Remote interviews may have become necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that the genie is out of the bottle, employers and job seekers are embracing the benefits of doing interviews over video chat.

For job seekers, the convenience of a remote interview is a trap. You may be able to take an interview in the comfort of your own home, but the way you present yourself still matters. Therefore, you should still take a deliberate and professional approach to have any chance of a remote interview. What are the best wWays to ace a remote interview?

Check the Overall Look

Many of us get anxious about appearing on camera, especially in front of strangers. However, you’re not expected to have a movie star presence when interviewing remotely. Your appearance and your background need to be unobtrusive.

Start by making sure your camera and microphone are working correctly. Then, take steps to prevent any audio or visual distractions. If construction or some other loud activity is being performed outside your home and noise is unavoidable, adjust your settings and explain your situation upfront.

Next, make sure you have a clear background. While a natural background implies trustworthiness and transparency, a virtual background shouldn’t disqualify you from getting the position.

Finally, make sure you have a good internet connection that will be maintained in the middle of your interview.

If you need a professional-looking setup, consider visiting a friend’s house or renting a meeting room through a coworking space.

Maintain Professionalism During the Interview

It’s crucial to come across as professional and organized during the interview. Start by being on time. Having a few notes going into the discussion for reference is OK, but you should avoid scripting answers.

Focus on answering questions directly using concise language. Refrain from belaboring a point or going off on unnecessary tangents. If you do, you not only risk saying something foolish, but you could also come across as someone who contributes to endless virtual meetings with their constant chatter. If brevity doesn’t come to you naturally, consider practicing it during your practice interview sessions.

Convey Your Unique Value

Every candidate is unique, but not everyone can convey their unique value to a potential employer. If you have in-demand skills or experience, convey that as best you can over the remote connection. Be prepared to send any links, articles, projects, and other materials that help convey your value over Microsoft Teams or Zoom during the interview.

Also, feel free to share a few personal details. Even if you are interviewing for a fully remote position, you still must work with people over email, text message, and video chat. If they can get to know you personally, it’ll make you a more compelling candidate.

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Aside from helping your business attain its objectives, setting goals with your staff members can increase worker engagement by ensuring that every team member understands their role in the big picture. When you set goals correctly, it saves resources and time while boosting efficiency.

Therefore, it’s critical to set aside time to think about essential goals for your company, your team, and your employees that can be achieved in the year ahead. Your goal-setting process should be thorough and easy to understand. It would help if you had around five critical goals for the year.

Below is a short list of suggestions on the best way to develop your list of goals.

Start from the Bottom

Instead of taking a top-down approach to setting goals for your team, it’s better to use a bottom-up approach.

With your company’s mission and goals in mind, ask your employees about goals they want to achieve as a team. Start this conversation by looking back at the year that was and identifying any goals that were not completed but could be in the new year. Also, discuss which performance metrics were being met and which were not. Be sure to ask your team about potential blind spots or obstacles management has overlooked.

Set S.M.A.R.T Goals

One popular goal-setting strategy is called SMART – which involves setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-related goals.

Specific goals are much easier to attain than vague, poorly defined goals. Measurable goals can be broken down into milestones, which can be used to track progress. Attainable goals are goals that are a good use of time and resources. Relevant goals are meaningful to both the company and your team members. Time-related goals have a deadline, which acts as motivation.

Make Plans

Once you have identified your goals, you must figure out how to achieve them. Since your goals will be “measurable,” you should build your plans around the specific milestones and how to track progress toward those milestones. Your plans should also include ways to ensure employees have all the tools they need to succeed.

Consider Support Methods and Rewards

Once you have set goals for your team, you shouldn’t just wash your hands of the entire thing and walk away. You need to provide whatever support you can to your team to help them achieve the goals you set together. It’s also important to consider how to reward your team for achieving both goals and small milestones.

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Keeping a few simple things in mind can go a long way to making your interview much more manageable.

Listen more than you talk

From the beginning, your interviewer supplies you with information directly or subtly. If you pick up on it, you take advantage of a big opportunity. Excellent communication skills include paying attention and letting others understand what they say. Please pay attention to the style and pace with which your interviewer speaks and try to match them.

Also, telling the interviewer more than she must know might be a big mistake. If you have not prepared sufficiently, you may go off on ill-advised tangents when responding to interview questions, risking talking yourself right out of the job. In addition to making sure you speak only a little, prepare for the interview by researching the job qualifications and the company website and social media profiles.

