mrflynn03 Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 I have a zoom interview next week. I have no experience with this. I have a tablet and laptop. Any other hardware I need?  How far away do I sit from the screen? Do I need to wear pants?🤣 JK, I will dress like I was going in person and make sure the background is clean. Any advice appreciated.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FritzIam4IU Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 You should be good on a laptop...you should be able to see yourself once you are set up before the meeting starts, so you can get in a position you like. Once the other party joins the meeting, they will be in the big picture window so you won't have to stare at yourself ha. Pants are optional. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierFaithful Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Free tip - if you're like me and obsess over watching yourself when you speak on Zoom, you can right click on your own vide and enable "hide self view" for a more natural feel.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reacher Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Try to look into the camera and smile. Try and have soft lighting in front of you. I have a desk that can elevate so I prefer standing during mine. Really not much to it. Don't stress over that part. Do a practice zoom with a friend just so your interview in not your first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrflynn03 Posted December 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 This may work out well for me. I am a naturally shy person and have social anxiety. I can pump myself up before the interview starts. Thanks for the help. Love y'all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluegrassIU Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Not tips here, just wishing you good luck! 🤞🤞🤞🤞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierfan615 Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Praying it goes well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Keep anything you can fidget with at arms length. Most of my Zoom meetings every day are with people on my team. I tend not to worry about appearances as much with them and I fidget with things, especially my glasses, constantly taking them on and off, etc.   If I'm meeting with someone outside my team, I'll try to make it a point to be wearing my contact lenses instead, so the glasses aren't a distraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 I spent most of May and all of June interviewing people for IT and other various technical positions our at the FAA Tech Center via Zoom. Did over 100 on a panel with 2 peers that actually work there (I'm deployed to the field here in Houston). The advice I can give you I'd this... Others have said this but room/environment setup is important. Experiment with the lighting in the room as @Reachersaid. We had people who had lighting behind them that made it look like they had an aura. We had others who had the room so dark it looked like they were interviewing from the witness protection program. Be personable, professional, and honest. You can assume that I've read your resume and will question anywhere I see a descripancy. Last, and to me, most importantly, ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT IS ASKED. You wouldn't believe how difficult that is for some people. Try to think about common questions the interviewers may ask beforehand ("tell us about a project you've worked on as an individual or with a team") and think of answers that are directly to the point. Good luck... we're all pulling for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostin76 Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Constantly on Zoom during weekdays - one tip besides lighting is to try to elevate your laptop closer to face level. That way the camera isn’t staring up into your face. I’ve stacked mine on books or puzzle boxes to get it more in line with my face. And good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluegrassIU Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 3 hours ago, Lostin76 said: Constantly on Zoom during weekdays - one tip besides lighting is to try to elevate your laptop closer to face level. That way the camera isn’t staring up into your face. I’ve stacked mine on books or puzzle boxes to get it more in line with my face. And good luck!! This is a great tip......so true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdhoosier Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Get a bookshelf full of books that make you look really smart and is it as your back drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach1K Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 I use Zoom for work all the time but there is only one where I had to use Microsoft Teams I prefer Zoom because it's easier to use but since we're moving to Microsoft 365 after the first of the year I'm starting to like teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 7 minutes ago, tdhoosier said: Get a bookshelf full of books that make you look really smart and is it as your back drop. Just so long as there are titles like "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and not "Poolside Stud." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrflynn03 Posted December 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 Thanks for all the tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKIM01 Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 10 hours ago, Lostin76 said: Constantly on Zoom during weekdays - one tip besides lighting is to try to elevate your laptop closer to face level. That way the camera isn’t staring up into your face. I’ve stacked mine on books or puzzle boxes to get it more in line with my face. And good luck!! This. I always adjust my screen so it's level. No one wants to see your nose hairs. Someone told me that Zoom has artificial backgrounds. I haven't noticed that option but maybe it's just for subscribers vs. free users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reacher Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 5 hours ago, Coach1K said: I use Zoom for work all the time but there is only one where I had to use Microsoft Teams I prefer Zoom because it's easier to use but since we're moving to Microsoft 365 after the first of the year I'm starting to like teams. I use Teams for the most part. Zoom is more for family. There are backgrounds for Zoom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Hoopsier Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 You can also change background in Teams. I changed mine to this. This brings my feelings about how many meetings go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 The government recently switched to MS Teams for chat, replacing Skype for Business...So we can use either Zoom or Teams for video meetings...I think the limit Teams has on the size of the meeting group makes Zoom more popular in my world... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostin76 Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 12 hours ago, FKIM01 said: This. I always adjust my screen so it's level. No one wants to see your nose hairs. Someone told me that Zoom has artificial backgrounds. I haven't noticed that option but maybe it's just for subscribers vs. free users. You can also download your own photos to use as backgrounds. It should work on free version and you can adjust in settings tab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 11 minutes ago, Lostin76 said: You can also download your own photos to use as backgrounds. It should work on free version and you can adjust in settings tab. The camera on my government issued laptop (Dell) won't support me using a background...Says the camera resolution isn't good enough...Show a washed out combination of me and the image like a cheap sci-fi film...And I had a nice IU background all ready to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Hoopsier Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 26 minutes ago, IUFLA said: The camera on my government issued laptop (Dell) won't support me using a background...Says the camera resolution isn't good enough...Show a washed out combination of me and the image like a cheap sci-fi film...And I had a nice IU background all ready to go... Mine did the same thing. By simply wasting time, I found that I had to save the image using 3D paint, not standard paint. That fixed it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jv1972iu Posted December 24, 2020 Report Share Posted December 24, 2020 Hope your interview was successful. Merry Christmas! 🎅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrflynn03 Posted December 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2020 42 minutes ago, jv1972iu said: Hope your interview was successful. Merry Christmas! 🎅 I thought it went well. Also had a phone screen for a much better job the same day that ended with another zoom interview with the hiring manager! Merry Christmas to you too!  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrflynn03 Posted December 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/20/2020 at 8:03 PM, FKIM01 said: This. I always adjust my screen so it's level. No one wants to see your nose hairs. Someone told me that Zoom has artificial backgrounds. I haven't noticed that option but maybe it's just for subscribers vs. free users. I'm set up on my reloading bench I built. Its 42" tall and my seat is a 36" barstool so elevation is perfect. I can write down notes and tape them to the wall in a way I can read them but still maintain eye contact. Background is a neutral wall. Seems good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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