3 Tips To Nail Your Remote Panel Interview

Remote, or virtual, interviews present different challenges for interview candidates. Keep reading to limber up, ready to jump those hurdles.

COVID has changed so much of our way of life and recruitment interviews are no exception. With the recent COVID lockdown, a lot of panel interviews have moved from face to face to ‘remote’ interviews conducted via technology.

This presents some challenges for candidates but also some opportunities - like not getting stuck in traffic or getting lost on the way to the interview (you’ve gotta take the wins where you can find them!)

Let’s start with the challenges that we need to overcome in a remote interview to nail the interview.

In a previous blog post, 'Hostage Survival Skills For Your Panel Interview', we spoke about how creating a connection with the panel should be one of your number one goals in the interview. Creating a connection with the panel has a positive influential impact on the decisions they make about your suitability for the job. And a remote interview is a barrier, or at least a hurdle, to creating this connection.

The other challenge of a remote panel interview is that it can increase the stoic nature of the interview. Panel interviews can be quite a formal and aloof process at the best of times and putting a computer screen between the interviewers and the candidate has the potential to increase this.

Any physical distancing requirements on the part of the interviewers also presents a challenge. If the interviewers are still physically in the same room, they’ll most likely either need to socially distance or wear face masks – neither of which is ideal for you. Socially distanced interviewers likens making eye contact to watching a tennis match and mask-wearing interviewers makes it even harder to hear the interviewers and read facial expressions and puts yet another barrier between you and the interviewer.

One of your main aims in a remote panel interview is to have a strong ‘virtual presence’. Virtual presence occurs when you display confidence, communicate clearly and create rapport with your interviewers. So let’s look at how to overcome these challenges and increase your virtual presence.

1) Understand how virtual communication skills differ:

Position the camera at eye height. You want to be looking directly at the camera, not down at it (this will also help you not to slouch). You also don’t want to be too close to the camera - you don’t want to fill their entire screen with your face. For a start, this is going to make any facial expression very clear and obvious but more importantly you want to be able to demonstrate your body language – to show that you’re open & relaxed. Approximately 60cm -70cm away from the camera is ideal; You’re aiming for head and shoulders in the screen.

Look at the camera, not the screen. This is for two reasons:

When you look at the screen (which, to you, is looking at the interviewers) it looks like you’re doing just that – looking at the screen but not the interviewers. The interviewers’ eyes are the camera, so look at the camera to make eye contact.
The other reason to avoid looking at the screen is that it can make you appear distracted, because you’re essentially looking away from the interviewers. Unless you’re super disciplined, you’ll naturally be looking all over the screen and you'll also be wondering what you look like to the interviewers, so you’ll likely keep glancing at that little square that has you in it. Turn off video mirroring if you need to, to avoid being distracted looking at yourself talking.

Distractions are a big deal when it comes to virtual interviews. Harvard Business Review reports, “Of the 72% of job candidates we observed who did not bag offers, the majority (around 80%) appeared to be distracted, failed to engage their recruiter in a meaningful way, or seemed as though they were reading from a script”.1

Be aware of audio delays and lag time. You don’t want to speak over or cut-off your interviewers so wait a moment before starting to talk. Just a second, no long awkward pauses.

Use the opportunity of a remote interview to help you disguise nerves. Use the fact that the panel can only see your head and shoulders to your advantage. If you’re a fidgeter, occupy your hands with a stress ball or some other quiet fidget gadget. If you’re a mad foot tapper, lower your seat and go bare foot so you can tap away without jiggling around. Know how your nerves present and plan to manage them off-camera.

"One of your main aims in a remote panel interview is to have a strong ‘virtual presence' ".

2) Physical presentation for a remote interview:

Your background is part of your physical presentation and is a representation of you. Make sure your setting (or what can be seen) is clean and tidy. Look at absolutely everything the camera can see and decide if you want it seen. You’re not making a movie set here – a plain white wall is fine, just make sure you don’t have material on display that says anything negative about you.

And if you happen to have a flatmate that thinks it would be hilarious to streak in the background (has happened), consider locking the door.

Don’t use a virtual background. The panel want to see you, not you at the beach, or you in space or you under the Eiffel tower. It’s distracting and will most likely disappear your hands into the background if you’re a hand talker and pop you in and out of your background as you readjust in your seat. And adding anything virtual also adds the chance of technological mishap; using a virtual background to hide your mess and clutter could be a good idea...until the tech fails or the video quality degrades and leaves you sitting in that messy corner of your house.

If for whatever reason you choose to do a virtual background, go something plain and neutral so it doesn’t detract from you and make sure you have great lighting - virtual backgrounds need strong light to detect where you end and where your background begins to stop you disappearing into your background.

