Zoom Interviews

Zoom Interviews Presentation

I recently worked with a young man just out of university, for his Zoom Interviews.

He had recently finished university and was applying for his first serious office job in law firms. 

He was living in another country and so all his initial interviews were on line.

We were communicating via WhatsApp to avoid expensive phone calls etc and the first thing I noticed that wasn’t making him look like a young professional, was his profile picture on WhatsApp.

Profile Pictures

Please don’t underestimate the power of a picture.

WhatsApp is in general use – even the government ministers communicate via this – as we all now know ! – you cannot have a picture of a child’s toy or cartoon character as your profile picture.

Sebastian was applying to law firms so needed a profile picture that reflected his desire to be a young professional.

A goofy picture with your mouth wide open in student’s clothing won’t cut it –  if you can’t bear the thought of a suit and you are worried about what your friends may think, a tidy crewe necked jumper with a good smile well lit, is just fine.

Your Zoom Interviews Room Background

In the old days and probably still now (!) when famous or wealthy people had their portraits painted, what they wore, artefacts in their hands or on the tables next to them, the cloth of the curtains and or the landscape or architecture behind them, were all chosen to give the viewer clear messages about the sitter’s job and personality and social status.

So it is with you on Zoom.

You Are In ‘A Frame’ During Zoom Interviews

When you are in front of a camera you are ‘in frame’.  Your image is transmitted to a flat screen and you become part of a flat picture within a certain measurement which is your ‘frame’.  Within this frame is you and your ‘set’ / your backdrop, the scene set that you have ‘chosen’ to put yourself in and this gives your onlooker a lot of silent, clear and obvious messages.

Sebastian’s ‘set’ or backdrop was that of a student’s bedroom with a stark overhead ceiling light blanking out in white, a third of the screen or backdrop.

Behind him was a brightly lit window, so consequently, with half the screen white and his body and head silhouetted against a bright daylight uncurtained window, his face was in dark shadow.

Various student like objects, creating a very young and very unprofessional set, filled the rest of the screen.  The scene setting or what they call Art Direction in adverts – was all wrong!

And, he was looking down at me.

All of this had to change.

Consider Your Zoom Interviews Frame

When I worked in adverts, we would spend days filming what would eventually become just a 30 second TV add and I learned the value of framing.

Nowadays,  we have all sat on zoom in our pyjama bottoms or the like, people understanding framing: knickers are taken off radiators and dirty washing is thrown to the side – but this isn’t enough.

Within that frame you can tell your future employer what sort of person you are, without uttering a word…

Prepare a Proper Set Up for Your Zoom Interviews

Firstly I asked Sebastian to sit opposite his window so that his face was fully lit.

Being well lit makes you look alert, bright eyed and engaging.

He needed to move his desk – which he did – and then we considered the new background.

The lopsided poster of something non distinct, brown and raffia like, had to come down.

The wall was a dull greyish white, but now his face was so well lit,  it actually seemed darker than his face – this is SO important.

Remember the camera’s light meter will respond to the lightest surface.

Zoom Interviews Camera Light Meter

When setting up a shot for tv or film – lighting is everything. So it is for you on Zoom.

The camera light meter on your lap top etc will read the brightest spot in front of it – so your face and body must be better lit than your background.

Nor must your overhead light if it’s bright, be in shot, or ‘in frame’ otherwise this has the effect of your viewer looking into the sun. No, no, no.

You are the star! Or the subject of importance – not your ceiling light!

You really don’t want an overhead light on behind you – at worst we can’t see you but it can also make you look tired, much older and generally lacking vitality – your light source must be infant of of you.

Sitting facing a window is perfect. To be absolutely clear: the only well lit window in the room should be behind your lap top/computer, so that daylight is falling on your face. Any other light source will change the lighting on your face and create shadows.

If your Zoom Interviews are across different time zones and it is dark where you are, put a minimum of 2 table lamps infront of you – behind your computer – slightly to the sides, so the light falls on your face.

Camera Angle for Zoom Interviews

Depending on whether your eyes look up or down, whether your head hits the top of the frame or your chin is cut off by the bottom of your frame, will have a big influence on how you come over ie how your personality comes across.

I haven’t yet seen any Harry Potter films (I must) but I do remember a camera angle shot I saw – perhaps in a promo – of one of my favourite actors Alan Rickman playing Snape.

The camera was lower than him, making him look all powerful and scary.

You may not be sporting Snape’s hair or sweating under his layers of makeup, but you will not look friendly if your camera is much lower than your face and looking up your nostrils.

Your camera needs to be level with your eyes so that you look  open eyed and bushy tailed, ready to be collegiate and a perfect team player in a corporate office.

