Skype Interviews: Just Another Way to Know People?

By Shamoni Sarkar on April 11, 2013

Dondoko teleshadow skype by 22n/Flickr.com/Creative Commons

Video conferencing is something I have not quite been able to form an opinion about yet. When I’m in the middle of a Skype session with family or friends, I actually feel like I’m being filmed while having a regular phone conversation. I never really believe that I’m seeing my family’s faces in front of me. The screen is just something that is there, which I stare at absent-mindedly while trying to focus more on talking and listening (sometimes I don’t even do these properly because my surroundings distract me or I distract myself). But often, it feels like someone is watching me Skype and recording it, and that theirs is the real camera and mine is not. But while I can’t think of anything Skype adds to a conversation, it doesn’t spoil anything either. In fact, sometimes it’s nice to point things out to people in the background, or see their immediate reaction to something.

So what about job interviews on Skype? Web pages of university career centers advise on treating Skype interviews just like any other interview— do your research, be articulate and dress professionally. But is being evaluated virtually by a potential employer still different qualitatively? I had my first Skype interview yesterday, and it felt the same as the other videoconferences I’ve had, i.e. that there was another pair of eyes watching. Getting a small glimpse into my interviewer’s office was nice, because it’s nice to see what kind of environment in which one could be working. But it was only a glimpse, and sometimes it felt frustrating that many things were partially hidden or blocked. In hindsight, it might have been easier to focus on my interviewer if there had been a monochromatic background. I did dress professionally, in a button-down shirt and blazer! But, because I could see myself in the camera, I was watching myself watching myself. I was the third pair of eyes. And I was very aware of positioning my screen in such a way that my interviewer could tell I was dressed appropriately.

After I finished, I started to wonder whether employers noticed signs of heightened self-consciousness during Skype interviews as opposed to interviews in the flesh. Or do candidates seem calmer because they don’t have to see any twitching of feet or rubbing of hands on camera? There is also only one direction to look at, so maybe this actually helps interviewer and interviewee focus only on each other.

The golden rule shouldn’t change though: Treat the Skype interview like any other important interview, because it’s here to stay. But whatever you do, don’t watch yourself too much.

 

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