I am nearing the end of my employment and will be officially laid off . Unfortunately I bought a new laptop since my old one is ancient. I expect to be doing virtual interviews and want to make sure I have the right equipment. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what type of software or equipment that would be best? We used Skype for business at my firm, but have no experience with Zoom. Is one favored? Your kind advice would be much appreciated!

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Sorry to hear about your situation. Preference is Zoom / Google Meet then Teams. I have used all 3 extensively. Zoom had some recent security issues , they have rectified quite a bit.

Please Test with friends etc first, to see what you are comfortable with.

Zoom - if you sign up , gives you 40 mins free ( if you set up the interview,i.e your Zoom ID) if you use theirs , no limitation if they are using paid. Try to “dial in” while video is on , it helps with clarity when you speak.

Google meet ( free edition ) is 60 mins - someone please confirm. My info might be old

Microsoft teams free edition offers maximum but you cannot record ( I would start with above ones , sometimes laptop consumes a lot of cpu cycles on teams )

If your laptop does not have a good mic and a camera , you can get < 50 webcam and mic combo over amazon. This is a point lot of people forget for a good interviewing experience. Your laptop is new, so this might not be an issue.

When on virtual meetings make sure your face is well lighted. Test a couple of times looking directly into the camera and speaking , smile , always check if they can see/ hear you okay , talk a little bit slower than usual ( someone the listener also has data lags , this helps ) , rest is fine.

good luck with your search !

likehelpfuluplifting

Remember to speak a bit more slowly than you would in real life. The listener doesn’t have the ability to read cues as well remotely. Practice with friends. Watch others. You’ll get it. And have a pleasing background rather than a blank wall. Bookshelves are always nice. Good luck!

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So sorry to hear that. You won’t have to buy any software. The companies you interview with will be hosting the meetings. Just be sure to download the appropriate conference software beforehand and set up your name etc. and be sure you’re familiar with the controls. Don’t want to fumble around during the interviews. Good luck!

likehelpful

We use Meet and Teams, clients can join via web browser or using the software. We can join Zoom meetings via web browser but for security reason can not download the software.

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I bought a cheap selfie light on Amazon that plugs into the usb port. Makes all the difference in the lighting which really helps with a professional appearance during virtual meetings!

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Make sure you have some headphones, even basic in-ear wired ones. They do wonders to cut out sound feedback. Also, make sure you know where the mute/unmute buttons are.

likehelpful

I Zoom interviewed for a new position last week and will be starting next week. So speaking from experience here.
No need to buy additional software or hardware. Your computer camera is good enough, computer mic is good enough.

Set your laptop on a few books to raise the level of the camera to eye level. Otherwise it looks like u have a double chin.

Zoom is free and the best software to test out your camera - Look at your background and make sure it’s not distracting. I had a mini bar in my background that I moved it to another room for the interviews.

Make sure lighting is as natural as possible, try to make lights come from above else it looks like ur trying to tell ghost stories around a campfire with your flashlight 😂

Good luck, don’t stress out so much

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Don’t sit with your back to a window! (With the light coming from behind). It will make you look like you are in the witness protection program. I’m the guy who always looks in the background to see what’s on your shelves, background. I like the suggestion of standing, to keep you alert and better posture. Try to remember to look into the camera and not at the screen/yourself when talking.

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An iPad is actually a great cheaper solution for pretty high quality remote interviewing. I’ve done a few on it and it generally outperforms my laptop and is less buggy

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Also externally webcams are usually better quality.

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Also create your own zoom account. You can go into your own personal meeting room at any time. Before every meeting I would go into my personal zoom room (by myself) to double check sound/lighting/background appearance. Then I'd exit and go into the group meeting room.

helpful

I echo the advice here: you can mostly rely on your employer to choose the video conference platform, do a dry run of a tech with a friend in advance of the interview, practice interviewing in front of your computer speaking to your webcam, make sure your room's lighting is on your face, and definitely use wired earbuds or headphones of some sort.

Finally, this is something I found to be helpful but it's definitely personal thing: try practicing your interview setup standing to see if you like it. I personally found that standing gave me a little bit more energy virtually interviewing, allowed me to use my hands a bit more, and reduced the fatigue of sitting still for a long interview.

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Zoom allow you to use backgrounds and you can opt to let it touch up your image, but whoever is interviewing you will likely choose the software and send you a link to join their video call with instructions. Sometimes they will require you to join a bit early to calibrate your system or to download software.

helpful

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