Working with an Interview Coach: Knocking your Virtual Interview OUT of the Park

Have you ever found yourself dreading an interview? If so, you certainly are not alone. In our times, interviews have become fraught with anxiety because, in many cases these days, they are virtual interviews.

This means that interviews today (if virtual) are not natural meetings where you can better sense the energy of a room with individuals present, better project your own vibe. And thereby more easily create a vibe that is natural to you. This is far easier to do when in close proximity to your interviewers - creating connection, intimacy, direct dynamics, ambiance - vibe.

So what can we do to overcome this problem? This handicap?

To begin with, the technical aspects are critical:

1. You need to ensure that you have a solid internet connection for your interview: no disruptions or slowing of your connectivity during the interview.
2. You need to ensure that your computer is clear around it and clean, and that your screen is clean.
3. Ensure you are adequately familiar with the platform being used for the interview and that you have tested it and your audio and video.
4. Pull up any documents that are important in case they ask you to share them and be sure you have a printed copy of your resume and cover letter handy, and know them both very well (read them several times).
5. Be sure that your laptop [or whatever machine] is elevated and you can be looking straight into the camera on your machine or slightly UP. It is never a good angle to be looking down. Ensure you keep your focus on that camera at all times during the interview (practice!) as this will ensure that on their end, you are making (or attempting under virtual circumstances) to make eye contact. Record if you can a practice session and see how your image is projecting and in the light you have chosen. Adapt until optimal.
6. Record, if you can, a practice session and see how your image is projecting and in the light you have chosen. Adapt the lighting until optimal - bright enough, but not harsh. Ensure it is optimal to give your skin a glow.
7. In all other ways, externally, preparation is the very same as for a live interview: your hair professional, your nails, your makeup if you wear any, dressed professionally as you would expect to do for work and somewhat better. Even if the interviewers cannot really see your complete outfit, this will affect your performance.
8. Be sure you have a cool glass of water on hand to sip if you suddenly get a dry throat from nerves.

These are the physical outward preparations that we can do. But what about the internal preparations?

We all get nervous to some degree about the best answers to give for the questions they will choose to ask. How do we know which answer is best? How can we best prepare?

Preparation - build your confidence

A professional coach will provide you with a list of possible questions and a coaching service to help you to prepare for any type of interview. Anyone can suffer nerves or weak moments in an interview situation. But how do we catch ourselves and turn a weak moment into a strength, correcting ourselves, in the middle of an answer? How can we project our personalities positively, creating a dynamic vibe, despite the unnatural virtual mode?

Interview Coaching

This is where working with an interview coach can up your game and give you far greater confidence going into a critical interview - as opposed to feeling paralyzed - or even slightly terrified. A professional interview coach can help you to craft more thoughtful responses, guide you to control your weak areas, and help you to identify your strengths in an interview situation.

Nothing will give you greater confidence than practicing with a professional. A professional who can focus intently on your interview performance, question by question, and coach you to significantly improve upon that performance. Why does this service exist? Precisely because it works.