What you wear still counts for a remote interview. Yes, you’re probably at home but that doesn’t mean trackie-dacks are ok. You’re still wanting to project a professional image so business attire is still required for a virtual interview. If you’re brave, and certain you won’t need to stand up during the interview, then you might make a partial concession and go casual bottoms but be warned, you wouldn't be the first candidate to stand up without thinking, to shut the door or switch the light on and flash your active wear bottoms to the panel.

"Your background is part of your physical presentation and is a representation of you."

3) Remove additional barriers between you and your interviewers:

Avoid ginormous headphone & microphone sets if you can help it. Yes, they give great sound quality but physically, they’re a barrier between you and the panel and detract from the impression you’re trying to make. If you feel you absolutely need them, try the smaller earbuds instead of the big headset.

Make sure the panel can see you. It’s distracting and annoying to have to squint and lean in to try and see someone hiding in the shadows. You’re aiming for light onto your face so either set up near a window or some other natural light, or pop a desk light behind your device directed at you.

Make sure your device is hands free. Ideally you want to use a larger screened device like a computer, laptop or iPad vs a phone so that you can see the panel clearly; You want to be able to read cues and body language. But even if you’re using your phone, make sure that it’s set up so that you’re hands free – a shaky hand holding a phone is either going to give away your nerves (or at least make you appear nervous) and the motion sickness-inducing wobble is going to be irritating for the panel – the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.

Minimise distractions (for you and the panel) –

Turn off notifications on your devices and close all unnecessary software and/or apps.
Make sure you’re in a quiet spot – background noise or interruptions are going to distract the panel.
Make sure your background is clear so it doesn't visually distract the panel.

The biggest barrier between you and your interviewers is failed technology.

Preparation is the key to avoiding tech glitches. Make sure you:

Have a reliable internet connection
Have the required platform downloaded well before the day of the interview and test it. If you’re trying to download Teams for the first time on the morning of the interview, Murphy’s Law says you’ll need a system update, and the app will take for ever to download.
Are familiar with the platform. Do you know how to make sure your camera and microphone are on in Teams?
Do a test call with a friend to check everything is working properly.
Test your internet speed. A simple google search will do this and check for you upload speed (you're uploading your video). And then check the internet speed requirements for the platform you’re using.
Make sure your device is fully charged and/or plugged in.
Have a backup device (your phone is fine), if possible.

"The biggest barrier between you and your interviewers is failed technology."

A few other considerations for virtual interviews:

Have a contact name and number in recruiting so you know who to telephone if there’s a problem.
Make sure when the interview is over that you ‘leave’ the call or that you mute your mic and turn your camera off or disconnect your internet connection to make sure the call is closed. Pants might be optional for a virtual interview, but the jig is definitely up when don’t disconnect the call properly and then stand up.
Just like a face-to-face interview, make sure you’re ready well before the interview time. Answering the call all huffy puffy after running to make the call it isn’t a good look.

One final note about integrity issues associated with panel interviews. A panel interview is essentially a verbal exam, and all exams have rules and guidelines. Most face-to-face panel interviews don’t allow you to take notes in that you made prior to the interview (with the exception of notes made in perusal time). The organisation will most likely provide guidelines around this to ensure equity and fairness with candidates who have done a face-to-face interview.

Don’t be tempted to have your pre-perusal notes on hand, either electronically or physically (you wouldn’t be the first candidate to accidentally screen-share their pre-prepared notes). Integrity is a big deal and your interviewers will note anything that’s slightly askew and could call your integrity into question.

So in summary:

The biggest barrier between you and your interviewers is failed technology.

Have a reliable internet connection and check you have the required upload speed for the platform you’re using
Make sure you’ve downloaded and tested the required platform before the day of the interview
Make sure your device is fully charged & plugged in
Have a back up device if possible
Position the camera at eye height
Look at the camera, not the screen
Leave time for audio delays and lag time when answering questions

Physical presentation for a remote interview:

Your background forms part of your physical presentation
Don’t use a virtual background
Business attire is still required for a virtual interview

Remove additional barriers between you and your interviewers:

Avoid ginormous headphone and mic sets
Make sure the lighting and camera position is sufficient for the panel to see you clearly
Make sure your device is hands free to avoid motion-sickness inducing wobbles for the interviewers
Minimise distractions by turning off notifications, closing unnecessary apps and making sure you won’t be disturbed

And remember, remote interviews are not ideal for anyone, the interviewers included. Don’t stress about having to interview remotely, you won’t be penalised or disadvantaged by the process, the panel will take into account the difficulties associated with a remote interview.

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1 Laker, Ben, et al. “4 Tips to Nail a Virtual Job Interview .” Harvard Business Review, 2021, hbr.org/2021/03/4-tips-to-nail-a-virtual-job-interview#.