Developer application: tips for your video interview

Career AdviceApplication

Many companies are increasingly conducting job interviews via video instead of in person, especially when recruiting developers. We've put together some tips for your next dev interview if it's in front of the camera.

Clothes make the man

Even if you do the interview on the kitchen table or from your home office, you still have to make sure that you are dressed appropriately.

Appearing in front of the camera in a sweatshirt or casual clothes could send the wrong message to the recruiter. Dress as you would for an in-person interview. This will demonstrate your seriousness and interest in the position. Before starting the interview, test how you appear in front of the camera and activate Skype or another application that activates the camera on the PC.

The picture setting helps you to analyze whether the light in the room is too bright or your skin looks too pale. Adjust your surroundings accordingly for a perfect appearance.

Background setting

Would you like your setting to convey professionalism? Then make sure your surroundings are clean and that anything distracting, such as a dog or eye-catching piece of art, is outside the frame. Also let everyone at home know that you are conducting a video interview and that they should keep quiet and out of sight.

Before beginning the interview, make sure your phone is off and any alarms that may go off during the conversation are disabled.

Don't look at the screen

In video interviews, it's very tempting to always look directly at the screen - after all, that's the biggest thing in front of you. However, this should be avoided, as you should look at your PC's camera in order to be able to maintain direct eye contact with the recipients.

Practice creates masters

Before the interview starts, take enough time to check your audio and video settings for any unexpected issues. As with an in-person interview, prepare for potential questions. To familiarize yourself with certain phrases, say possible answers out loud. Before the interview begins, take a few more deep breaths and remember to just relax.