Technical setup
Camera:
- Full HD webcam minimum (1080p)
- Eye level: raise your laptop or use an external camera
- Distance: 60-80 cm from face
- Framing: centred face, shoulders visible, space above head
Microphone:
- Not the built-in mic (mediocre quality, echo, parasitic noise)
- Quality wired or Bluetooth headset-mic (Logitech Zone, Sony WH-1000XM4, AirPods Pro)
- Dedicated USB mic (Blue Yeti, Rode NT-USB) for top quality
Lighting:
- Facing a window (natural light) — never back to the window
- If no window: diffuse LED lamp in front of you
- Avoid backlighting, hard shadows, neon
Connection:
- Ethernet cable > Wi-Fi when possible
- Test your speed: 5 Mbps minimum upload for HD
- Close heavy apps (Slack, Spotify, browser)
The background
Ideal: neutral, simple wall, no distracting elements. Tidy bookshelf acceptable.
To avoid:
- Bed, bedroom
- Dirty dishes, messy kitchen
- Posters, political flags, religious quotes
- Too many plants or overloaded decor
- Zoom virtual backgrounds: often choppy and amateur
Attire
Top: like for a physical interview. Sober suit for formal sectors (banking, consulting, law), smart casual for tech, marketing.
Bottom: not mandatory but… wear pants. If you need to stand, you'll be ready.
Avoid: very busy patterns (which moiré on screen), fluorescent colours, noisy jewellery.
Posture and body language
- Sit straight, back supported
- Feet on the ground: physical stability = mental stability
- Relaxed arms: not crossed, not too much agitation
- Camera eye contact, not screen: practice looking at the lens when speaking
- Measured smile: authentic, not frozen
- Head nods: show active listening
Voice and rhythm
- Speak 10% slower than usual: video latency eats nuances
- Articulate clearly: audio compression flattens diction
- Stable volume: not too loud, not too soft
- Pauses: leave 1 second after each key sentence
- Avoid interruption: latency makes overlaps painful
Managing silences
Video amplifies silence discomfort. Tactics:
- Accept 3-5 seconds of silence without filling foolishly
- Rephrase the question if you need time
- Use "Let me think for a moment": positive signal, not panic
- Prepare your 5 key answers: pitch, motivation, strength, weakness, expected salary
Virtual exercises
Some interviews include:
- Shared whiteboard: for development, design, strategy
- Live coding (coderpad, HackerRank): for developers
- Slide presentation: prepare a real presentation, no copy-paste
- Live business case: practice structuring while speaking
Unexpected events
- Internet cut: immediately call by phone, explain calmly
- Neighbour noise: apologise, close the window, continue
- Child or pet: stay calm, the evaluator is often lenient (post-Covid)
- Untimely notification: set your PC to "Do not disturb"
Before and after
Before (D-day):
- Test the link 30 min before
- Prepare water, paper, pen
- Do 5 min of calm breathing
After:
- Immediate thank-you email (5 lines)
- Note difficult questions for future interviews
- Hydrate, rest: 45-90 min of video is exhausting
