Online interviews: setup and preparation

The day before

Test connection and audio. Call someone on the same platform the interview will use. Half the problems surface on first launch: the microphone doesn't work, permissions weren't granted, an update is pending.

Find a spot. Quiet, with your back to a wall rather than a window: backlit, you're invisible. Warn the household.

Prepare a fallback. Mobile data in reserve, plus the interviewer's phone or email so you can write if the call drops.

What to check half an hour before

• The laptop is plugged in.
• Notifications are off, on computer and phone.
• Extra tabs and apps are closed, especially if you'll share your screen.
• Water within reach.
• The meeting link opened in advance, not a minute before.

On camera

Turn it on, even if not asked. A conversation with a black square goes worse: the interviewer can't read reactions and tires faster.

Look into the camera occasionally, not only at the screen. Staring into the lens throughout is unnatural, but doing it twice per answer creates a sense of contact.

Dress as you would to visit that company's office. No tie needed; a stained t-shirt, also no.

On screen sharing

If you'll be writing code, decide in advance where: your editor or the shared environment they provide. In your own editor, clear the screen and increase the font size — the interviewer is watching in a small window and small text irritates them.

Narrate what you're doing. Online this matters even more than in person: an unexplained pause looks like a dropped connection.

When the connection fails

Say calmly: "I think you cut out for a second, could you repeat that?" It's normal and irritates nobody.

If it drops entirely, don't panic — reconnect. If that fails, email: "Connection dropped, reconnecting / happy to continue by phone." This happens to everyone, and how you handle it is also observed.

On pauses

Online, pauses feel longer. The temptation is to fill them with words — don't. Better to say "give me thirty seconds to think" and think in silence than to mumble.

And don't interrupt: transmission delay makes it happen by itself. A short pause before answering is a good online habit.

Afterwards

Send a brief thank-you the same day. One or two sentences, no grandeur. A small thing, but it separates you from most candidates, who simply vanish.