10 Tips For Not Screwing Up Your Video Interview

by John Sumser

There are two basic types of video interview. Live interviews, where you talk to the interviewer from your video device, were the first wave. While they are still used, their use is declining.

Taped interviews, where you respond to prompts, either written or in an application, are becoming the norm. They allow recruiters and hiring managers to evaluate you at their leisure.

In either case, people are just becoming truly competent in the use of video for this purpose.

Over 50 years ago, John F. Kennedy handily defeated Richard Nixon in the first televised presidential debates. Kennedy’s team knew that there were certain colors (a blue shirt) that presented well on TV. Nixon’s crew thought that it was just another debate. Kennedy’s team prevailed because they knew how to manage the bias of the medium.

The same principle holds true in the video interview. The more you know how to make the technology work for you, the more of an advantage you’ll have. Video can make you look smart, shiny and competent or it can make you look untrustworthy, dumb and lazy.