Posted on Mon, Mar 29, 2010
By Allie Milbrath
Nothing is more important than the impression you give in a face to face interview. Recruiters and Hiring Managers can learn a lot about a candidate over the phone, but it is the face to face interview that will make or break your opportunity to receive an offer from the company you are interviewing with. We are in a new wave of interviewing. Ten years ago we would not have imagined substituting an in person interview with looking at someone through a computer screen. That is today's reality. Companies are interviewing via webcam, Skype and a number of interview specific websites to decide what candidates to actually meet in person.
Interviewing candidates costs money. In a time where companies are stretching their dollars, interviewing via webcam is a good business decision. This method saves money not only on travel and hotel stays, but more importantly, the hiring team's time. Interviewing takes the employee's time away from being productive with their own responsibilities. If you bring in a candidate that is clearly not a fit after sitting down with them for 15 minutes, you are stuck with them for at least a couple of hours. Online interviewing solves a big part of this problem. Companies are looking for the candidate to make a strong enough impression via webcam to ensure they will be worth the investment to bring in for a face to face interview.
In this new wave of interviewing, candidates are not always aware of the preparation necessary to nail the interview. There are several factors to consider before you appear on screen to a potential employer. Consider these pointers before your next (or first) web interview.
Lighting:
You do not want to appear as a shadow with no facial features. This happens often when a computer is set up in front of a window or a lamp. When light is coming in from behind you, it hides not only your beautiful face, but your expressions that are important in getting your point across. Make sure to have adequate lighting around the room. If you have too much you will appear to be very pale and again it will mask your facial expressions. Do some lighting tests with friends to get the right balance so you look your best.
Attire:
Carefully plan your attire when doing a web interview. As with any in person interview, a suit is necessary. The color of your suit is very important. If you have light walls, you will want to wear a dark suit and vice versa. If you wear a suit that is a similar tone to your walls, you will create the illusion that you have a floating head, which is distracting to the interviewer. Wear a high neckline, leave the dangling earrings on your nightstand and keep your necklace simple. Remember, the camera will focus on your chest up. There is no need for the interviewer to be forced to focus on anything but what you are saying.
Posture:
Sit upright in your chair. Slouching will force your face closer to the camera. You should keep your face about an arm's length away from the camera. If you are too close, the interviewer will be too acquainted with your pores and any skin imperfections. Also if you are too close and are using hand gestures, you may knock the camera off your computer if it is not attached already. Sit with both feet on the ground. If you cross your legs your shoulders have a tendency to turn on an angle. Remain conscious of your posture for the entire interview.
Where to look (VERY important!)
It is very natural to look at the computer screen while having a conversation online. However, when you do this it appears your eyes are half closed to the person on the other end. When the interviewer is asking a question, you can AND should look at the screen. You would be looking at them in an interview if you were across the desk for them, as you should over a web cam. When it is your turn to answer, look directly at the camera. This will reflect eye contact on the other end. Candidates make a real impression when they follow this practice. Just think of it like this, if you do not look at the camera, it would be like being across the desk from the interviewer and staring at the floor when answering their question. You come across as confident and more prepared if you follow this simple, yet extremely important detail
Test, practice and be prepared for problems:
Make sure you test your web cam prior to the interview. You do not want to panic if something is going wrong five minutes before the start of your interview. Make sure to test with a friend to ensure your lighting is right and the picture and sound comes through clearly.
Prepare for your web interview the same way you would for an in person. You can have some notes handy in case you draw a blank, but you cannot read off your cheat sheet. Practice answering interview questions for a few days before the interview to be prepared.
Always have your cell phone or land line handy when starting an interview. Web cams are not perfected yet and there are often sound problems. You may end up having to put your web cam on mute and call into the interviewer for sound. Even if you end up having to use a phone to communicate, it is still important to look into the camera.
The web based interview is just as important as a phone and in person interview. Make sure to follow these basic rules of etiquette. Remember, you are convincing the company it is worth the investment to bring you into their organization for a "real" face to face interview. Good luck and welcome to the interview of the future!
Posted on Tue, Mar 09, 2010
By: Allie Milbrath
A lot of candidates are not aware or unsure how their profiles on social networking sites like Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn are perceived by potential employers. Do recruiters and hiring managers even look at these sites when considering a candidate? The answer is yes, and although social networking is in its toddler phase, it is here to stay and you need to be aware of how it can affect you.
I worked with a candidate about two years ago for a sales position in the Midwest. This candidate had a great background for my client. He was articulate, energetic and seemed to be the perfect fit. This candidate went through six interviews and did a fantastic job each round. When it came time to check references, a search was done for the candidate on MySpace. The content and pictures this person had on their page prevented them from getting the offer. My client dismissed him from the process and moved on.
Facebook has become a powerhouse in the social networking world in the last few years. Facebook allows you to connect with friends, join various groups in which some are professional while some are for fun, you can even read or create a blog. It also allows you to enter in your personal information including where you work and your education. What most probably do not realize is that Facebook is also becoming a favorite sourcing tool for recruiters.
