Dress For The Job You Want
Just because this is a remote interview doesn’t mean you shouldn't dress like you would an in-person interview. While wardrobe is usually up to you once you land a remote role, it’s best to err on the side of caution while interviewing. You may be tempted to wear the same sweatpants you’ve been lounging in for the last six months, but in the slim chance you need to stand up and walk off camera, you need to look professional.
Look at the company’s website and social media to get a general idea of how dressed up or down the staff typically are. If you’re applying to a UX design role at a bank, you may want to dig out that collared shirt. If you’re applying to a product design role at a small design firm however, it might make sense to show off a bit more personality.
For hair, makeup, and accessories, the rule of the game is to be comfortable and professional. You don’t want to look totally washed out (see lighting tips, above), but also not like you’re auditioning for a Broadway show.
Dressing up in work appropriate clothes may also put you in a better state of mind for the interview, and every little bit helps.
Minimize Digital Distractions
Multitasking is often an important skill on the job, but multitasking while interviewing is not a good idea. You want your interviewers to feel that this conversation is the most important thing to you, and if you have notifications and reminders going off every few minutes, that’s not the impression you’re going to leave.
Use this checklist to minimize digital distractions before your next remote job interview:
- Make sure your laptop and headphones are fully charged.
- Close all browser tabs and apps other than the ones being used for the interview.
- Turn your phone off, or put it on Night Mode/Do Not Disturb/Airplane Mode.
- Have your portfolio and any work you’re presenting open and ready for discussion.
- Turn off or mute any robot devices (Sorry, Alexa).
Remote Job Interview Best Practices
For the most part, the same rules that apply to in-person interviewing are applicable to remote interviewing too. Keep these best practices top of mind throughout your upcoming interviews.
Make Eye Contact
To appear as if you’re looking at the speaker, you need to look directly into your camera. This can be disorienting and feel totally unnatural, but practice makes perfect. Try positioning the speaker’s video window directly below your camera, instead of at the bottom or off to a side, so that when you’re looking at their video you’re at least looking towards the camera.
Do Your Research
Once you know who you’ll be speaking with in the interview, look them up on LinkedIn, search for their portfolios, articles, or presentations, and take note of things of interest and potential questions you’d like to ask.
Act Natural
Feel free to move around, look up, take a sip of water, jot down notes, and otherwise act as you would if this were an in-person interview.
Be Up-Front
If there is a potentially disruptive scenario that you can’t avoid, address it head on at the start of the interview. Perhaps your child is coming home from school and they may hear voices, or your neighbor is doing construction, or something else is happening out of your control. Preparing your audience in advance will help them remain focused on your words, not the distraction.
Interviews of any kind aren’t most people’s favorite activities, and doing them remotely can add an extra layer of complexity to the process. But keep in mind that if you’ve made it to the interview stage, the company genuinely sees something in your application and hopes you’re the answer to their hiring needs. Wishing you happy (or at least less stressful) remote interviewing this year!
Towards the end of our UX Academy program, we offer unparalleled career support to students. If you’re looking to break into the UI/UX Design industry in 2021 with the help of mentors and career coaches (like Nicole) we encourage you to reach out to admissions@trydesignlab.com.