A video interview deserves the same preparation as an in-person one: the questions, the research, the honesty about your experience. It also comes with its own small technical details that can quietly work against you if you haven't thought about them beforehand. None of this is complicated. It just needs a bit of setup.

Sort your lighting and camera position first

Your face should be the clearest, best-lit thing on screen. Sit facing a source of light, whether that's a window or a lamp, rather than having it behind you, which throws your face into shadow. If you wear glasses, adjust the angle of the light to cut down on glare across the lenses.

Position the camera at roughly eye level. Propping your laptop up rather than looking down into it makes a genuine, noticeable difference to how engaged you look on screen.

Look at the camera, not the screen

It feels unnatural at first. But looking directly into the camera lens, rather than at the interviewer's face on your screen, is what actually creates the impression of eye contact on their end. If it helps, shrink the video window down and position it as close to your camera as you can, so glancing at their face and looking at the camera feel almost like the same thing.

Test everything beforehand

A few checks in advance save a lot of stress on the day:

  • Camera, microphone and internet connection all working properly. A wired connection is more reliable than wifi if you have the option.
  • A test call with a friend, ideally around the same time of day as your actual interview, so you can see how the lighting looks then
  • A backup plan if your connection drops, such as a phone number to call
  • Other applications and browser tabs closed, so nothing interrupts with notifications or slows your connection

Worth knowing: if something does go wrong technically, staying calm and simply explaining the issue lands far better than panicking. Interviewers generally understand that technology occasionally misbehaves.

Choose a quiet, tidy space

Let anyone you live with know when your interview is happening so you're not interrupted partway through. Keep your background simple and uncluttered. It doesn't need to be elaborate, just tidy and free of anything the interviewer's eye might wander to.

Dress the same as you would in person

Dress professionally for the role, exactly as you would for a face-to-face interview. Video doesn't lower the bar. Solid, softer colours tend to look better on camera than busy patterns or very bright ones, which can be distracting or occasionally cause issues with certain cameras.

Use your body language deliberately

A screen limits how much of you the interviewer can actually see, so small cues end up mattering more than usual. Nod while listening, sit with good posture, and let yourself pause briefly before answering instead of rushing straight in. A short pause to gather your thoughts reads as confidence, not hesitation.

None of this replaces good preparation on the actual content of the interview. But getting the setup right means your answers get heard clearly, without a distracting shadow, a frozen screen, or a shaky connection getting in the way.