Looking for a job has changed a lot in the past ten years. For one thing, there’s less of a need to actually leave your house for a job interview.

Inexpensive Web cams and videoconferencing tools like Skype mean that, nowadays, your first interview (or first couple of interviews) with a company may take place in front of your home computer — maybe, that is, a “virtual interview.”

But although the technology is ready, are you? Before your virtual interview, make sure you’re prepared.

1. Get a handle on it.

Whether it’s Skype, an instant-messaging client, or another videoconferencing app, you likely have a user name or “handle” that you sign in with. Make sure it’s not something like beerlover2011 or casanova4u. As with your email account, choose something professional — if you can’t use just your name because it’s already taken, try your name combined with your industry (jsmith_Construction, for instance).

2. Dress for it.

Even for a phone interview, getting dressed as you would for a face-to-face interview can make you feel more confident and professional (and that feeling will affect your performance). Don’t be casual just because the medium seems more casual. And don’t go with the business-on-top, bunny-pajamas-on-the-bottom look. You just might have to stand up for some reason, so get dressed all the way down to the shoes.

3. Straighten it up.

Consider your background, and make sure it’s professional. You don’t want to start the chat on your Web cam and then notice that your unmade bed is in the corner of the shot. Position your camera so that an interviewer might think you’re in an office (sit in front of a bookshelf, for instance), find a neutral-color background, or find some other background that represents you as a professional in your industry. And make sure you have a copy of your CV and your portfolio (and so on) at hand.

4. Keep the cat out of it.

I participate in video chats all the time, and I often work from a home office — where my cat has elected herself as my assistant (she likes to help me type). If she shows up in the frame when I’m chatting with a colleague, it’s not a big deal. But when I do more professional meetings, I close the door to Kitty. Whether you’re on the phone or on a Web cam, move pets and kids out of the area, and make sure the environment is quiet (no TV blaring in the next room).

5. Get an angle on it.

If you’re using a laptop at a traditional desk, your built-in camera may be positioned below your face. As any movie star will tell you, this can be an unflattering angle. A face-on view is better; setting your laptop on a couple of books might help. And pay attention to lighting: if you sit with your back to a very bright window, your face will appear as a dark blob; a light to the side can give you an overly dramatic, shadowy look. Muted sun through a window positioned in front of your desk (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) or a uniform lighting source will help you shine in the interview. (Test your setup with a friend before the big day.)

Imagine you’re in a job interview and everything is looking great – the job looks interesting, the salary and perks are about right, people seem nice.

What you really need to know now is, “Is this a nice place to work?” Are people happy at work here? Are the managers good? Are the co-workers nice? Or is this company a branch office of one of the nastier levels of hell?

You could always ask them straight out at the interview. “Say… I was wondering… Is this a good place to work?”

But you pretty much know what they’ll say, don’t you? “Why certainly, dear applicant, this company is fully committed to the well-being of its employees. We strive to maintain a high level of employee satisfaction and employees are our number one asset.”

Before you start ‘interrogating’ the interviewer, it’s important to assess who you’re dealing with. You should be able to gauge this within a few minutes of talking to them.

A professional would have taken the time at the beginning of the interview to make you feel comfortable, opening the interview with some small talk. These are the best people to deal with, as they’re likely to listen attentively to what you say. But they will be intolerant if you take liberties.

The psychologist-styled interviewer may try to look for hidden clues in everything you say, but it may be difficult to spot this type. So it’s best to stick to the truth and be brief at all times.

The formalist interviewer usually sticks to a script. This can be frustrating, but don’t let it intimidate you. Just be patient and affirmative, because your chance to have your say will probably come at the end of the interview, or when answering their questions.

The interrogator tries to intimidate you. The key to dealing with these people is not to get flustered. Take your time answering the questions and hold your nerve.
The smooth talker is one to watch. If they’re waxing lyrical about the job and its prospects, without too much concern for your ability, then the alarm bells should be going off. This is the type of ‘high staff turnover’ job to avoid.

The pretentious interviewer is another to watch for, as they can intimidate you with their ‘know it all’ attitude. But if you remain humble and respectful you’re still likely to make a good impression.

Here are some questions to get you going

• What’s been your best experience working at this company?
• When do you have the most fun at work ?
• Who do you enjoy working with the most here? What do you like about them?
• Which manager do you admire the most in this company? What do you admire about that person?
• What’s the greatest thing your manager has done for his/her people?
• How big is the team I’d be working with?
• Who would my co-workers be, and what are their functions?
• How many people would I be managing?
• What are the goals of this department?
• What are the company’s objectives for the year?
• What would my primary tasks on this project be?
• What does the client expect at the end of the project?
• What would I go to work on first, and what would my function be?
• What is the deadline for this project? How will success be measured?
• What makes this company different from its competitors?
• What do you like about this company? What keeps you here?
• If I meet or exceed the company’s expectations, will there be additional opportunities to expand my responsibilities?
• What sort of communication style works best with this team?
• What are the main challenges associated with the team?
• What are the biggest hurdles you hope to overcome in the next quarter?
• What can you tell me about the culture and the environment?
• How would you characterise successful employees in this department? What are their common qualities?
• What is the department head’s leadership style? How often would we interact?
• Which internal customers would I be interacting with most frequently? What are their typical expectations?
• Please describe the duties of the job for me.
• Is this a new position or am I replacing someone?
• Does your company encourage further education?
• How often are performance reviews given?
• Do you have plans for expansion?
• How do you feel about creativity and individuality?

Your questions may fall into the following categories:

• What sort of responsibilities the job entails
  •    Challenging or routine/mundane aspects of the tasks at hand
  •    What support and guidance is available, such as managerial assistance, flexibility, size of budget, mentoring etc.
  •    How often your performance is reviewed and details on any bonus schemes
  •    Training and development opportunities
  •    Scope for promotion and career path enhancement
  •    Extra expectations of the employer such as travel etc

Timing is everything. During the interview you need to look for opportunities to be proactive and ask your own questions or try to lead the discussion where appropriate. Be careful not to dominate the discussion or take up too much time. Generally interviewers will give you an opportunity to ask questions, but even if they don’t actually ask you directly if you have any questions it pays to have a few prepared.

Questions should reflect your keenness to work for the company and generally you should try to limit yourself to asking just a couple of the most significant questions you have. You don’t want to make the interviewer feel brow-beaten with a long list.

Significant questions to ask about the job:

• Why has the job become vacant?
  •    What are the key tasks and responsibilities of the job?
  •    How was the job handled in the past?
  •    What is the largest challenge facing staff at present?
  •    How do you review performance?
  •    What support and guidance is available?
  •    What training will be available?

Find out about the company’s long-term strategy. Are there plans for expansion? What new product plans are in the pipeline? These kinds of questions will be essential in helping you to decide whether this company is one you would like to work for. It will also demonstrate your keenness for the company and not just the job.

Pertinent aspects of the company to ask about:

• Structure of the organisation
  •    Staffing: is it growing, contracting, outsourcing etc?
  •    Decision making process and line of authority
  •    Success of the organisation, its profitability and product portfolio
  •    Future strategies and development

Making an impression

Keep your concentration levels up during the interview and make sure you listen to the responses the interviewer gives you. The worst mistakes happen when people end up asking questions about topics that have already been covered in the interview or don’t hear or understand what the interviewer has said. For that reason your questions need to evolve with the interview. But don’t be afraid to ask for something to be explained in more detail.