress, but the common factor of both recruitments is that during both of them we have to present ourselves to the best of our abilities. How to do it? It is not as difficult as it may seem. What’s the recruiter’s point of view?

Prepare the area and identify the threats

Conducting a recruitment interview from home can sometimes be a battle with the time and the world around us. Make sure you secure the kids and pets, prepare a neutral area (check your background!), dress in something smarter, and voila, the first stage is done! All that’s left to do is to charge your laptop, check your microphone and camera, mute your phone and relax.

No empty desk

I suggest preparing a glass of water — useful and neutral at the same time, if you suddenly feel the urge to look away, sway in your chair, or if simply the stress takes over — that will be your life-saver and will keep your hands busy.

Recruiters are humans

This should really be the first and most important point of this list. We tend to assume that during the interview only the candidate is supposed to make the best impression. Wrong! Both sides care just the same — the candidate in order to get the job, and the recruiter to get a new employee. And yes, we get stressed too. We have better and worse days, more or less favourable conditions, and we also want to make the best impression on you — in a professional and friendly manner. Even though we don’t see each other face to face, shake hands, or show you around the office, this conversation is still the key

Be prepared

Some people like to act spontaneously. I respect that a lot, but a recruitment interview is a pretty unfortunate time to practice spontaneity. You have the right to demand from a recruiter that they know who they meet with, study your resume, and familiarize themselves with your expectations. And that works both ways — a recruiter wants to know a few things as well. These are not very demanding points, but let’s mention a few: what position you applied for, what made you apply, whether you had heard about the company before, what you read or found out about us. If you want to know what the process at Solwit looks like internally — take a look here — you will find there more specific information on our recruitment path. It is worth recalling the content of the ad which you applied for — there are often hidden hints as to what would the subject of the technical part of the meeting be. You will get some extra points for familiarizing yourself with our website or social media profiles. Have some questions to the manager or recruiter — it is important that after the meeting you have a full overview of the situation and in case we call you with an offer of cooperation.

Your expectations

By them, I mean the position and salary you expect. If you know that you don’t want to develop in a certain direction — say so. If you’re not into frontend, but in your previous job you had to do it — let us know. The point is that after the interview we know what we can offer you –without harming you, and wasting time. When it comes to money, think about it beforehand. Calculate the absolute minimum you need — we all have commitments and bills to pay. Talk about it openly. Also, think about a potential form of agreement. This can be an employment contract but also a contract B2B.

Don’t pretend, be yourself!

It’s a pretty worn-out phrase, but there’s nothing more accurate. We want to get to know you — if you don’t know something, tell us, if you want to ask something, ask us, and if you’re stressed, and it is taking over your skills — let us know. You don’t have to know every answer, if there is something you don’t know, that’s fine.

One more thing

This is a bit off-topic, but also very important: we always provide feedback, but if you don’t hear from us within two weeks, let us know — sometimes things may slip our minds during day-to-day activities.

So now you know more about the recruitment process. Maybe it is time to give it a try? You can find the latest Solwit’s job offers here.