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Online interview checklist

Video interviews reward the same preparation as in-person ones, plus a few things that only matter on a screen. Go through this list the day before, and again an hour before the call.

The day before

1. Check the link and the app. Open the meeting link and see whether it uses Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Try a test call or the app's preview screen, so you know your camera, microphone and speakers work.
2. Read the job description again. Note the three or four skills it asks for most. For each one, pick a real example from your work or studies.
3. Turn your examples into short stories. Say what the situation was, what you did, and what changed because of it. This is often called the STAR method: situation, task, action, result. Two minutes per story is plenty.
4. Prepare the questions that come up in almost every interview: tell me about yourself, why this role, a strength and a weakness, a time you solved a problem, and the questions you want to ask them.
5. Practise out loud, not just in your head. Record yourself, or practise with a friend on a video call. You'll hear where answers run long. LiveCue's free practice interview plays a short pretend interview and shows model answers question by question.

An hour before

• Plug in your laptop, close the apps and tabs you don't need, and turn off notifications.
• Sit close to your Wi-Fi router if you can, and keep your phone's hotspot ready as a backup.
• Face a window or a lamp so your face is lit from the front, and raise the laptop so the camera is at eye level.
• Pick a quiet room and let the people at home know you'll be on a call.
• Keep a glass of water nearby, and join five minutes early.

During the interview

• Look at the camera, not the screen, when you're making an important point.
• It's fine to pause for a second before you answer. A short pause sounds more confident than a rushed start.
• Keep notes to a few key words beside your screen, not a script you read from.
• If your connection drops, rejoin straight away and say in one line what happened. Interviewers are used to it.
• Ask the questions you prepared at the end. It shows you've thought about the role.

After the interview

• Write down the questions you were asked while you still remember them.
• Send a short thank-you email the same day.
• Practise any answer that felt weak, so it's ready for the next round.

Where LiveCue fits

LiveCue helps you prepare and practise. The practice interview is free, and on a paid plan LiveCue can prepare answers to common interview questions from your CV and the job you're going for. Before using any AI help during a real interview, check the employer's rules: some interviews don't allow it.