A Skype Interview Is Still an Interview!

As recruiters, we are always on the constant search for the perfect candidate that we know will fill that vacancy for our client. We spend endless time and hours going through databases, reviewing candidate applications via Seek, LinkedIn, Twitter and every other possible means of social media. With today's technology, interviewing a candidate through Skype or other forms of video calls has become very accepted and almost second nature as part of the process to meet and interview that candidate.

Recently, I have noticed that candidates interviewed through Skype or video call seem to take a more relaxed approach, maybe because they are in the comforts of their own home or office.

They forget that this is still an interview for a potential job and that first impressions still do matter. I have interviewed candidates through Skype who were lying on the couch, at the dinner table with the TV on in the background, and even still in their pyjamas. Maybe candidates think that because they are at home and not directly in front of you, it is not really an interview.

The realisation is that any interview, regardless whether it is face to face or over Skype, is important, and maybe it's even more important through Skype. So if you do have an interview via Skype or video, remember it is important that first impressions still count. Dress professionally, turn off your TV or radio and make sure you are not lying or sitting on a couch! How you have presented yourself, even over a video link, is still important. It assists us in forming our opinions for when your application is to be presented to a hiring manager. Remember, a Skype interview is still an interview.