Connect with your interviewer

After introductions, try to find common ground with your interviewer(s) to help kick off your conversation on a positive.

A degree hanging on the office wall, an award on a bookshelf, or a T-shirt from a community event are all great icebreakers you could use to connect to the person across the table from you. If you are still looking for something conversation-worthy, ask if they are from the area. The answer can spark some chit-chat and lead to a more personal connection.

Be organized

Everything required to make the best initial impression should be perfectly organized and readily reachable. You should be capable of quickly taking out your resume, references, a pen, and paper. The less you must dig through your things, the better.

Dress professionally and confidently

Unless you are applying for a blue-collar manual labor job, it’s a good idea to show up to any job interview in a clean and pressed suit. This gives the impression you are professional, detail-oriented, and organized.

You should also wear clothes that make you feel confident. If you don’t have a suit that makes you feel self-assured, it might be time to get one.

Put away your electronic device

You might think there’s no harm in pulling out your phone or tablet while you wait in the reception area; however, tapping away on a device makes you look distant and distracted. Instead, put the device away, be in the moment, and pay attention to your surroundings.

Be proactive in your interactions

Being a guest, you should defer to others in your introductions and actions. However, asserting yourself and projecting confidence makes a better impression.

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High-quality applicants are drawn to businesses and jobs for different reasons than lower-quality applicants.

To draw in high-quality applicants, employers must know what appeals to them. When hiring managers understand the differentiators for top talent, they are better positioned to use a targeted approach to hire them.

Importantly, employers should know what distinguishes high-quality applicants from lower-quality applicants in an interview and listen for candidate responses that indicate quality.

Consider the following differentiators for high-quality candidates, according to research from Gallup.

Top Status

Most people are interested in companies with top status in their industry. However, high-quality applicants are more likely to have done their due diligence, knowing which companies are leading in their industries and why. These applicants are more likely to follow “best workplace” lists.

Seek out applicants who are discerning in applying to jobs and employers. Company leaders should not only strive to make their organization a great place to work, but they should also promote their positive culture as much as possible.

Cultural and Values Fit

High-quality job applicants tend to be drawn to businesses with the same values and priorities. According to Gallup, top applicants want to work for companies that suit who they are that can offer them opportunities to apply their passion and abilities.

In comparison, lower-quality applicants are more prone to seek businesses that meet their immediate needs, like a certain level of compensation, demands of the job, or personal needs. Low-quality applicants also are more prone to accept a position out of an immediate need, which means they are more likely to switch jobs when their needs change.

Seek out applicants who say the open position or company aligns with who they are personally and professionally.

A Career Challenge

High-quality applicants are interested in jobs that offer challenges and opportunities to do meaningful work, while lower-quality applicants have a tendency to concentrate on factors like money or autonomy. Poor-fit applicants try to find a place where they can go on autopilot, one without challenges and growth opportunities. They are also less able to discuss what they like best about their chosen profession.

Seek applicants who readily talk about enjoying their work and overcoming challenges.

Growth Opportunities

Unlike lower-quality applicants, high-quality applicants are more prone to seek jobs offering chances to learn and develop, particularly at companies with strong employee development initiatives.

In comparison, lower-quality applicants are likelier to seek jobs based on comfortability, income, autonomy, a flexible schedule, or a convenient location.

Give particular attention to applicants who can talk about a dream job that offers a chance to get better at their job through development and growth possibilities.

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One inappropriate word from a lousy reference can rapidly topple you off an employer’s list of applicants. On the other hand, a strong recommendation can persuade a company you have the abilities and experience to succeed in the job. Because you can only partially control what your references will say, they carry real weight with hiring managers.

However, you do control who you select as a reference. Below are a few tips on how to make the right decision.

Pick someone you’ve worked with.

While you might know one or two people who can impress a hiring manager, you shouldn’t ask them to be your professional reference if they can’t claim to have ever worked with you.

Ideally, asking a former supervisor to be your reference would be best. This person should be able to review specific examples of what you achieved in your past job and how you added value to the team or business. If you can’t include at least one supervisor as a professional reference, a hiring manager will be suspicious about your relationships with past bosses or your ability to do well in the open position.

Past coworkers are also good professional references, especially if you worked closely alongside them or regularly collaborated with them.

