The Virtual Interview Guide
The Virtual Interview Guide
The Virtual Interview Guide
The interview process has always been a core facet of the student affairs job search. These interviews usually progress in stages. Starting with a first round screener interview and progressing to a second round committee interview. Finally, most student affairs job seekers will culminate their search with the on-campus interview.
These steps are significant in their own right. Each step requires a different level of research, preparation, and investment of time and patience.
Recently these steps have begun to transition to a phone and virtual modality. More and more first round interviews, second round interviews, and final round interviews are taking place over the phone; online; and in other virtual settings.
This change has been a challenging for job seekers; search committees; and hiring managers alike. Especially since student affairs is a field that emphasizes and prioritizes face to face engagement and contact.
However, virtual interviewing is a trend and a skill that is here to stay. That means that student affairs job seekers will need to learn how to practice, implement, and master virtual interviews in order to compete in the field.
This article will provide a step by step process for approaching student affairs virtual interviews. The process starts with managing enough time in your day to prepare and host a virtual interview. Setting up your space for virtual interviews is also key. That means making sure that you present well on camera. Like other interviews, the virtual interview requires its own line of preparatory work necessary for success. Additionally, technical specifications, hardware, and software are necessary for making sure that your interview goes smoothly.
Wardrobe choices were a significant part of any interview process. The same can be said for the virtual interview. Practice, preparation, and a dry run is recommended for student affairs job seekers who are not used to; uncomfortable with; or are not familiar with the virtual interviewing process. Lastly, this article concludes with steps for executing your interview plan on the big day as well steps to take after the interview to ensure a follow up from the institution.
Managing time
Virtual interviews are like many other job interviews. They will require a time commitment for you to both prepare and host the interview. That’s why it’s necessary to clear your schedule in the days and hours leading up to the interview as well as the time it takes to host it.
Many first round interviews last between 30-60 minutes. Make sure that you have adequate time to prepare beforehand. You want to avoid scheduling other meetings both before and after your interview in order to conserve your conversational energy as well as to prevent tardiness if anything in your schedule runs over.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made living situations for everyone much more tense. That’s why it’s imperative that you share with your housemates, families, and friends the date and time for your interview. Doing this ensures that you’ll get the time and space necessary to conduct this important meeting free from distractions and interruptions.
Also make sure that you have the date, time, and modality of your interview correctly confirmed with your interview coordinator. Specific things you should take into consideration are time zone differences (especially important for interviewing with institutions on opposite coasts) as well as modalities.
Modality is critical characteristic to consider. Especially if you have much experience using Zoom but the interview will be conducted over GoToMeeitng; Google Hangouts; BlueJeans; Skype or any other host of web conferencing platforms.
Lastly, make sure that you confirm the correct virtual conference platform as well as how and when you’ll connect to the meeting.
Setting up the space
Space is as important as your time in preparing for your virtual student affairs interview. This means that you want to take adequate time to prepare your environment for the upcoming event. This includes ensuring that you’ll avoid any interruptions that might happen during the interview. In this case, it’s best to host your interview in a private area that can be easily locked from the inside. Posting a sign on the outside of your door noting the date and the time of your interview serves as an additional reminder that you will be unavailable during this time.
Also, you’ll want to limit distractions when your interview is in progress. I recommend keeping your mobile phone silenced; with “Do Not Disturb” mode on; and face down. This ensures that your phone is within easy reach in case of emergencies, but it won’t serve as a distraction during your meeting.
Afterwards you want to consider your surroundings in your interview space. Does this location have good Wi-Fi reception for video conferencing? Does it have adequate cellular coverage if using your mobile phone? Also consider if the space will be adequately heated; cooled; and have proper ventilation. Ensuring that these things are in place now will help you mitigate the stress that usually accompanies hosting virtual interviews.
For video interviews you’ll want to ensure that you have an appropriate and proper physical background for your search committee members. A blank, solid-colored, and light background (like a white wall) makes the ideal backdrop. Additionally, you’ll want to de-clutter the background and remove any items or images from that you do not want to share with the search committee.
Now take a moment to sit in front of the camera and center yourself on your screen. You’ll want to ensure that you remain the focal point of your interview and that there is enough distance between you and your camera so that you remain in focus.
Another important consideration to make for the interview space is confirming that you have adequate and diffused light to look good on screen. Ideally you want to avoid the harsh overhead glare of a room light or a lamp. Instead, focus on “diffused” light that fills the entire room. Diffused light is best described as the kind of light that you see outside on a cloudy day. Diffused light isn’t directed. Instead it’s evenly spread across you and your background. Sitting near a window on a cloudy day helps to provide this kind of lighting.
