Preparing for your Skype Interview

Moving overseas for work is a big decision and while there are many steps that medical personnel have to take before securing a job, such as registering with Irish medical bodies, doing the IELTS and other exams; things really begin to hit home when you get your first interview. If you are overseas, it’s very likely that your interview will take place over Skype.

Here are 6 tips to help you with your Skype interview:

Check the tech 

Depending on where you are, you may either have a great internet connection or your connection may be choppy. A day prior to your interview, contact one of your friends via Skype and sort any connection or hardware issues you might have. Nothing is worse than receiving a call from a prospective employer to find that your head phones don’t work or your speakers don’t function. Interviewing consultants usually have a fixed amount of time to interview and too many glitches may result in them moving on to the next candidate on the list. Remember that your interview will very likely take place over a video call so you’ll need a stable internet connection.

Clean up your profile

In face-to-face interviews, an interviewers’ first impression of you influences how you are assessed. In the same way, what your interviewer first sees when they add you on Skype will inform their impression of you. Check your profile picture and status to make sure that they convey professionalism.

Stand Out

Look yourself up on Skype. You may have other users with similar names or multiple IDs. To make it easier for the interviewer to find you and to avoid further delays, choose the ID you are going to use and ensure that it is different from the other ones so that you can let the interviewer know which ID you’ll be available on. You can do this by adding an initial to your name or by describing the profile picture on the ID you will be using.

Dress the Part

While the interview is not face-to-face, treat it as one. Dress as you would for a regular interview because interviews tend to be conducted over video calls and the interviewers will be able to see you.

Set the Scene

As interviewers tend to use the video call function, how you present yourself and your environment is important. Find a quiet, well-lit space and ensure that you are not disturbed. Often times interviews are scheduled one after another and can sometimes run into each other or be delayed so make sure that you have access to this place for at least half an hour before and an hour after your scheduled interview time.

Don’t Forget Your Documents

Keep your passport or other identification documents with you as you may be asked to present them. Keeping your CV with you is handy as you can refer to it when talking through your experience.

While many of these tips may seem obvious, we have had occasions where candidates have tried interviewing while commuting, on vacation at the beach and in the corner of a busy ward. Have you interviewed over Skype before? Have you got any advice? Share your tips with us! Tweet us @ThreeQ