How to Successfully Prepare for a Remote Interview

Interviewing for a remote position is different from an in-office one. Remote-first companies interview, hire and train new employees without ever meeting face to face. As a result, they ask additional questions and evaluate you in different ways. Therefore, if you are a job seeker looking for a remote position, there are unique ways to prepare for a remote interview. These tips will help you be successful in your next remote interview.

Much of what you expect in a face-to-face interview will still occur in a remote one. The company will evaluate your technical knowledge and validate you are the right candidate for their needs. And, conversely, you still want to assess if the company is right for you. However, the interview will be remote, which means you will have challenges unique to a remote interview.

Working in a remote job means you will interact with your manager and peers differently. As a result, your strengths and weakness will show up differently, which could mean you are less satisfied in your job. If you are new to remote working, you must go into the interview prepared to have a transparent conversation about working and adapting to a remote work environment.

Tips to Help You Have a Successful Remote Interview

These tips will help you successfully interview for a remote position. Instead of spending time mapping out your drive to an in-person interview, you will spend time preparing in these areas.

Choose your interview space carefully

When preparing to interview for a remote position, your interview will most certainly happen over a video call. Therefore, you must choose your space wisely. Where and how will you sit? How close to the camera will your face be? What background noise is present? Check the lighting and how the lighting affects your image. More importantly, what will the hiring manager see in your background? Make sure what is in view of the camera is tidy and reflects who you are as a person.

Invest in high-quality work-from-home equipment

When your goal is to secure a remote job, you need to invest in high-quality equipment, and that starts when you prepare for your remote interview. The hiring manager is evaluating your technical qualifications for the job as well as your equipment. Working from home means frequently using your camera, microphone, lighting, and internet connection speed, to name a few. Therefore, having good quality equipment for your remote interview is critical for success.

If your personal computer is high-end, your camera will likely suffice. However, if you have a lower-end laptop, you should invest in a high-quality webcam. I don’t recommend using the built-in microphone, so invest in a good quality headset or USB speakerphone. Finally, pick up a ring light to help evenly illuminate your face with a pleasing soft light.

You should come to the remote interview prepared to speak about your internet connection. Check with your provider to understand the upload and download speeds of your package.

Carefully choose your clothing

To successfully prepare for a remote interview requires you to choose your clothing carefully. Unfortunately, not all clothing will show up well on camera. For example, horizontal stripes are distracting on camera. Also, stay away from loud colors. Wearing a suit can also be awkward for a remote interview.

Additionally, limit the use of jewelry and make sure to do your hair and make-up tastefully when preparing for your remote interview. Finally, even though you might get away with wearing shorts or sweatpants, you never know when you might need to stand up to quiet the dog or close your door, so don’t chance it and wear professional bottoms.

Test your remote working equipment before the interview

Technical issues happen, but when preparing for a remote interview, you want to test everything. Have a friend help you rehearse so you can test different angles and the height of the camera. Rearrange the items in your background that tell a bit of who you are as a person.

Additionally, prepare for your remote interview by having a backup plan. For example, if the power or internet goes out, can you switch to your phone? Better yet, can you enable a mobile hotspot so that you can continue to use your laptop? While no one wants a technical issue during a remote interview, it is an awesome time to show you can proactively solve problems and demonstrate grace under pressure.

Prepare remote work interview questions

Demonstrate you are a seasoned work-from-home candidate by preparing a list of unique questions for a remote interview. Of course, standard job candidate interview questions will also apply, but here are some awesome remote interview questions to add to your mix.

• How does the organization operate between the different time zones, and what are the time zone expectations of this role?
• What communication and collaboration tools does the team use?
• Are there any tasks that require a fixed schedule, and do times rotate to accommodate the different time zones?
• What does the remote onboarding process look like?
• Are there travel requirements and frequency for things like training and team building?
• What does the organization do to keep employee engagement high and build cohesion between the different teams?
• What budget is available to employees for home office equipment?
• Are there any expectations for meetings that occur outside standard business hours within my time zone?

Check for updates and do a test run

Before your interview starts, prepare for your remote interview by doing a final check.

1. Ensure your system or tools don’t require an update.
2. Conduct a final check on your appearance and test your microphone.
3. Run an internet speed test to make sure your service isn’t degraded.
4. Check your lighting because sunny or cloudy days will impact the light in your home office.
5. If you have never used the software or service the remote interview is conducted on, do some research beforehand to get familiar with its options.

Much of what you would expect from a face-to-face interview still applies to a remote interview. However, having awareness about the additional details hiring managers will look for can help you have a successful remote job interview.

Want more job interview tips? Check out my article on the 20 Mistakes Job Candidates Make That Turn Me off the Most. Also, check out How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Headhunters.

Disclosure: I’ve highlighted products in this post you might find interesting. If you buy them, I get a small share of the sale’s revenue at no cost to you.