All right go.
So first impressions are a pretty big deal.
And you can really separate yourself from less savvy and prepared candidates in video interviews with
this system for hacking video interviews.
So this module assumes that you've prepared for the video if you like you would for any other job interview
but let's get going.
So the first thing is that you want to choose a spot that has a pretty tidy background that doesn't
have too many patterns because basically having too many patterns will clash with you on the screen.
Then you also want to make sure that you get the camera on your laptop or other computer at about the
same height as your forehead because basically when it's looking upward at you it makes your face look
wider and it makes you look like you're looking down at the person with whom you're speaking so get
it on a relatively even sort of level with your eyes and your forehead.
All right so the next thing you want to do is pay attention to lighting.
So for this part of the segment we look to BBC producer Howard Ellison's system for lighting video interviews
and it goes like this.
So you basically want to have one light that's shining on your face but not directly.
A little bit from the side and preferably angled downward just a little bit.
You also want to have another light in front of you that will take out the extra shadows in your face
and you want to have one on in the background so that you stand out against the background.
And finally it's best to put a piece of white paper on the desk in front of you because that should
help you get rid of any glow from the computer screen on your face.
So now you'll look really sharp when you're in front of the camera during your video interview.
Remember though when you're when you're looking out at a window and natural light is shining on your
face that can eliminate the need for these lights that are in front of you because natural light is
a really great source of front lighting.
All right cool.
So now the good thing about video interviews is that you can sort of cheat the notes that you're looking
at as you actually take the interviews.
So one of the best things to do is to integrate sticky notes to your computer and to the interview by
just putting them in front of you but not in the view of the person doing the interview.
That way if you have any need for guidelines or reference points you can put those up in front of you.
Finally you just want to make sure that your microphone sounds good before it actually gets going.
And then when the interview starts actually look into the camera like the camera is interviewing you
because on the other person's screen you'll appear to be making eye contact and also you won't get distracted
by looking at your own image.
If you're video chatting platform puts a little picture of you on the screen.
All right.
So finally if any tech issues happen to come up don't let it catch you off guard just address them.
The interviewer knows that tech issues happen in these situations.
So just address it.
Be honest about it and keep going.
Don't worry too much about it.