If you are unable to conduct your interview during the day with diffused lighting then you can also use your computer screen’s light to illuminate your face. The best and easiest way to do this is to open your browser to a blank page with a white background. In addition, you may also open up a blank Word document with a white background. Both of these options provide a single source of white light to illuminate your face.
Additionally, consider the rest of your setup in your interview location. Using a comfortable chair and a desk at an appropriate height will make sure that you’re comfortable and in your best mood when hosting the interview. Also make sure that your chair doesn’t squeak or provide any other extraneous noise when you move. These additional noises may hamper the quality of your interview.
Lastly, take the final steps to setup your space by making sure that everything is in arm’s reach. This includes your computer, power cord, and phone as necessities for the interview. In addition, consider also having a bottle of water, paper tissues, a notebook, pen, and your briefing book close by for reference.
Prep work
Now it’s time to work on the interview itself. Like other job interviews, the student affairs virtual interview requires both your time and your effort to adequately prepare. The first thing that you should do is to make sure that you read the email from your interview coordinator carefully. Usually this comes from the search committee chair; administrative assistant; human resources screener; or hiring manager themselves. This interview summary should contain the following.
-Date of the Interview
-Time of the Interview
-Time Zone of the Interview
-Full Names and Titles of those on the Call
-Modality (i.e. phone, virtual video + audio, virtual audio only)
-Connection Information (i.e. link or dial in number)
-Alternate Connection Information (in case the primary method fails)
Make sure to confirm all of this information with your interview coordinator prior to the interview. Alternate connection information and time zones are often left off of this list as critical aspects of the student affairs virtual interview. Make sure that you have this information confirmed leading up to your scheduled meeting date and time.
It’s also important that you express any special needs or accommodations you have for the interview. The most common are time constraints (i.e only having an hour for the call). Otherwise student affairs job seekers may need special accommodations related to audio or visual accessibility for those with special needs. Make sure to share these concerns with your interview coordinator so that they are aware of these special provisions ahead of time.
Often student affairs professionals don’t’ spend adequate time preparing for the virtual interview. However, treating it as if you were meeting in person is a key consideration to make. It takes the same level of dedication and commitment to preparing for the virtual interview as it does for a traditional in-person one.
As such, it’s important that you do your homework for the interview ahead of time. The specific process that I recommend student affairs professionals follow is the creation of their own briefing book with four main parts: positional alignment; institutional culture and structure; staff background; and strategic questions.
Next, you should prepare a “cheat sheet” for your interview. These include the main points of information from your briefing book; anticipated questions; and strategic questions. As an added bonus I recommend also listing the names, titles, and pictures of each interview committee member on this cheat sheet. Doing this allows you to quickly and easily recall the names and titles of each member on the call.
Often student affairs professionals don’t prepare at all to discuss salary and benefits throughout their job search. However, be prepared to address these questions during your virtual interview. Specific ways to address, pivot, and respond to questions about salary and compensation will determine if you proceed throughout the rest of the search process.
Novice job seekers will attempt to memorize their responses to anticipated interview questions. However, a well practiced and rehearsed job seeker performs much better than someone who is recalling responses from rote memory. Instead, concentrate on providing clear, concise, and focused responses to your interviewers questions that put you in the best light.
Lastly, be prepared to ask questions during your interview. Just not any ordinary questions: strategic questions. Strategic questions help position you as the candidate for the role. Strategic questions differ from traditional interview questions because they provide job seekers the additional benefit of demonstrating that they know information as well as sharing insight on what they would like to learn more about.
Tech work
The technical aspect of virtual interviews is what makes them difficult to begin and even harder to master. Dedicating time and effort to understanding and utilizing your technology helps smooth the process for all of your virtual interviews.
Make sure that you know how to use all aspects of your software and hardware leading up to your virtual interview. Ensuring that you know how to connect; re-connect; share your screen; mute your microphone; turn on/off your video prior to your interview is key. This should be done in the days leading up to your interview. However, during the interview also confirm that the entire search committee can both see and hear you on the other end.
Make sure that you setup and test your equipment before your interview. This is especially critical if you are using a new web cam; microphone; or headset. Learning how these new components work during your interview is not an option. So make sure that you test out this hardware before signing on.
