Right out of college, I took a job where everything—my interviews and offer—had been done virtually. Of all my interviews, this one gave me the clearest vision. I asked so many questions and was able to envision the opportunity in such detail.
The calls between my future manager and myself continued over weeks. I relied a lot on those phone calls. Since I couldn’t do an in-person interview, asking several questions allowed me to visualize working there.
I looked at photos from their website to see the team I might work with. I emailed back and forth with the managers to clear up any confusion about the offer. And ultimately this communication and clarity led me to say yes.
So, if you find yourself in a situation where you are virtually interviewing for a job, here are some tips:
1. Ask Questions: People may not think about telling you some things. Not because they want to hide anything but sometimes it doesn’t come up or it is so ingrained in their routine, they don’t think to mention it. You may not think to ask about the parking situation at the office unless you just had to try to park your car for the interview! I recommend writing down some questions. Here were my go-to’s:
- What is the daily routine?
- What will my work load be?
- Who is on the team?
- What is staff communication like?
- What is the management style?
You can decide which questions to ask when you interview but have them all written down. When they ask if you have questions, let them know you have a list. Sometimes there is only so much time scheduled. Ask if now is a good time to ask them all. If not, ask if you can email them your questions.
2. Visualize: Use the questions to imagine the daily routine, expectations from management and interactions with co-workers. Search the company’s website, their social media presence. Look at staff photos or Google Street views of the building. Can you envision yourself working there?
3. Emails: Even for in-person interviews, it is important to maintain open communication. Email is a great way to do that. Start by thanking the interviewer for taking the time out of their busy schedule to meet with you. Then continue engaging with the interviewer with any additional questions you have or feel free to share something that adds to your value, like a link to your portfolio or an article about something discussed. Starting an email thread keeps communication open with your potential employer and also lets them know you’re interested and you want to make a thoughtful informed decision if they make you an offer.
This article was written Danielle Beatty.
Danielle Beatty is a copy writing intern at Nexxt. She brings her experience of exploring for the right job to help job seekers in searching for their next opportunity. She enjoys coffee, music and writing whenever she gets the chance.