Social Networking Sites: A Recruiter's Advantage
If I am looking for a Controller with Big 4 experience, I can easily source hundreds of names by searching Big 4 groups on Facebook. From a very quick search I have names, locations and most importantly: a picture. Let's just say a picture is worth 1000 words and although you can't judge a book by its cover, if there is a picture of a half dressed person with two bottles of beer in their hand, I can probably assume the conservative culture of my client isn't going to be a fit. I can also attempt to join a group (and most of the time, I am granted my request) and gain more information on members such as what other groups they belong to. To each their own, but a good rule of thumb is if you would not want your Mother to see a group you joined, or a picture you posted even if it was all in good fun, keep it off!
LinkedIn is my favorite professional tool to use. LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals and people you have done business with. It is almost like having a picture of your business card out there for all to see. By choice, one can also include his/her past employer, which makes it more like a resume versus a business card. You choose your settings and you choose whom you connect with. Seems harmless right? For the most part it is, but you do want to have selection criteria of who is allowed to connect with you. Unless you change your settings, your connections can be viewed by your other connections. Employers are using this to conduct references. There are ethical issues behind this and a great deal of discussion around what is appropriate and what is not. However, if you are connected with someone from a former employer that the recruiter you are working with knows, or potential employer knows, (it happens a lot, six degrees of separation proves to be a real thing and in a lot of markets, like Milwaukee, it's more like three degrees of separation) they just need to make one phone call to get a back door reference. If you burned a bridge, and let's hope you learned from it, do not connect with that person or employer on your LinkedIn profile.
A Shared Secret
If you think it is difficult for others to see what social networking tools you are using, you are mistaken. I want to let you in on a well-kept secret that many do not know about because I want you to be informed. Most have Googled their name. Now when you Google your name, your Facebook page is attached as well as "friends" names. Try http://www.wink.com/ or http://www.yoname.com/. These two sites will search the Internet for your name and once you learn how to use it, one can find what you thought was personal and private information. Again, there are a lot of ethical conversations that are being discussed regarding if recruiters should be going to these sites to find out more personal information on candidates. The fact of the matter is they can and will.
I encourage people to use social networking to their advantage. Recruiters are relying on social networking sites more now than ever, even more so than job boards. Be responsible on how you use social networking and you will not run into problems with your current employer, or on your next job search. It is very hard to erase history from the Internet and with our culture becoming more technology focused, always be cautious. Keep those pictures from a wild Halloween party to your own personal photo album; think twice about the following: what groups you join online, blogs you write and whom it is you connect with. Being connected is very important; it is how you use this tool that makes all the difference in the world.
Posted on Wed, Mar 03, 2010
By: Allie Milbrath
There are different opinions on how social networking websites can impact a business. Social networking membership continues to rise among 30+ year old adults. Does work productivity have a risk of suffering because of this, or are these tools to make professionals more efficient? There is a big difference between using these sites to be more efficient at your job and using them for social and entertainment purposes. If you find yourself distracted at least three times a day logging onto social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, you may have a problem that can affect your career.
Take an example that many of us have experienced:. An email pop up from a social networking site, you stop working to see who is communicating with you, someone "commented" something really funny about your status on Facebook, you stop the project you are working on to quickly comment back... After all it only takes a minute! But then you log on, and OMG, my friend posted new pictures from the weekend, I HAVE to look at them quickly. Twenty minutes later you finally get back to that project. These little breaks add up quickly and cost you more productivity than you realize.
However, there are some professional advantages to having access to social networking sites. There have been studies in Europe that actually show an increase in efficiency when using social networking. There are professions that use these sites to connect faster with other professionals. Recruiters and sales people can make the argument that they use social networking sites as an innovative, efficient way to connect with prospects.
Business owners can use social networking sites to get their name into the market place. An example would be a "friend" on Facebook that posts his bar's specials daily. This is an efficient, cost free marketing strategy that reaches a large network. Twitter is another popular site. A connection may update their status that they are looking to connect with a local architect. This reaches everyone in their network, who then leverages their network and within minutes they send back a recommendation for an Architect.
Business leaders in Milwaukee have mixed opinions on this subject. Small business owners see this as a vital tool. However, they are not sure how much their employees are using it for professional versus personal use.
Larger organizations have the ability to track your internet usage and see exactly how much time you spend on each website. A large, well known Milwaukee organization recently had to give out written warning in regards to overuse of Facebook. Another violation would lead to termination. Imagine having to explain that in an interview for your next job!
The first step to overcoming the threat of wasting away valuable work time to social networking is to not connect these sites to your work email. It is difficult for many professionals to concentrate on a report they are working on, or sales calls they need to make when they see the email pop up that someone, most likely in their personal life, is looking to connect about something that could quite possibly, be more entertaining than the job they are doing.
Even if you take it off your work email, and make the switch to your personal email; there is still your cell phone. It is relatively easy to connect your social networking sites to your cell phone. This makes it even more difficult to stray away from social networking distractions. Unless you absolutely need to be connected because of your job, find a way to disconnect during the day. If this presents a problem that you could miss important calls, I would suggest taking the applications off completely. You have your personal time to get caught up. Again, this is only if you do not need these sites to be efficient in your role.
Everyone has to take responsibility for how they use these tools. If you know what your network of friends and acquaintances are doing on an hourly basis, you are abusing your ability to use these sites at work and it is time to cut the cord to social networking during work hours. Your performance is constantly being measured and that is arguably more important than knowing the exact minute your best friend from grade school joined a new fan group. Use these sites to your advantage to make yourself more efficient and do not become reliant on these sites as entertainment to get you through your day. And by the way, if your job isn't holding your interest enough to stay away from social networking, it may be time for a career change.