If you must create account credentials (i.e. username and password) for a web conferencing platform (i.e. Zoom, GoToMeeting, Skype) then work on keeping usernames simple. First Name + Last Name should work well for identifying you easily. If not, then use First Name + Last Name + Numbers to differentiate your account from others that may already have the same name.
Creating a “test” meeting is one of the best ways to ensuring that all of your hardware and software is running accordingly on your end. Zoom offers the site https://zoom.us/test in order to create and run a test meeting by yourself. Here you can spend your time familiarizing yourself with the platform prior to your actual interview.
Creating a test meeting is also a good opportunity to make sure that you practice good interview etiquette by looking at the camera lens when speaking instead of to your face on screen. Doing so will help you come across more empathetically to your interviewers as you will be looking directly at them instead of to the person on the screen.
While conducting this test session also make sure to verify your internet connection and speed. https://www.speedtest.net/ Provides a great way to test your internet connection to determine your computer’s ability to handle a virtual interview. It’s recommended that you have at least 1 Mbps Download / 1 Mbps Upload for high quality video. 3 Mbps Download / 3 Mbps Upload is recommended for High Definition (HD) video.
Of course, all of the technical preparation in the world won’t prevent technical glitches from popping up during your interview. If that is the case, then don’t panic. Instead, refer to your backup plan with your interview coordinator. This should include an alternative method to connect (for instance a phone number) should your hardware and software experience a technical snag.
Clothing coordination
The next step towards getting ready for your virtual interview is to make sure that you have your clothing coordinated and picked out prior to the big event. You’ll need to choose your outfit strategically. This is the same process as if you were interviewing in person. However, now you have to think about what makes you look the best on camera with the lighting available to you.
Think about your outfit strategically. You’ll look best on camera with dark solid colors against a lighter background. A solid colored top with diffused lighting provides the best results. So your choices are a dark (solid colored) top such as black, dark gray, or brown. This will help you contrast against the lighter colored background that you’ve selected.
Some institutions may be more causal with their virtual interview policies. As such you could comfortably fulfill your clothing requirements by just wearing a dark solid colored t-shirt. However, if you’re not comfortable interviewing so casually then consider dressing fully for an in person interview. That could include a dark colored suit; blazer; blouse; or sweater.
Dressing professionally also has the added benefit of putting you into the professional interview mindset where you are ready to meet the search committee, hiring manager, or HR screener. This will help you mentally set this event apart from anything else happening during your day.
Of course your final clothing selections will depend greatly on you; the position; and the institution. Dressing for success means combining the needs of the role with what makes you feel most comfortable.
Dry run
Nothing helps you prepare for the real thing than a dry run. A dry run could include just testing your technology to make sure that everything works. It could be preparation interview with your mentor, colleague, or best friend. It could even be a fully recorded mock interview.
It doesn’t matter what you choose to do for your dry run. The most important thing is that you DO practice something for your dry run. After all, practice does make perfect. The more experience you have with virtual interviewing, the more you can apply your skills to different contexts, individuals and situations.
If you’re completely frazzled on the virtual interview process then consider a dry run that is much more low stakes. Consider calling a close friend or family member using the same technology platform that will be used for your interview. You don’t actually have to commit to doing an entire interview. Rather, practice using the software, adjusting the sound, configuring your camera, and setting your lighting while you have a conversation with someone you know well. Even doing these small steps will put you on a path towards developing your competence and comfort with virtual interviewing.
Execute your plan
The big day has come and it’s time for your virtual student affairs interview. This is the time to shine. Much of this is going to be in your hands. So make sure that you’re ready at the date and time of the interview for a confident, purposeful, and enthusiastic event.
Some job seekers get really nervous right before an interview. If that’s you then consider walking around the block or around your living space before joining the call. Doing this could help calm your nerves and focus your energy for the event to come.
Make sure that you show up a little bit early at your desk or space where you’ll conduct the virtual interview. Take a few moments to sit down prepared so that you’ll have all of the most important items required of your interview within easy reach. Those items include a bottle of water, paper tissues, notebook, and pen close at hand.
This is also a great time to turn off your cell phone and put it into “Do Not Disturb” mode in order to avoid interruptions during your call. At the start of your interview also confirm that you’re sitting up straight and that the camera centers you in the middle of your screen.
Remember to also monitor your body language. Much is lost in the virtual interview when we’re not seeing the other person face to face. However, much is also given away when we are only focusing on another person’s face and upper body. So remember to smile into the camera lens when you first appear to boost your confidence and project warmth to your search committee.
