While you would normally expect to meet any prospective employer face-to-face, the remote interview is increasingly being used as a preliminary round aimed at producing a shortlist of candidates worth meeting. So your objective on a remote interview is likely to be to get through to the next stage; the face-to-face meeting.

Remote interviews might take place by telephone (either one-to-one or in conference), via Skype or through a more formal video conference at a nearby regional or satellite office. Each has its own challenges but there are some rules that are common to all.

Get Ready

Whichever medium is used, make sure that you are prepared. This means doing the usual research you would expect to do before any interview:

1. Investigate the company you are meeting - be prepared for the inevitable “what do you know about us?” question. 
2. Make sure you understand the Job Description. Keep a copy to hand, make notes on it and if anything is unclear have your questions ready.
3. Make sure to note on your own CV where you have strengths and relevant experience worth highlighting.

Of course, look at their website, understand what they do, who they are and perhaps check out who else they employ. If you share a contact on LinkedIn or know someone who already works for the organisation, do you know them well enough to ask them a few questions beforehand? 

The day before the interview, take the time to practise with a friend so you can better identify unusual background noises such as a clicking telephone line or slow broadband connection. Use the link or the line you will be using for the real interview. For phone interviews, unless you're sure your mobile connection is going to be perfect, use a landline whenever practical.

Do you ‘ummm and errr’ a lot on the phone, or lose eye contact on Skype? If so, better you know before the real thing.  Practise answers to specific questions you feel are likely to arise, including difficult questions you fear may be asked about gaps in your CV or the like. Keep your answers direct, positive and to-the-point. Don’t ramble - it stands out even more on a call. 

One answer worth scripting and practising again and again is your response to the question “tell me a bit about yourself’. This is a blog subject in itself, so here we’ll just say keep it succinct and focused on your career. This is not the time to tell them about your interest in clay pigeon shooting or that you own a cat called Gerald. 

Get organised

Where possible, control your environment. You want a quiet place with no distractions. If at home, make sure that the kids and pets are being looked after elsewhere, unplug or turn off whichever devices you don’t need for the call, and try not to arrange the interview at the same time you’re expecting Yodel to deliver that box set of Game of Thrones.

If your interview is by Skype, make sure the camera sees what you’d like your prospective employer to see. The background should be well presented, clean, tidy and well lit. And so should you; no PJs or jeans and T Shirts! Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview.   

Have your CV and the job description in front of you, clearly available in case you need to refer to it. Have a couple of pens and some paper to hand and take notes if necessary, but don’t let note taking distract you from your conversation. Engaging with your interviewer is paramount.

On the day, make sure you are ready at least ten minutes before the time the call is scheduled and double check that everything is working fine. 

Get physical

If you’re being interviewed by phone consider standing during the call. This helps you come across as more energetic and confident. Obviously doing this on Skype is more likely to make you look slightly deranged so is not advisable!

Before the call begins take a few deep breaths, and open the conversation with a smile. A smile can be detected in your voice, even if it cannot be seen.

It’s easy to get  bit too comfortable when you’re interviewed in your own environment, so watch your posture and body language. Surely, it goes without saying you shouldn’t eat or smoke during the conversation but drinking is also best avoided. A glass of water by your side, however, is a sensible precaution. 

Eye contact can be tricky on Skype. Remember, the camera is your interviewer’s eyes. That is what they see, so don’t start fiddling with things or looking around the room. A quick glance at your notes or CV is fine but don’t linger. Maintain a focus on the interviewer.

Get going

At the start of the call use the interviewer’s title (i.e. Mr or Mrs, etc) and their surname, unless invited to do otherwise and make sure you have some questions to ask them. A nice ice breaker is to thank the interviewer/s for taking the time to ‘remotely’ meet you today.

Try to sense the rhythm of the interview and keep your answers within the allotted timeframe whenever possible. You may know you have just 10 minutes, in which case make your answers polite, direct and to the point.

Most of all, be you. Be the best version of you you can be, but don’t try to pretend to be someone else. Some of the most miserable experiences in the workplace have come from people who secured a job in an environment that wasn’t a good fit for them because they pretended to be something they were not in the selection process.

Make sure you thank the interviewer for their time and remember to ask if you could meet face-to-face. After all, that is precisely your objective for the call.

And finally - do make sure you have totally disconnected the line at the end of the call - sound and vision - before going about your normal routine!

Good Luck.

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