What happens when there’s a rogue clone of you running around?
How to rock a remote interview: Tips for shining over the phone or on video
Remote interviews are the present and the future. Why? The pandemic forced many companies nationwide to move to a remote system nearly overnight.
Now that we’ve been operating remotely for a while, many employers have seen the positive benefits of having remote employees. Increased productivity is one of them.
Many companies have decided to stay that way, so much so that your next interview could be over Zoom. Don’t panic! We’ve got you covered. Here’s how to prepare for a remote interview over the phone or on video, brought to you by our sponsor, LinkedIn.
Is your business hiring? Our sponsor, LinkedIn, is the easiest, fastest way to find qualified candidates. Tap or click here to post a job for free.
Double-check everything
You wouldn’t show up to an in-person interview 10-15 minutes late, would you? Being on time is just as important for a virtual interview as in person. Showing up late looks unprofessional, which won’t help you score points with the person interviewing you.
RELATED: Working from home? Eight tips for managing remote employees
First, double-check your internet connection to ensure it’s stable before the interview. Run a speed test to be sure. Try the FCC’s speed test to ensure your internet works fast enough to support your interview, whatever platform it may be on.
Second, double-check you have the software needed to run the interview. If your remote interview is over Zoom, you must download the software first. Don’t wait until 10 minutes before your interview! Be sure you know how to use Zoom, or you may end up like this poor guy in this famous Zoom mishap.
Finally, ensure all your equipment is working. Ensure your laptop is charged or plugged in before starting the meeting. Do a microphone check and video cam check to ensure everything is running smoothly, so there won’t be any hiccups during the session.
Don’t assume your call is audio-only and dress accordingly
Just like you wouldn’t show up to your interview late because punctuality is important, you wouldn’t show up in sweatpants either. Don’t assume your interview will be audio-only, even if it is over the phone. Dress like you would for a typical interview and look as professional as possible.
Zoom’s post-pandemic Hail Mary: Now that many folks are back in the office, Zoom wants to stay relevant. Their new AI Companion 2.0 has an avatar that can talk for you and adds a panel in all your meetings with notes about previous convos, plus related emails, calendar items and uploads. If it works, it sounds pretty sweet.
Global tech outage wreaks havoc
A software update by CrowdStrike took down tons of computer systems around the world. Banks, businesses, hospitals, and more were all impacted. Plus, Amazon Prime Day updates and Zoom’s demand for a return to the office.
A U.S. senator was deepfake duped: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., had a Zoom call with a scammer posing as Ukraine’s former foreign minister. The deepfake looked and sounded just like the real guy, and the scammer pressed for Cardin’s opinions on sensitive foreign policy and the upcoming election. Cardin got suspicious and the call ended. It’s still unclear who was behind it.
This Zoom feature isn’t even remotely funny: Zoom’s new AI companion takes notes, summarizes meetings and even tells you who talked most. Click the magic wand icon below the main video window to use it. You can ask it for a quick update or to pull out action items from the discussion, too. Fine print: Available for paid plans only.
Zoom-zoom: On YouTube, double-click the right side of a video to skip ahead 10 seconds. If the intro’s still playing, double-click again to skip it. Another option: Hit the right arrow to jump ahead 5 seconds.
Stop squinting to read the text on your phone: Instead of messing around in your settings, do it the easy way: Find the text you want, pinch your fingers together, then spread them apart (the classic zoom-out motion). Works in messages and most other apps. You’re welcome!
🤳🏻 3 Android photo tips: 1.) Double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera, even when your phone’s locked. 2.) Don’t ask a stranger to take a pic. Open the camera app, select Timer and turn it on. Select from a delay of two, five or 10 seconds. 3.) This one’s basic, but not everyone knows it: Open the camera and tap the screen to focus on a certain point. Love this when I want to zoom in on something specific.
📸 iPhone editing trick: Use this next time a pic is almost perfect. Select an image and zoom in using two fingers. The option to crop your photo will appear on the top right of your device. Tap it, crop or adjust your pic using the editing tools, then tap Done.
The future is now: A Texas hospital now lets patients see their doctors via hologram. The Holobox beams a high-quality 3D image that makes it seem like the doc is sitting right there. Why this over Zoom? Doctors can see the patient’s full body. The catch? The machine costs $42,000, so expect to pay up for 3D visits.
🤏 Easy zoom: If you only have one hand free to use your Android phone, zoom in or out in Google Maps by double-tapping on the map and holding your finger down on the second tap. Then, move your finger up or down.
I’m surprised so many people don’t know this: On Zoom, Google Meet and most other video-chatting platforms, you can hit the spacebar when you’re muted to talk again. You have to hold it down. You’re welcome!
Mac trackpad tricks: If you tilt two fingers on your trackpad at the same time, you’ll rotate images and graphics. Double-tap with two fingers to zoom in (then back out) of a site or PDF. Lots more ideas here.
Hard pass: Zoom CEO Eric Yuan wants to bring AI clones to the platform. “Digital twins” will attend meetings on your behalf and even make decisions, freeing up your schedule and maybe leading to shorter workweeks. Uh, no. Digital Kim is not making decisions for Real Kim.
🔎 Tricky, tricky: Zoom in or out by holding down Ctrl on a PC and spinning your mouse scroll wheel up to zoom in and down to zoom out. Some websites and apps, such as Google Maps, let you zoom in and out simply by scrolling up and down. Beautiful.
Mouse tricks: Zoom in or out while you work without missing a step by holding down Ctrl on Windows and spinning your scroll wheel up (zoom in) and down (zoom out). Some websites and apps, such as Google Maps, let you zoom in and out by scrolling up and down, too. Nice.
Mouse trick: Zoom in (or out) on whatever’s on your screen by hitting the Ctrl key on Windows (Cmd on a Mac) and spinning your scroll wheel up to zoom in and down to zoom out.