Ace that Zoom Interview

First impressions are key. It is our opportunity to project who we are without saying a word. People have already observed how you walk, hold yourself, your facial expressions, eye movements, and even how much (or how little) space you take up. This is vital, especially in an interview setting.

You might say, "Okay, that works if we were in person. What about Zoom?" The same principles apply, perhaps even more so. Spending out more time at home can make it challenging when we are faced with situations where the presentation of our best (but authentic) self comes to the forefront. The cues we depend on during in person interactions can also apply through a screen. They just need a little bit more mindful attention.

Here are three key areas you may want to pay attention to: Eye line, Posture and Pausing

1. Eye Line: Your eye line refers to where you are looking while speaking. It is so important because where you look dictates where your attention is. Eye line is also affected by your seating set up. Are you sitting at a height that makes you look up at the interviewer or look down? You want to try and adjust your seating so that your eye line on par with your camera and ultimately in line with your interviewer.

2. Posture: Be mindful of the slouch! It shrinks the amount of space you take up, denotes a lack of confidence and drops your eye line. Adjust your seating to ensure you have a comfortably straight posture. Have an open chest also helps with breathing. A lack of oxygen coupled with shallow breathes can increases feelings of anxiety. Opening up your chest and breathing deeply will help keep you calm and boost your memory.

3. Pausing: Interviewing over Zoom has its own technical challenges. A tip to manage speaking over your interviewer and combating lagging is to pause. After a question is posed, take a moment to allow time for potential technical issues. Pausing is also beneficial to give you some time to think about how you would like to formulate your response (i.e. the STAR method). Now is also a great time to take a nice deep breath to slow things down and give yourself a nice boost of oxygen!

For some additional interview tips check out this Satuppada article:

OMG! I have an interview!! (satuppada.com)

#bodylanguage #mindfulness #satuppada #presentyourself #zoominterview