COVID-19 essentially upended everything that we have been taught about the professional world. Work-from-home has forced many employers to rethink their hiring process, as some employees will not want to work from home and other employees will require that they be able to work from home. However, one thing that has not changed, in my opinion, is how you should prepare for a virtual interview.
Yes, it’s a virtual interview, but it is still a job interview and should still be treated as such. In my opinion, this means professional dress (which means slacks, not sweatpants just because they can’t tell; you can tell and professional dress can help put you in the proper head space). This also means having a copy of your cover letter and resume handy, just in case the interviewer has any questions or needs clarification on a part of your resume. I would advise having a hard copy of your cover letter and resume, that way the interviewer is not waiting for you to open the document on your computer, it’s already right there.
In my opinion, it is a great tip to make sure that your interview space is quiet. I know that this may not be possible for everyone, but it definitely shows professionalism to conduct your interview in a quiet place, away from any distractions. A final tip I would have for anyone having to interview virtually because of the pandemic is asking questions about how the company is handling the pandemic, such as work-from-home requirements. It is likely that they will explain procedure to you, but don’t be afraid to ask questions. How can you know a job is right for you if you don’t ask any questions about it?
Katherine Nocon
WSS Student Contributor