How to succeed at a video interview as a healthcare professional?

Virtual interviews have quickly become the norm in the last few years due to the lasting impacts of the covid-19 pandemic. While the general tips are the same as face-to-face interviews, there are a few more things to keep in mind when doing a virtual interview that will help you secure your next healthcare role. Keep reading to find out more.

Allow plenty of time to set up

Test your setup ahead of time, including the platform that the interview will be conducted on, the same device you will use, the same location and the same WIFI in a spot that you know has a good signal. Perhaps you could also test call a friend using the platform and familiarise yourself with the basic features. Ensure to join the video call early to allow plenty of time to fix any unexpected last-minute problems. This will minimise the risk of technical difficulties occurring right before your scheduled interview and potentially making you late. Remember, if something does go wrong, inform your interviewer, and don’t panic, this will not be the first time that this has happened when interviewing candidates. Lastly, allow yourself time to turn off your notifications and close anything that may distract you during the interview, such as emails or social media pages.

Presentation

The interviewer will only see your top half, but make sure to still dress smart and choose a suitable background. Ensure your surroundings are not cluttered and you have a clean background, a blank neutral coloured wall may be the best. Find a private and quiet area, where there are no disruptions from others. You can even test how the background looks ahead of time so you can adjust it if something is not quite working, such as the lighting being bad. It is also important not to sit too far or too close to the device you are using, ensure that your upper chest and shoulders are visible as well as a bit of empty space above your head.

Body language

Demonstrating open and positive body language during a video interview can be difficult as the interviewer only sees a part of you. Make sure that you are sitting up straight with your shoulders back and are looking into the camera regularly instead of the screen the whole time as this is the only way to establish some form of eye contact digitally. As positive body language can be difficult to convey via a video call, you must ensure that your tone of voice portrays this positivity instead lastly don’t forget to smile!

Let the other person finish speaking

This is a general tip for all interviews, however, over a video chat, this is more important than ever due to internet lags, connection problems etc. In this scenario, speaking over someone can cut them off completely and you may not hear the end of their sentence and you both may not realise this, which can lead to miscommunication issues. You will know once it’s your call to talk after they’ve asked you a question or if you have a query about something they have said, write it down and ask them about it once they have finished talking or at the end of the interview.

Explain any long pauses

You may be writing notes during the interview, but the interviewer may not see this as they can only see the top half of you. Ensure to inform them that you are just writing up some points, so there are no awkward silences, or they think a technical glitch has occurred.

Keep these tips in mind for your next virtual interview, along with the general healthcare interview tips and practice answering some example questions that you may be asked as a healthcare professional. Good luck!

Looking for your next healthcare role? Here at Amare, we are approved to recruit AHP, HSS, Nursing, HCA and BMS staff under the national frameworks. Send us your CV via email at [email protected] or view our latest vacancies here. We look forward to hearing from you!