Spark A Conversation: Representing Your Company in Video Interviews

Here at Spark Hire, we want to help companies utilize the power of online video to find the best candidates. We get a lot of questions from readers about best practices for using online video in the hiring process. These posts will address those questions about how to find your next superstar employee.

Question: How do I positively represent my company in a video interview? -Colleen from San Antonio

When interviewing a job seeker, you focus on how they are representing themselves, what their skill set is, what qualifications they have and which they do not. In a video interview in particular, you are taking a look at how they present themselves to you and their background as well. If there’s a mess in the background or the lighting is terrible, it will certainly be a check against them. This is all well and true, but what kind of impression are you giving of your company in a video interview with job seekers? We often look at what job seekers should do in a video interview, so in light of Colleen’s question, let’s take a look at what should be done on the employer side of the video to ensure you are representing your company in the best way.

No Distractions
In aiding job seekers with their video interviews, we often tell them to be sure they are avoiding any distractions. The same goes for the hiring manager or employer participating in a video interview. If you are participating in a two-way video interview with a job seeker and someone barges into your office, either you are cut off or the job seeker is cut off, but neither is good. Phones ringing in the background and constant chatter is another distracting agent.

In order to maximize your interview experience and represent your company in a good light, be sure to cancel out any distractions. Go into a conference room and close the door if you do not have your own office. Let your managers and coworkers know that you are on an interview and should not be disturbed. This way, the job seeker has your full attention and distractions are minimized.

Checking Equipment
As part of video interview 101, we often tell job seekers that they absolutely must check their video equipment and background before participating in a video interview. Employers and hiring managers are no different. You should set up all of your video interview technology and check it out before you sign onto your interview. In fact, to be sure you should test it out first in a mock interview with a coworker or associate.

If your technology malfunctions in the middle of a video interview, it’s not your fault. However, if the camera isn’t positioned correctly and the lighting is terrible, that is. You should be in the center of the camera frame and the lighting should be not too bright and not too dark. That is why it is essential to see how you look in the webcam before you start a video interview. Furthermore, you should set yourself up in front of a neutral-colored wall to be sure the job seeker is not distracted.

Stay Focused on the Job Seeker
Perhaps the most important part in representing your company positively is keeping your focus on the job seeker. That means not checking email in the middle of the video interview, not answering your desk phone and certainly not texting. All of these things would be unacceptable in a traditional interview, so the standard should remain the same for an online video interview. Nothing shows a job seeker that you don’t care more than texting while they are speaking or not giving them the attention they deserve.

When you participate in an interview with a job seeker, be it in person or through video, you are representing your company. What you do and what you say will be part of the perception the job seeker has of your company. Take care to make that a good perception and prepare adequately before your video interview!

Do you have a question you need answered? Spark a conversation with the Spark Hire team by submitting your question to blog(at)sparkhire.com or in the comments below.