7 Common Virtual Interview Mistakes You Must Avoid

Virtual interviews have become mainstream as a result of the soaring rise in remote jobs. According to Gartner, remote workers will account for 32% of all global employees, by 2022. Virtual employees are surging at a pace like never before. Witnessing this trend, many current aspirants are also in the pursuit of remote jobs. 

Many of them also get selected for the interview, and they excel at it. On the other hand, there are talented candidates that have the required education and expertise but get rejected in the interviews. Most of the time, it is due to silly mistakes that these candidates make during the interview.

Fortunately, most frequent mistakes have simple fixes. All you have to do is be aware of them and understand how to prevent them.

Online interviews are currently the closest thing we have with respect to face-to-face interviews. Without in-person interaction, how you present yourself in a virtual interview now has a lot more weight in terms of your job. They’ve become the primary means of

• Presenting your soft skills
• Showcasing your technical ability
• Communicating your thoughts

Making a mistake might damage your image and you may be perceived as someone who’s potentially incompetent (even if you are not).

Let’s take a glance at the most common virtual interview mistakes that people make in an online environment. This will help you understand and avoid these mistakes the next time you sit in front of your laptop for an online interview. Let’s take a look at some of the prime mistakes:

1. Wearing Informal Dress

Even if the interview is conducted online, you must still be in professional dress and not in your pajamas or bathrobe. As it is not an in-person interview and the recruiter cannot see you completely, many job seekers assume that wearing anything casual will serve the purpose.

To make an excellent impression, dress properly and go for a formal suit or shirt. Remember that your initial impression is lasting. When you dress professionally for an interview, you will feel more concentrated and confident. Simply put on your best professional outfit and present yourself for the interview.

2. Not Speaking Confidently

How you express your thoughts is as important as the quality of the thoughts you are expressing. When you don’t speak confidently and clearly, the interviewer conceives of you as someone who is not skillful. The interviewer might also not proceed with your recruitment process as they tend to believe that you are not proficient enough.

But on the contrary, when you speak confidently and clearly while articulating your thoughts in an eloquent manner, the interviewer senses that you’re someone who will walk the talk in the near future. It also positions you differently from other candidates, as you come across as a more confident candidate who has the ability to express ideas with certainty.

3. Bad Internet Connectivity

A poor internet connection might disrupt your discussion flow during a virtual job interview. It is essential to have a decent internet connection in order to have a productive discussion with your recruiter.

Avoid making an eleventh-hour connection on an internet platform where the interviewer has decided to conduct the interview. Taking this step a bit earlier will give you enough time to verify your internet connection and make plans accordingly.

Limit or prevent internet surfing time for other family members at home during your interview to avoid bandwidth concerns. This way, you can avoid most of the troubles with slow internet connections.

4. Improper Body Language

Your body language is a reflection of your attitude and personality. In an online interview, both body language and non-verbal gestures are critical. Many candidates are unaware of how to handle themselves during a virtual interview and end up in poor posture.

Avoid leaning against the camera by sitting upright and conveniently in a chair. While speaking, make use of slight hand motions to make the dialogue appear natural. Maintain a friendly tone by smiling and nodding when necessary.

5. Lack of Preparation

When you appear for online interviews from your home, distractions are a common phenomenon. Distractions can come in many forms: children, phone calls, cluttered surroundings, and so on. Also, when attending an online interview, multitasking is not a good idea. When you know the time and date of your online interview, you should plan your day accordingly. Set up a neat background at home, keep the kids occupied with other things, and put your mobile away during the interview. Keep your background organized and clutter-free by sitting in a clean and organized area.

Have a pen and paper handy throughout your interview so you can focus entirely on the topics you wish to discuss. To prevent any other distractions, use earphones.

6. Making Negative Remarks About Past Employers

Rather than criticizing former employers, discuss what you’ve learned from your employment experiences. Emphasis on the skills you learned and what you intend to do in your new position. If they ask you questions like “Tell me about a situation you coped with a challenging coworker” or “How do you manage to work with someone with whom you disagree”, attempt to respond positively. This demonstrates to interviewers that you can resolve conflicts and work effectively with others.

7. Not Having Any Questions For The Interviewer

The interviewer will most likely ask whether you have any questions for them at the end of the interview. Prepare a list of questions to ask the interviewer before you go. Make sure that you go through their website or social media pages to get a better idea of how to frame appropriate questions.

Ensure that the topic wasn’t discussed in the interview before you ask your questions. You may even be able to make a mental note of some questions you want to ask them at the concluding part of the interview. Remember that how you conclude your online interviews is just as important as how you begin them.

Though it appears that giving a virtual interview is a simple task, it is actually not that simple. To take the utmost advantage of any interview and excel at it, you must plan ahead of time. To make your interviews more productive and yield outstanding results, you must constantly evaluate certain benchmarks. You must also avoid frequent virtual interview blunders.

You’re unlikely to receive good outcomes from your efforts if you simply begin giving virtual interviews without preparing for them.