Collaborate with your references.

Collaborating with your references over what they might say if a hiring manager comes calling is perfectly acceptable. Your reference should give specific examples of your work that show off technical aptitude or valuable soft skills.

The best way to approach a reference is to ask if they would be comfortable recommending your abilities positively. If they are willing to do so, you can then get into the specifics of what skills you’re looking to showcase.

Pick references based on the open position.

Ideally, it would help if you had a big enough pool of references to pick out three individuals based on the job you seek. For instance, if the job posting emphasizes the importance of meeting strict deadlines, try to supply at least one reference who can give examples of your deadline-meeting ability.

Regularly update your reference roster.

The longer it has been since you worked with a particular reference, the less weight their recommendation will carry. Therefore, it is crucial to regularly infuse new blood into your list of contacts and eliminate some of the folks who have been on your list for a while.

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When you’re focusing on doing a good job, it’s easy to get lost in projects and daily responsibilities.

To succeed in your career, you should prioritize having a strong relationship with your boss and other company leaders. Make sure to distinguish alignment from leadership and schmoozing. People who “manage up” are focused on working hard to earn trust. They are gaining new skills and volunteering for projects where they can make an impact. This puts them in a position to earn incentives and advancement opportunities.

Below are a few tips on doing a great job while helping your company’s leadership meet larger objectives.

Consider Culture and Style

To align with your leaders, you must determine what specific results matter to them. Start by paying attention to what your boss cares about daily. Consider their management style and the best ways of approaching them. Some bosses like to hear ideas on improving efficiency, while others want results. Some bosses are passionate about getting the small details correct. Others are more concerned about the big picture.

Once you’ve figured out what matters to your boss and other leaders, incorporate that into your work habits and interactions.

Regularly Meet with Your Boss

Good communication is vital to aligning with leadership, and occasional brief meetings with your supervisor can keep you and your boss on the same page.

Get the most from these meetings by coming with a relaxed agenda. Review your recently finished projects or tasks. Discuss assignments and objectives for the near future. Ask if any adjustments need to be made to ongoing tasks.

Try to keep focused on the work during these meetings. Do not let these interactions be all about you or your boss. Use these meetings to learn about the challenges the company is facing and the projects that are important to leadership. These conversations are also an excellent way to discover additional contributing ways.

Speak to What Leadership Wants to Achieve

Good leaders are always open to new ideas, and they’re more prone to consider a suggestion they if know the potential positive impacts on their priorities.

When looking to present suggestions or ideas, come to the conversation with specific facts and numbers that show how your idea can positively impact productivity or revenue. If you need to determine the impact, search for academic studies on the idea’s success or ones like it.

Become a Subject Expert

You can make yourself indispensable to leadership by becoming an expert in one specific area of your job. Try to become a go-to source for using a particular tool or software program. Once you’ve got one specialty, don’t stop there. Increase your value by adding and using more unique skills in various projects. Showing your unique value will make you a critical team member vital to organizational success.

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Landing the job of your dreams can be difficult. Many people end up feeling stuck in an entry-level position or a field that doesn’t match the degree /they worked so hard to earn.

This situation can be frustrating and even a bit depressing. However, there are a few steps you can take to leverage your current job in pursuit of realizing your career potential. Try using a few tactics to extract all you can from your present position.

Take on more responsibility

If you’re feeling trapped in a job, you’re overqualified for or ready to move on and probably bored at work.

Feel free to ask for more duties or obligations if this is the case. You may be surprised at the positive reaction you’ll get and the duties you’ll be invited to take on. These extra duties will undoubtedly spice up otherwise boring days and provide some valuable experience for your resume.

Even if your supervisor doesn’t have too much to give you, they will be delighted with your initiative, a positive impression that could pay off.

Network like crazy

Just because you’re overqualified for your present position doesn’t mean you can’t do something productive for your career while you’re there.

One of the most valuable things you could do is grow your network of professional contacts. Put plenty of effort into networking both inside and outside of your workplace. Use meetings and company events to have productive discussions with your co-workers and industry colleagues. With any luck, that connection you made at the company holiday party or softball league could help you on your way to that dream job.

Keep calm and carry on

Coming into the office daily with a bad attitude will only make you feel worse about your situation. It’s important to remember you’re learning new skills, like effective communication and teamwork while adding valuable time to your work history. Remain positive and remember this job is helping you realize your potential, despite being boring or too easy.

