Your potential employer is in another continent and it's a bit pricey to be flying you out for the interview. Enter video conferencing, the next best thing to meeting face-to-face. Or is it?
What's great about video conferencing: It's quick and cost-effective.
What's not so great: Conversation can be stilted; connections can be wonky; people can appear wooden. And unless you're Jennifer Aniston, charisma does not travel well on a tiny screen.
But needs must and all that. Following are some handy pointers on how not to stuff it up, especially if it's your first time with the technology:
Arrive at least 15 minutes early. The last thing you want is to be sliding into your seat, all sweaty and harried, while your next boss watches you on screen, marveling at how disheveled you look. Be there before both parties dial in. And toss the Starbucks cup.
Make sure your upper half is impeccable. It's what your interviewer will see. Avoid stripes -- they wiggle -- and other busy patterns. Wear a jacket.
Resist the urge to keep looking at yourself in the little square in the corner. Now's not the time to obsess over what looks like the beginning of a double chin. Concentrate on the person you're talking to, and make as much eye contact as you can. It's a conversation and the monitor is not your bathroom mirror.
Take down notes. You want to learn as much as you can about the company, don't you? Show your interviewer that you're genuinely interested in what he or she has to say by writing down key ideas. You can then use these to bridge to specific questions, e.g. "You mentioned earlier that the rebranding may take place in September. On what factors will the timing be based?"
Wait a few seconds after your interviewer speaks before answering. Connections can be erratic and you can run into the end of his or her last sentence. Play on the safe side and give it two or three beats before replying. And on that note:
Avoid rambling. Be economical but descriptive when you talk. If your interviewer is shifting in his or her chair, wind up your sentences. Stay away from sticky topics like salaries or holidays. These are best discussed once your interviewer has determined that you're on to the second round of interviews.
Don't put your mobile phone on the table. It looks like you can't wait to twiddle with it, which looks really crass. Besides it can spark interference, which makes for a bad interview. Just put it away.
Have a glass of water to hand. It's perfectly fine to take a sip every now and then if your throat gets parched.
Watch and listen to cues that it's about to end. A 45-minute interview is plenty long. Once you're asked if you've got any questions, ask one that's a natural ender -- "How will the success of this role be determined?" -- so that the conversation wraps up naturally.
It's okay to laugh. Although web conferencing has been around a while, no one is 100% comfortable with it. Things go wrong. Whiny noises surface. Calls get cut. Lips move and sound follows 10 seconds later, just like those badly dubbed kung fu movies.
Weather the hiccups with grace and a bit of humour, and you'll find that talking at a screen with someone across the world, although still no substitute for face-to-face interaction, can be quite powerful in making a good first impression -- without even setting foot on a plane. Thank god for technology.
Picture of Google video conferencing courtesy of sfgate
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