THE DOS AND DONTS OF A SKYPE INTERVIEW
Master of Business Administration is a highly lucrative and rewarding two-year professional degree course, taken up by thousands of students every year. Many of these students end up in high-paying jobs in top positions after the completion of their degree. To land these jobs, however, students have to sit through various rounds of interviews, through which employers’ judge them on their suitability for the positions applied. In today’s high paced world, many of these interviews are conducted through video call, mostly through the very popular application called Skype. There are several reasons as to why interviews are conducted virtually. The reasons may range from the fact that the student may have applied for a job in a different country or city from where he resides and to where it would not be feasible for him to travel or it could be due to prevailing undesirable weather conditions or it may even be due to time constraints. Whatever the reason, Skype interviews are very popular today and are conducted regularly. This article aims to guide the MBA graduate on how to tackle a Skype interview successfully by providing him with helpful advice and tips. DO’S It is very important for the interview to be technically prepared. Although Skype is arguably the most popular platform used for virtual interviews, there are also other platforms available like Face Time and Google Hangouts. The interviewee should have the correct software installed at least 24 hours ahead of the interview and should also do a test run to see whether the application is running smoothly. He should know what time exactly the interview is scheduled to take place and who will be calling whom i.e., whether he has to call or whether he will be the one receiving a call. When giving a virtual interview, the interviewee should maintain natural eye contact, by looking directly into the camera. However, this does not mean that he should stare into the camera unblinkingly but rather that he should try to maintain eye contact which is as natural as possible. If it is a two-way interview, he must resist the urge to look sideways, either at what the hiring manager is doing or even at himself. This will result in the interviewer seeing him looking off into the side and can create an unfavorable impression. Even if it is a one-way interview, where the interviewee is looking at a blank screen, he must not fidget and assume that they can be seen by the interviewer perfectly. It is very important to dress appropriately for the virtual interview. The interviewee should try to avoid stripes, especially narrow stripes placed close together as it can create a zigzag pattern on the screen which will not be pleasing to the person on the other side of the camera. It is also best to avoid bright colors like red, orange and white and to stick to pale and neutral shades as they create a more pleasing presence on screen. The interview must try his best to conduct the interview on his computer, either desktop or laptop. Computers have better audio and video qualities compared to mobile phones. Even if it is impossible to conduct the interview on a computer and the interviewee must conduct it on his phone, he should try to place it on a stable surface and totally avoid it being handheld. Last but not the least; the interviewee must smile pleasantly during the course of the interview. Not only will smiling reduce stress, but it will also create a pleasing impression on the interviewer, which is always a huge plus point. DON’TS The interviewee must not make the mistake of not doing a trial run of the required applications before the interview takes place. He must fix issues that may arise and keep all the applications are updated and ready to use during the interview. Care must be taken to keep the camera at a precise angle. The camera should be raised up so that the interviewee is looking up to the camera and not down at it. This will help to give a more pleasing and natural shot. Attention must be given to the background. It should not be cluttered or dirty with unnecessary things. This will not create a good impression with the interviewer. The background should be pleasing and well lit, reflecting professionalism in the interviewee. Interviews should preferably not be conducted in busy locations like coffee shops and bookshops. This will prevent the interviewee from focusing completely on the interview. If the interview is being conducted at home, then the interviewee must take care to be in a room where he will not be disturbed by other family members or nosy pets. He should focus fully on the interview to create a good impression on the interviewer. Although the interview is being conducted virtually, the interviewee must not make the mistake of being too casual. It is, after all, a professional job interview and he must conduct himself as professionally as possible. Keeping these few tips in mind, MBA graduates must conduct themselves accordingly when they find themselves in the midst of a virtual interview. Being professional and prepared while conducting an interview will help them to be the perfect candidate and in giving a very successful interview.