Start thinking about your next move

Your current job can become more interesting if you start thinking of how to use it as a steppingstone best. In your spare time, record your everyday tasks and duties. Create or add to company manuals and standard operating procedures with the methods you use to make your day easier. In addition to helping the person who ultimately takes over your job, you’re also adding value to the company, which could lead to a promotion. Doing all the little things right and writing them down is also a great way to make your days go by faster.

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Simply put, an interviewer must like you – a stranger – for you to get the job. If you come across as nervous, arrogant, or even depressing to be around, you’ll probably not get the job.

Here are a few bad behaviors you should avoid when you enter your next interview.

Being Nervous

While being a bit is to be expected, don’t let your nerves get the better of you and destroy the interview.

Like it or not, a job interview is a performance. Therefore, you should take a page from performers’ playbooks and practice, practice, practice. Ask a friend to role-play as your interviewer and get used to selling yourself to someone else. If you practice enough, almost to the point of tedium, you’ll develop a comforting routine you can lock into once the curtain goes up.

Being Overconfident

You don’t want to be so cool, calm, and collected at the other end of the spectrum – you come across as overconfident. Avoid correcting the interviewer or asking probing questions that might flip the script and turn the interview into you interrogating the interviewer. If you have a bad habit of always trying to get the last word in, remember: You wouldn’t want to work with someone who always must be right about everything.

Being Apathetic

Ok, so you don’t want to be nervous, you don’t want to be cocky, and you certainly don’t want to act like you don’t care.

That can be a tricky balancing act; a trick to achieving that equilibrium is emphasizing your passion. Don’t be coy about your interest in the job, and don’t act like you just happened to fall onto this career path.

Being a Debbie-Downer

Many people detest the process of searching for a job. It can involve a lot of rejection and frustration. Typically, job seekers are also feeling some financial stress.

Like feeling a bit nervous, it’s normal to feel a bit beat down. However, you can’t let that show in the interview because it is a performance. Strive to project confidence. If you’re not feeling it, learn to put on a good show. Fake it ’til you make it, as they say.

Being Resentful

During an interview, questions about past employers and supervisors will come up. When they do, it’s best not to vent your frustrations or place blame.

If you were terminated or had a bad work situation in the past, try to be constructive and optimistic in the way you look back at it.

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Most people get into IT careers because they have a propensity for coding and hard technical skills. However, soft skills like teamwork ability and communication are often more instrumental to succeeding in an IT career.

Soft skills are personal attributes that are considered a part of your personality. These abilities are difficult to improve through formal instruction and are typically gained through experience. They’re crucial to both interpersonal relationships and career success.

Below are a few soft skills that can set you apart in the tech world and set you up for success.

Strong Communication

Despite how they are often portrayed, technology jobs are not solitary pursuits. Nearly every tech job calls for communication with other people in both verbal and written forms. Those in cybersecurity or software development typically work on a team, which involves regular communication ideas with teammates. You must be capable of clearly expressing your thoughts to fix issues, fully leverage tech tools, and succeed as a tech professional.

Organizational Ability

Many IT positions can be quite dynamic, usually involving jumping from project to project and task to task. The capability to keep an eye on things like your schedule and daily tasks is crucial to daily results. It’s also critical to efficiently group and prioritize your daily duties.

Critical Thinking

Those working in tech are asked to develop efficient solutions to problems regularly. Critical thinking skills help you analyze various issues and develop solutions to them. For instance, they can help you determine why a line of code isn’t working or a company website is down. You can identify potential issues, valuable events, and key outliers in data sets with a good critical eye.

Creativity

Creativity may not be an explicit requirement in most tech job postings, but it’s valuable in many IT positions. If tech icons like Elon Musk hadn’t been extremely creative, they would not have developed revolutionary ideas and products.

Even though you may not want to be the next tech tycoon, you still must think of ideas to streamline operations or refine products. Or you must identify innovative solutions to nagging tech issues. The truth is one of the main demands in any IT job is the capacity to creatively use technology to meet a certain business need or generate a solution that helps the business move forward.

Project Management Skills

As a tech professional, you must hit deadlines and meet objectives. Solid project management skills include the capacity to make solid plans, set attainable goals, stay on track, and work with co-workers to resolve problems. Excellent project management abilities are critical if you would like to get into leadership positions.

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