Firms are still hiring, which means people are still interviewing. But what has the remote job interview process been like for professionals? How does a remote interview differ from an in-person interview? And what implications do job seekers and firms feel this new way of conducting the hiring process brings to the profession? We reached out and asked the Archinect community to weigh in on some of these questions and have also discovered some interesting insights from experts.

Virtual interaction calls for new skills

Perhaps one of the more obvious changes in our remote work era is the nature of virtual interaction with people. Devoid of the nonverbal subtleties of in-person communication, exchanging over a computer screen can offer a broad range of experiences that are favored by some and resented by others. robhaw, a member of the Archinect community, has had a few remote interviews that, due to their virtual nature, have taken some time to adapt to, robhaw writes:

I’ve had a few remote interviews already and they felt distant, awkward, and dry. The worst things however are connection/software issues. In one instance, my presentation started flickering as I was going through some interesting work. As a result, I had to restart the software and the flow was lost. Hopefully, the interviewers were understanding. 

Both personal detachment and technology can present themselves as hurdles during a remote interview. In an article by Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. published on Zoom’s Blog, Goman stresses the importance of emphasizing body language on video calls such as making sure to smile and to uncross your arms. She also builds on the need to control the pitch of your voice and to slow down gestures on camera. “Too much hand movement tends to look jerky on screen. So practice beforehand and see what gestures work best for you,” she writes.

Virtual interaction calls for a whole new set of skills that revolve mostly around a greater sensitivity to body language. In his book, The Laws of Human Nature, in a chapter about body language, Robert Greene writes on first impressions: “It has been demonstrated how much people tend to judge based on first impressions and the difficulties they have in reassessing these judgments. Knowing this, you must give extra attention to your first appearance before an individual or group.” Our preparation for a remote interview should hold the same weight as our preparations for an in-person interview. A new factor in that preparation in this season is technology.

Technical dependence requires new modes of preparation

As stated earlier, a small technical issue could become a huge roadblock during an interview. Having to pause during a first meeting to troubleshoot software or restart a presentation could be a make or break moment in your candidacy for a new job. While employers will likely be as understanding as they can, if things take too much of a turn for the worse, it could kill your chances of moving forward in the hiring process. Simple details like using headphones and even having a practice call with a friend before the interview to have them point out anything weird on your end can work wonders. You don’t want to sign on for your interview and suddenly find out your portfolio looks blurry to the employer, or that your volume is too low.

“Tether from your phone during the interview call. Don’t rely on wifi. Blur your background, unless you are in a very nice room. Clear your desktop of icons. That ‘ll look tidy when sharing your screen,” wrote robhaw in an Archinect discussion thread. Lighting is important as well, ensuring the person you’re meeting with can see your face instead of your silhouette.

An interview is still an interview

We also want to make sure we don’t make a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to remote interviews. An interview is still an interview, and, despite the natural differences a virtual dynamic brings, this is still a meeting of two parties, both with a goal of measuring compatibility. Nextup, another Archinect user, expressed how the remote interview format provides a greater degree of comfort, writing:

It felt more casual and conversational on my end. Usually, when I go to in-person interviews I get jittery and nervous (waiting around, awkward interactions). I feel like this way all parties are at least comfortable in their individual spaces. In my experience, I feel zoom allows more space for people to talk freely and to introduce themselves though I’m not sure why that is.

With that in mind, there are some good habits to keep in your arsenal around virtual meetings:

• Since you’re home it can be tempting to procrastinate “getting ready” for the interview. It’s good practice to “show up” a little early, just like you would for an in-person meeting, with everything queued on your computer.
• Before you call in make sure you don’t have to do any shuffling on your desk or desktop, you want to be looking at the camera, ready to extend an attentive and professional greeting. Think of this as your “virtual handshake.”
• As stated before, body language is important, and hand gestures can help with your relatability. If all the interviewer can see is your head, that’ll be hard to convey. Try to provide some distance between you and your camera.
• You still should bring your resume, just like you would in a traditional interview. This can be done by simply having it ready to share on your screen.

Communicating with another human on screen can be undeniably awkward, and sometimes even frustrating, but let’s lean into this new mode of communication and embrace our need to adapt. Building skills in conveying concepts and ideas on the screen will prove valuable not only for your interview but also in your career moving forward, as virtual collaboration and interaction grow more and more unavoidable. As professionals take additional steps to mitigate risk during technology-dependent meetings, the proficiency of execution in the industry looks like it will continue to move in a positive direction.