The pandemic has forced many things on us in terms of knowledge, skills, style, and application in all areas of the workforce. Employees are forced to change the way they worked in past. Hardly in a short span of time had the working style changed drastically. Hundreds of millions of people have made the abrupt shift to working from home; millions have lost jobs. The future looks uncertain. Despite initial fears that the pressure would be too great, we discovered that this new way of working could be a blueprint for the long term. That’s what leaders of many companies around the globe are finding as they responded to the COVID 19 crisis. Majority of businesses organizations have switched from an offline model to online model. The coronavirus has also forced the hiring process to go virtually right from hiring top talent, middle cadre and lower cadre employees. Both hirers and applicants are facing the music.

Modern technology has equipped the organizations with numerous tools which make hiring process much easier. High-speed broadband connections and VOIPs such as Skype, Slack, Viber and many others have not only allowed people to get in touch with each other for the sake of socializing, but they have also enabled companies to hire and recruit talent.

These days, more and more businesses are conducting online video interviews with potential employees. This approach has its advantages as well as disadvantages. Virtual interviews are transportation cost free, they speed up the interviewing process and allow hiring managers to interview non-local candidates.

Online interviews hardly take any time and efforts. Both parties can sit comfortably in their respective locations and engage in a conversation. Costs are minimal and a lot of time and energy can be saved. It helps both parties lot of time to analyse various objectives and viewpoints for assessing.

But on the flip side, if a candidate is answering an interview from a remote area, due to low wifi bandwidth the audio and video quality will hamper and the interviewer might develop a bias while evaluating the candidate and it might create ambiguity in the questions that are posed by the interviewer or the way the assessments are designed can be biased as well. Most importantly point to consider is all candidates must have access to a computer or internet. Connectivity problems can arise, making it difficult to communicate easily or to hear what the candidate is saying. And, delays can occur in transmission across the internet. If the interviewer is assessing psychometric assessment, it cannot be guaranteed that the  assessment will be done correctly while evaluating the candidate. It is difficult to read somebody virtually.

A personal or face to face interview is one that engages a normal and structured interview questionnaire for the interview. An interview is a two-way conversation initiated by an interviewer to gain information from a respondent. In an offline interview the interviewer picks up nonverbal cues. People behave and express themselves as a response to specific questions, especially stressful ones. When candidates want to make a point, their arm gestures, the way they are sitting, and their eye contact helps in understanding their confidence level and their listening skills.

Follow the tips given here below for an online interview:

Check the platform

Before logging on, ask the interviewer what the format is; whether it Is  an audio interview or both audio and video? Is there someone on the other end of the video or are the questions pre-recorded? If they are pre-recorded, how many chances do you get to record your answer?

Check the platform to connect with

For platforms like Zoom, Google meet, and Skype which are pretty user-friendly. But, it helps to feel familiar with the interface before you get on with your employer and realize you are trying to respond and still muted.

Lighting

Natural light coming through window light is best. Turn off any overhead lights if you are able to sit by a window because they will add a yellow or blue tint depending on the kind of lighting in your room. Light on your face will highlight your eyes and facial features.

Find out the best spot to conduct your online meeting the day before to make sure you are not rushing around before the interview. Make sure you have a stable table for your laptop. Use a box to lift the laptop up so that it gets from just below your shoulders to just above your head for a perfectly framed interview shot.

Keep the background normal

Do not use background screens, pictures they are distracting and unprofessional. Remove any clutter. Avoid odd things in the background like a bed, kitchen platform, or toilet. Don’t show how smart you are by stacking books on the table. Silence anything that could interfere with your conversation, including your phone and email notifications on your computer. It is rude to be interrupted during an interview unless you have an emergency situation that your potential employer is already going to be aware of. Make sure no one else is around when you are completing your interview, including pets.

Maintain the time

Being on time is most important. Being a little early by 10 minutes shows your professionalism. For a virtual interview, you may want to make sure you are ready and are interested in the job.

Dress code

Even though you are not meeting your interviewer in person, make sure to be dressed in suitable attire. Sit up straight, do not slouch. Remember first impression is the last impression. Don’t forget to smile! Whether you are talking to an actual person or recording your answers, smile the way you would during an in-person interview. Good posture makes you feel more confident, puts you in a better mood and communicates openness.

Don’t be nervous

Practice your main talking points if you are nervous please remember to slow down; it can be easy to talk over people on online calls. You may need to be slightly louder and more emphatic than you would be in person, since the screen is going to reduce a little bit of the impact you would have in person.

Eye contact

In the online environment, eye contact is important. The ability to maintain good eye contact is an important aspect of social interaction. People who look others in the eye are supposed to be friendly and confident.