It’s important to avoid fidgeting during your interview. This could be easier said than done if you’re in a rolling desk chair. Just remember to stay still and remain in frame. Additionally, you should avoid slouching and yawning while the interview is in progress.
It’s important that you use this interview to your advantage. Therefore you should work on showing and telling your best career experiences; graduate school programs; and other work related projects that you’re proud of. The ability to share links directly with your search committee does much to make sure that your accomplishments are easily reviewed and noticed by the committee.
Additionally, take time to make sure that you don’t interrupt other people during the interview. There are definitive moments when you are not sure who should speak next. That’s fine. Just wait a few extra moments before saying anything else before speaking up.
The interview is a time when your weaknesses for the position; lack of experience; or other mitigating factors could come to light. Take this as an opportunity to address those concerns with the committee by sharing how you also grew from those experiences and how you have applied what you’ve learned. Learning to pivot during an interview is key to making sure that you are received positively.
Finally, there will come a time for you to ask questions. Asking strategic questions is one of the best ways of showcasing to the search committee that you know information. In addition it also demonstrates that you are seeking to gain further context and insight. Interview questions are one of the most underrated ways of demonstrating to the search committee your prowess as a professional.
It’s incredibly easy to get distracted during a virtual interview. Even more so if you choose to take notes using a digital document. If you fall into this category then consider using a notebook and pen for note taking. Not only will you be less distracted from other stimuli; but you’ll also be forced to summarize key points rather than writing everything down verbatim.
Post interview
Congratulations! You’ve completed your student affairs virtual interview! Now what should you do? Don’t lose the momentum afterwards. Makes sure that you take some follow up steps to ensure that you’ve tied up all of your lose ends.
Send a personal follow-up after the interview. This doesn’t need to be comprehensive. If you interviewed with an entire search committee then it’s okay to just send a thank you email to the search chair. If you interviewed with just the human resources screener or hiring manger then you can send them a personalized message as well.
Most importantly it’s critical to reflect after the interview process. Make sure that you ask (and document your response) to a series of reflection questions. Specifically ask yourself “What did I learn during this interview?” Your answer will be personalized and highly contextual. You might have learned something about the institution you didn’t know about before (such as famous alumni) or it could be more pedestrian like discovering the office is smaller than you thought it would be.
Then move onto some more incisive reflection questions such as “Did this interview share anything about the institution’s priorities?” Sometimes it’s necessary to identify some comments made during the search such as it taking a long time to come up with a list of finalists. Such comments could indicate that the search was not a priority for the search committee or that resources are stretched pretty thin. Conversely you could have observed some positive behaviors such as the interviewers relationships and banter with each other during the call. Both results should be documented in your response to this reflection question.
Then move towards questions that examine your professional background and your qualification for the role. Ask yourself “Did the interview reveal any of the skills and qualifications they are looking for in this role?” This is usually revealed when your interviewers ask you questions about your knowledge, background, skills, and abilities. Your interviewers will want to know how you’ve used different experiences in practice and how you’ve applied student development theories in your past positions.
Lastly, consider how well you’d do in this position should you be offered the role. Ask yourself “Is this institution’s mission, direction, and role a fit for me?” Institutional fit is highly subjective that requires the review and reflection of many different things that determine if a position is the right one for you. So ask yourself if this is a place that you see yourself working at for the foreseeable future. If so, what does that future look like to you?
Takeaways
This article provided a step by step process for approaching the student affairs virtual interview. The process starts with managing time and budgeting enough space in your day to prepare and host a virtual interview. Setting up your space for virtual interviews is key. That means making sure that you look good on camera. Like other interviews, the virtual interview requires its own line of preparatory work necessary for success. Additionally, technical specifications, hardware, and software familiarity are all necessary for making sure that your interview goes smoothly.
Wardrobe choices are a significant part of any interview process. The same can be said for the virtual interview. Practice, preparation, and a dry run is recommended for student affairs job seekers who are not used to; uncomfortable with; or are not familiar with the virtual interviewing process. Lastly, this article concluded with steps for executing your plan on the big day as well steps to take after the interview concludes.
I hope that you found this article useful! If you need some additional help on your student affairs job search, then check out the eBook The Student Affairs Job Search: A Comprehensive Guide available here.
Happy searching,
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Cite this Article
Eng, D. (2020, November 10). The Virtual Interview Guide. Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.jobhakr.com/blog-1/2020/11/10/the-virtual-interview-guide
Internal Reference: JHKRA36LD0LUW