Practical Tips for a Successful Skype Interview

By: Kandice Thorn

"Can you hear me now?"

When I was a kid, my dad had a car phone. Not a cell phone, a car phone with the handset attached to the fixed base with a long spiral cord. To eight-year-old me, it was incredible. This was before even cordless phones had become commonplace, and now I could call my best friend from my dad's truck. The only catch was that it frequently took 3-4 tries for the call to be connected, and once connected, I couldn't actually hear the person on the other end (or they could not hear me). Never mind that - to me it was the coolest thing ever.

Fast forward a few decades. The iPhone is a vast improvement over my dad's old car phone, and the latest technology today is video calling with programs like Facetime and Skype. Yet frequently when I use these programs I feel like I am back in my dad's truck in 1987. The call quality can be atrocious, calls are often dropped, and I sometimes find myself shouting "Can you hear me?" at my computer monitor.

Nevertheless, employers have embraced this new technology as a way of screening potential candidates without paying for costly plane tickets. This means that job seekers, particularly those who are looking for jobs remotely, must embrace this technology in the job-search realm too. The following tips will help make your Skype interviews as successful and glitch-free as possible and will make your interview feel less like 1987 and more like 2025.


Check your technical setup.

There are a few technological elements you need to be aware of in order to make your call go smoothly. First, make sure your laptop has enough battery life to get through the interview. If possible, plug in. Second, make sure your sound and microphone are working well. Test it with a friend and try it with and without a headset to see which sounds better. You want to sound as present as possible - like you are in the room rather than across the globe. Third, make sure you have a strong internet connection. If possible, plug directly into your internet source rather than using wireless, which is less stable. Finally, close all your other programs so you are not distracted by pop ups or anything else flashing in front of your face.

Test your set up in advance.  Check it the day before so you  have time to resolve any issues, then check it again an hour before your interview so you can deal with any sudden or unexpected issues that arise.

Make the interviewer forget the computer.

Interviewing over the computer puts a big barrier between you and the interviewer. It makes it very difficult to connect on a personal level. You can overcome this problem by trying to make the interview emulate an in-person interview as much as possible.

One of the most important ways to do this is to look into the camera, not at the computer screen. This will make the interviewer feel like you are making eye contact. Practice this in advance, as it can be a bit of a tricky habit to get into.

Make sure you have adequate lighting and check it in advance. It can be a very awkward interview if you are cloaked in darkness or lit up by the computer screen, so make sure you are in a well lit place or adjust your lighting accordingly.

Adjust the computer position so that you are visible from the waist up, as though you were sitting across a table or desk from the interviewer. This positioning will feel more natural for an interview and will allow the interviewer to see your body language. Lean in toward the computer and stay engaged in the conversation. Nod your head to indicate that you are listening when the other person is speaking, but don't say thinks like "yes" or "uh-huh," as that can interrupt the flow of the conversation where hearing and speaking cannot occur simultaneously. Similarly, wait for the other person to finish speaking before you begin to speak in order to avoid awkward exchanges where you are speaking over each other.

Express enthusiasm and remember that the computer has a way of making you appear about 20% blander than you would in real life. Thus, you can afford to express a bit more enthusiasm than you would in an in-person interview. Remember to smile and be relaxed.

Set the stage and dress the part.

When you sit down to your computer, look behind you. You want your background to be simple with little distraction and no personal paraphernalia. Make sure you have privacy and prevent interruptions by letting roommates or family members know that you are off-limits for the duration of the interview. Turn off your cell phone.

Dress professionally, ideally from top to bottom, as though it were a live interview. In addition to looking professional (and avoiding an awkward situation if you have to stand up for any reason), dressing professionally can help you get into the proper mind set.

Make sure your Skype name and profile picture are appropriate and professional.

Practice makes perfect.

Do a practice interview over Skype to make sure you ready and have ironed out all the kinks.

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With a little bit of forethought and a bit of practice, your Skype interview can feel almost as natural as an in-person interview.