Listen carefully

It’s easy to miss something important during an interview. It’s also sometimes very difficult to interrupt without an embarrassing mess of corresponding sound bites. Sometimes devices have speakers that don’t get very loud. You may want to consider connecting your laptop to external speakers or even headphones to get clearer sound. If you have any gaming or podcasting microphones, using one could really improve the quality of your voice for the call.

Body Language

Try and use engaged body language during the interview. It will help you answer with confidence and energy. Even if the call is just over the phone, the right posture will help you sound more friendly, open and sure of yourself.

On the flip side, slouching can cause you to feel tired and want to be done. Crossing your arms or your legs will look like you aren’t fully engaged and can actually cause a kind of mental block that makes it hard to really take in the information.

Make sure you are sitting up straight with your shoulders back and head up. This is something you will want to practice when you are getting your spot picked out.

Keep your points handy

While you might take a few notes of your own during the interview, write down also a brief list of things you want to say.

Respect yourself

Be yourself in the interview – genuine and authentic. This is your opportunity to express yourself of what you have mentioned in your resume; off paper. Try to loosen up your mind set and take cues from your interviewer.

Correcting posture is not easy because our body utilizes learned motor patterns in performing daily activities. As we stand, walk or sit our body uses previously learned motor patterns. So getting out of the poor pattern requires strong mental frame for giving the subconscious mind the command to sit and stand straight.

Why is good posture important? Posture refers to the body’s position and alignment which is connected with gravitational force while standing, sitting or lying down. Gravity gives a force on our joints, ligaments and muscles. A good posture therefore helps in allocating the force of gravity through our body without stressing any particular body part; posture affects how we walk, run, jump, squat, sit, lie down, lift weight etc. Posture gives ease of movement as it balances our body by distributing muscle strength flexibility. Proper positioning of spine helps proper functioning of internal organs, therefore a good posture is vital to making one feel good. I am writing this post based on my own experience. I slouch since past few years, and every time I try to sit and straight my back and shoulder slouch mechanically.

Breathe easily: A well-aligned posture helps in breathing easier and deeper. This is why doctors always ask us to sit up straight while they listen to our lung sounds. When somebody asks us to sit up straight we do, otherwise our body gets adapted to slouch. A slouched posture causes restrictions in the ease of breathing deeply, such people breathe shallow, depriving their lungs of taking in oxygen in good amount.

Digestion: When it comes to the digestive system, proper posture allows the internal organs in the abdomen to assume their natural position devoid of unnecessary compression, which can interfere with the normal flow and function of the gastrointestinal tract. A poor, slouched posture has been assumes as a contributing factor to several digestive problems from acid reflux to constipation and even hernias. A good posture allows muscles to work more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy and, therefore, preventing muscle fatigue. It also helps prevent muscle strain, overuse disorders, and even back and muscular pain, https://thefitnessequation.com/tfestore/soma-carisoprodol/.

Healthy bones: Good posture helps us keep bones and joints in correct position so that our muscles are used correctly, this reduces the abnormal wearing and tearing of joint surfaces that could result in degenerative arthritis and joint pain. It also reduces the stress on the ligaments holding the spinal joints together, minimizing the likelihood of injury.

Happy frame of mind: Posture also affects your frame of mind and your frame of mind can affect your posture. So, when you are well, feeling happy and on top of world, posture tends to be upright and open. In contrast, people who are depressed and in chronic pain, often sit or stand slumped. So, as far as possible maintain a happy frame of mind.

Remind yourself to sit and stand straight: Keep reminding yourself to stand up straight and breathe deeply. Good posture in sitting and standing makes it easier to breathe fully and naturally, helping both relaxation and concentration, practicing yoga for a few weeks helps to correct your posture. Tadasana, Utkatasana, Virbhadrasana, Bhujangasana help especially to correct the posture. Sitting and standing with proper postural alignment will allow you to work more efficiently with less fatigue and strain on your body’s ligaments and muscles. Being aware of a poor posture is the first step to breaking old poor postural habits and reducing stress and strain on your spine. Even several exercises help to improve your posture; the abdominal and low back muscles that connect to your spine and pelvis.

Electronic devices: There are postures tracking electronic devices in market which are embedded with dual sensors, attaches to your lower back with hypoallergenic adhesive strips and gently vibrates every time you slouch. The company making such device claims that wearing it less than an hour a day will train your muscles and mind to sit and stand upright after only two or three weeks of use. Some are worn below collarbone. These devices help in keeping your posture straight with a beeping tone reminding you to sit straight.

For all those who slouch, make a resolution and start working on your posture right away!