How do you prepare for remote interviews?

Question

We’re all rather used to remote interviews by now and I’m sure everyone will agree that making a really good impression over Zoom can be pretty difficult. The negotiation coaching and resume review services help with some of the pre-meeting prep, but I’d love to hear how others prepare for online interviews.I try to make sure my lighting and audio is good and I’m at least looking presentable (even if that means throwing on a collared shirt right before the meeting starts) - that feels like the bare minimum, to be honest, so does anyone have any other tips or thoughts on how to best prepare? I’ve thought of scripting my answers to some things that interviewers usually ask about, but I’ve never got round to actually doing that and am not sure if it would even be helpful.

19g616l154nkay · Accepted Answer

I’ve always created a Google Doc of the company that I’m interviewing for and if possible, my interviewer. Talking about their experiences and asking personalized questions has gone a long way for me. Even when networking, if I ask someone for a virtual cup of coffee, I try to get to know about their work as much as possible. I’m a SWE so I try to find their GitHub and see what kinds of cool things they’re working on.

I also look for questions frequently asked on their Glassdoor, write out a thought out response, and try to remember the main points. When it comes to the actual interview, I always take a shot of -insert alcohol- to calm my nerves

DoctorClean · Answer

I like to have a small sticky note with 2-3 worded experience/examples that can be used for various types of questions. Instead of scripting the responses, try using short bullet points. It keeps you from from sounding like a robot because you’ll have a general idea of what to say  next but wouldn’t have it memorized as your mind fills in the blanks differently each time.

19g616l13mxf7f · Answer

Before any interview I do some breath work to calm my nerves. It’s been pretty effective and I recommend the 4-7-8 technique.

Muscat · Answer

I like to keep a list of questions I'd like to ask or a list of bullet points I want to cover on a post-it note or the handy dandy Notepad app.

I've been keeping a stress ball nearby just to keep myself from fidgeting.

raisinbran · Answer

Get a good nights rest, eat a good breakfast, and don’t stress too much, take it chill 😌

How do you prepare for remote interviews?

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