More first interviews now happen on a phone screen, and most of what goes wrong in them is not the connection. It is camera height, light and noise, and all three are free to fix. This is the one interview where preparation is mostly physical.
Prop the phone up at eye level. Do not hold it. A held phone shakes, and it usually ends up under your chin, which is the least flattering angle there is. Lean it against books, a tin, anything solid, so the camera is level with your eyes and your head and shoulders fill the frame.
Put the light in front of you, not behind. If a window or a lamp is behind you, you become a dark shape. Face the window instead. This single change makes more difference than anything else on this page.
Sit against a plain wall if you can, and think about what is behind you if you cannot. It does not need to be an office. A clean plain wall in any room is completely fine.
Deal with noise before it starts. Tell the people in the house what time you need quiet. Close the door. Put the phone on do not disturb so calls and messages do not interrupt.
Test the link the day before if they sent one, so you find out then whether it needs an app you have to download.
Halfway through the interview your connection drops.
What happens: They noticed. Repeated silent rejoining looks chaotic, and if it does not come back you have no way to explain what happened.
What happens: Correct, and it is worth having their number saved before you start for exactly this reason. Dropping is normal. Handling it calmly is another example of the reliability they are testing.
My data is limited. Can I ask for a phone call instead?
Yes, and it is a reasonable thing to ask. Message the contact and say your data is limited and ask whether a normal phone call would work. If you must use video, join on wifi if you can find any, turn your own camera off if they allow it, and close everything else running on the phone.
Should I look at the camera or at their face?
Look at the camera when you are speaking and at their face when they are. Looking at the little picture of yourself is the habit to break, and the easiest fix is to hide your own thumbnail if the app lets you.
Somebody walked in behind me and the dog started barking
It happens constantly and interviewers are far more used to it than you think. Apologise once, briefly, deal with it, and carry on. Do not spend two minutes explaining. Most people running the interview are at home too.
Before you move on
- Prop the phone at eye level and face the light
- Tell the house what time you need quiet
- Save the contact number before you start, in case it drops
Check what you know
4 questions. Have a look at what this lesson asks.
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