 

The Zoom Interviews Camera Must Be Level With Your Eyes

If you are using a laptop – put books underneath until the camera on the upper lid is level with your eyes. This will be flattering and you will look an approachable, person not playing high status ie looking down at people also your eyes will be more open ie more eye ball and less lids 🙂

Obviously, if you place the camera too high, your shoulders and upper chest won’t show, this will make you look weak and less powerful as a person ie less switched on and less in control.

Think of your framing as the composition of a good professional head shot: upper part of chest in vision and eyes straight ahead.

 

Zoom Interviews Clothes (Costume)

If you are young – don’t go for the black jacket and white shirt. It’s so bland and if you are trying to look more mature (oh I’m jealous!) this won’t work. It’s a young person’s ‘I’m trying to look smart and older’ look which mostly looks like you’re ready for your part time barista job later in the day.

Dark blue is super smart, more flattering and looks more sophisticated.

On this instruction Sebastian went to a charity shop and bought what he called ‘A Dead Man’s Jacket’.

Seb had blue eyes and I had said pick out a tie the same colour as your eyes.

With the navy jacket, eye colour matching tie and white shirt Seb looked ‘super smart’.

What a different image from the attractive but carefree, more irresponsible look of a crewe neck student jumper.

Sebastian looked great and ready to be part of a high achieving corporate team.

 

Dress For Where You Want To Go

…metaphorically and physically.

Dress for  where you want to go, whom you want to be and for where you want to be.

Literally cast yourself as that professional and dress and produce yourself,  as their next new colleague…

 

Background for Zoom Interviews

I recently taught a man who had behind him on screen, a rather large picture of a lurid red and rather scary pincered bearing lobster.

Be careful about the messages you are giving out: to me this looked aggressive and a showing penchant for power through painful control. 

 

Watch TV Adverts for What’s In the Frame

Next time you watch tv take great notice of the adverts especially the ones that are live action. They are often repeated so many times, try looking around the edge of the screen rather than just focusing on the narrative – let your eyes wander round the background and see what they have chosen to message to you – subliminally.

It’s exactly the same process or concept or idea as the composition that has gone into great paintings of powerful people – such as the famous painting of Elizabeth the First that is held in Greenwich.

Everything you see in this painting, has a purpose.

Every drawn and painted detail,  is telling you what she wants you to know or believe …

.. including the very smallest pearl and the fact her hands are unringed and doing ‘mans’ work.

We are being told she has a great fleet of ships and they are ept in rough waters; notice the ships top left and again the storm image on the right; notice the crown studded with jewels, notice the red velvet scull cap inside the gold frame (red denotes energy and power); notice her hand is ‘over’ the globe, ie over the world; notice the very fine & intricate hand made lace around her neck; the incredibly detailed and laboriously embroidered costume – this all shows great wealth and great power.

 

The Bookcase

You’ll remember when Covid took off, all our pundits on tv were propping their laptops up  infront of book cases. 🙂

Perhaps if you’re interviewing for your first job as a lawyer or a librarian, yes.

But do choose carefully, as we do all read the titles behind you 🙂

 

You – you are selling you, in your Zoom Interviews

So think carefully – you could even do a story board image if you are feeling creative!  ie draw a rectangle roughly proportionate to what your camera picks up to show on your Zoom screen and sketch what you want within that frame to give out the subliminal messages about you that you want to make folks believe what you want them to believe.

One of my lovely students has a life saving rubber belt hung on the wall behind her! She swims the channel and runs marathons – so this is great messaging and of course is a point of interest…  let alone the messaging of – I’m fit; I’m active; I’m energetic and will be a dynamo in your team, or working for your company.

 

Zoom Interviews Background Lighting – NO!

If you watch Sky News and tomorrows papers late at night – you might have noticed the variety of home backgrounds behind the pundits and their lighting.

There has been a fashion – probably ubiquitous on the internet – that you should have background lighting. No.

Unless you are under studio lights with a team of people carefully balancing the light on you and the screens behind,  do not put a lamp on in the background.

We will look at your lamp: not you.

Effectively, you are ‘upstaging’ yourself which means you are giving the viewer or audience a focal point that is behind you and not you. Stages used to be and still sometimes are, ramped, hence the term ‘upstage’ and woe betide background extras if they draw attention behind a featured actor!

Going back to earlier – you want to look well lit and to do this you must not create a bright light behind you.  If you do, the light meter will read that and you will not be so well lit. I’m simplifying here but that’s basically the point.

You are the star of you Zoom Interview, not Granny’s rather nice lamp behind you..

 

Print This Off

… and use it as a check list.

I promise you, you will be so pleased with yourself as to how you are coming over.

Remember – you are in charge, you are the producer of your show and you get to choose what your potential employers ‘make’ of you.

Think of Elizabeth the 1st!

 

This material may not be copied without the written consent of the author. ©Rachel Preece July 2023