If you’ve ever been asked to complete an online video interview assessment, I’m sure you were curious about what to expect.
The first question that should run through your mind is: why do they want a video interview? If all they cared about was how you sound, they’d stick to the phone. A video interview means they want to see you in action.
Often, video interviews are there to assess intangibles: your mannerisms, your personality, and your communication style.
So how do you ace this part of the interview process? Preparation. The last thing you want is to come across unprepared, nervous, or disorganized.
Five Keys to Your Next Video Interview
- Test your camera. Make sure it’s working and the audio settings are correct. Check that the lighting is adequate and the camera angle is flattering.
- Remove anything distracting in the background. Clear the clutter, paperwork, and anything that draws attention away from you.
- Treat your appearance like a TV appearance. Dress professionally and look your best. This is your first visual impression, so make it exceptional.
- Exude confidence. Nervous salespeople don’t get the best sales jobs. Even if you’re caught off guard by a question (prepare for the classics so fewer catch you), remember that your best will be good enough. Never let the questions rattle you or erode your confidence.
- It’s never as much about what you say as how you say it, and how you make people feel about you and themselves.
What the Feedback Notes Say
These rules aren’t theoretical. We had one candidate ruled out immediately because she took the video interview in her bedroom. Automatic no.
Another candidate’s feedback notes came back as “too casual.” He was interviewing on his lunch break at the office, and since he usually wore a t-shirt to work, that’s what he wore on camera. He got dinged hard for it.
The assumption clients make is simple: however you show up to the interview is how you’ll show up to their customers. And is a client going to buy from someone with kids screaming in the background? That happens more than you’d think.
To Your Clients, You Are the Organization
Make a positive impression by nailing the video interview, and remember why the interviewer chose this forum. They’re primarily interested in how you communicate and represent yourself.
This matters most for outside sales roles, where you’re typically one of the only people your clients ever see from your organization. To your clients, you are the organization. If they like and trust you, they like and trust your company.
And if the video round goes well, the stakes only go up from there: here’s how to deliver the final presentation that wins the offer.
Use these tips to prepare for your next video interview, and get the sales job you deserve.
Video, phone, and in-person rounds are all covered in the complete sales interview preparation guide.
