All right – it’s time to do this. You’ve done the research, updated your CV, written the cover letter, and now find yourself staring down a video interview.   Most often these are on Skype, though sometimes employers in China will use WeChat or some other format.

Sweet! Since you can do this from your living room, it’s no big deal, right?

Wrong. Don’t be that guy who interviews from a reclined chair with poor lighting and your cat walking around in the background. If you think the recruiter won’t notice what’s on the wall, you are mistaken. It’s always better to over prepare and impress with your high level of professionalism than to appear lackluster.

Schedule it like you would for any other interview – pick a time and a place you can definitely be available and be sure your computer and the program you are using works properly. If you don’t use the program often be sure to test it hours before the interview so if there are problems you have time to troubleshoot or call a friend for help.

If possible, use your computer rather than a mobile device and if you have any problems or something isn’t working, contact your recruiter and let them know. We certainly understand that things can go wrong, so be professional about it and let us know ahead of time.

Dress like you would for any other interview – well, mostly. You can actually get away with wearing pajama pants, so long as a standing portion is not part of the interview. Wear a suit, comb your hair, and look your best. Make sure the animals and family members are either blocked out or told not to come in.

Last thing – as with any interview – be ready to talk about yourself, your experiences, and openly answer questions they ask you. Be confident, but not arrogant, and stay on topic.

The key is though; all interviews come down to making the best possible impression. Any trained interviewer knows that you in an interview is an example of you at your best, so be your best.

You got this!