Technical setup before your Zoom interview
Technical problems in a Zoom interview are disproportionately damaging. An interviewer who experiences audio problems, a frozen screen, or a candidate struggling with their connection associates those problems with your attention to detail and preparation, even if it is completely unfair. Eliminate them before they can happen.
Camera: Position your camera at eye level. A laptop camera pointing up from a desk is unflattering and creates a distance in the conversation. Stack books under the laptop or use a stand to bring the camera level with your face. Lighting: Light from the front. If your light source is behind you (a window behind your screen), you appear as a silhouette. Move to face the window or use a lamp in front of you. A ring light or basic studio light placed behind the screen is the best solution for consistent results. Background: Plain and neutral, or a professional Zoom background if your environment is difficult to control. Virtual backgrounds work for professional calls when set up in advance but can look pixelated on low-spec cameras. Test before the interview. Audio: A headset or external microphone almost always delivers cleaner audio than a built-in laptop microphone. Even a basic wired headset reduces echo and background noise significantly. Internet connection: If possible, use a wired ethernet connection rather than WiFi for your interview. If you must use WiFi, position yourself close to the router and ask household members to minimise bandwidth use during your interview window.
How to make eye contact on video
Eye contact in a video call requires looking at the camera, not at the person on screen. This is unintuitive because when you look at the camera your interlocutor feels you are looking directly at them, but you cannot see their face while doing it. Practice looking at the camera dot during your answers and glancing back at the screen during their questions. A small post-it note stuck near your camera lens can help remind you to look there during answers.
Eye contact matters less during a video interview than the absence of obvious distraction: looking away repeatedly, visibly checking notes in a way that interrupts the conversation, or looking off-screen frequently are all distracting to the interviewer. If you use notes, position them directly below your camera so the movement between notes and camera is minimal.
On the day of your Zoom interview
Arrive in the virtual meeting room five minutes early. This is the equivalent of arriving at reception: it signals punctuality and gives you a moment to check your setup before the interviewer enters. Do a final camera and audio check. Have a glass of water nearby. Close all applications except Zoom to avoid notifications appearing during the interview. Put your phone on silent and position it out of reach. Restart your computer if you have not done so recently to free up memory and reduce the chance of performance issues.