 Welcome to our new rebranded episode. Our new rebranded episode. We have a vlog cast now. We've decided to be a little bit more formal since we're recording audio video. We decided that's not technically a podcast. Instead, we're calling it our blog cast, and so we had maybe one complaint from a library faculty member, I won't say her name, who said you guys need a better title for your blog cast. So welcome to two nerds with career advice because we're both nerds and we have some decent career advice for you folks out there in this crazy time of COVID-19. I am one of, one half of the hosts with the most, Christopher Porello and my partner in crime, Jeffrey Fouts coming to you from our respected abodes. Hello everyone. Hi everyone. Nice to see all of you again. Nice to see you two nerds with career advice. So today we're talking about something that has a lot of merit and a lot of application in this day and age because we're doing everything virtually right now. And so today our virtual topic is, what is it, Jeff? Virtual interviewing. There you go. Sorry, I stole your thunder there. So can you see that? I can see that. I don't know if they can see that. Well, if they can't see it. I'll just put it on both sides just in case. All right. There we go. So this is a great, this is a great infographic. We have this hanging out all throughout the iSchool and this is a great tool, sort of a one-stop shop for all things virtual interviewing and remembering sort of the big tips for how to navigate your video interview while you are either doing an informational interview or you have an interview for a job or an internship. Yeah. But did you see the picture? I can see the picture. Yeah. I can't see the logo if that's what you're asking but I can see the infograph. Oh, you can't see the two nerds with career advice? No, I cannot see that. Oh, okay. All right, sorry. Go ahead. All right, no big deal. This is part of the fun. So first I wanted to start by saying video interviewing is an art that is not easy to master. A lot of us older folks were not really raised on screens and cell phones and computer screens for millennials and younger learners and a lot of you younger professionals who are entering the job force. Video interviewing really should be more of a thing for you guys since you're used to using FaceTime and Skype and other video web platforms. But first thing first, I want you to familiarize yourself with the top video interviewing platforms and just start exploring their products and processes for conducting video interviews. So we can send you the 10 in an email or we can scroll them across the screen maybe at some point. Higher view is the big one. Interactly interview stream which all iSchool students have access to. Jobvite, montage, refrac, ribs, digital interviews which is a popular one, spark, hire and vid, crouter. And a lot of there are other smaller companies as well but those are your top 10, so check those out. And when it comes to preparing for video interviews it's actually very similar as preparing for a face-to-face traditional interview. You still need to research the company and be able to demonstrate that research during your interview. You constantly want to integrate things that show that you have done your research. So whether you're talking about the scope of the company the size of the company who the CEO or CTO or CIO is of that company that's all important research that will take you across the finish line and will have you stand out from other candidates. Another great tip is to research the job or internship description. Know that job and internship description inside and out and connect everything you're talking about back to the roles that you will be committing to in that job or internship. Master your resume, memorize your resume essentially and note each and every bullet inside and out because a lot of times a video interview the first question of your video interview will be walk me through your resume. And so if you don't know your resume inside and out or they call you out on something that's very minute on your resume you can't really address that articulately and confidently that's gonna be a bad look in your interview. And then the last tip for preparing for your video interview is make sure that your Wi-Fi connection is strong and reliable and that you have alternative means to contact your interviewer in case Wi-Fi goes out or the SU campus Wi-Fi is not always the best and make sure you close out of things on your computer so that way it's not sucking some of the Wi-Fi bandwidth from you and being distracting during your interview. Those are great tips. That was really good that you talked about both of those things and especially the list of the top 10 video interviewing platforms and just having 10, I mean, that's a lot. So I would imagine, I don't know all of those but I would imagine that they're pretty similar in the way that they work. So if you're comfortable with one, chances are you're gonna be comfortable with the others as well. Yeah. So great, great tips. Christopher, so thanks for sharing those. So there's a couple of other things too that we wanna make sure we talk about when we're talking about video interviewing. And one of those is the video interviewing is no different than a face-to-face interview. As you're seeing with Christopher and I talking with each other back and forth, we can still see each other. So make sure that you take the interview seriously and you dress for success. So you wanna make sure that you still kind of dress up for the interview, you still look presentable, you look nice. You can see that today I'm wearing my nice tie to go along with our new format that we're putting together. So you don't wanna be wearing sweatshirts, you wanna be wearing for men, you might wanna wear a shirt and a tie. And for women, you might wanna still wear a blouse or a nice shirt, something that looks presentable. Exactly. You look like you're from the hood. I am. Lafayette, New York. Lafayette is represented, represent. So the other thing too is when you dress nice, you tend to act professional. So when you look professional, you dress professional and there's a lot to be said for you tend to act the way that you look. And if you look comfortable, you tend to act more comfortable. So just remember that this is an interview that you're going on and that you still need to take it as seriously as if you were actually going into the company. And the other thing is to make sure that you thank the interviewer for their time. Make sure you thank them before you start talking to them, thank them for their time and definitely make sure that you say thank you at the end of the interview as well. So it's small niceties like that that can go a long way into making a difference under whether you get the job or not. So some things to think about when you're actually doing your video interview. So make sure that you have good lighting. Make sure that you can see that the interviewer can see you clearly so that they can see your, first of all, you wanna make sure they see how you look, your nice outfit that you put on. Make sure that they can see your facial expressions as you're talking, giving answers to their questions. So make sure that your lighting is good so that you can see each other and remove distractions that you have also. Like for example, you can see. Exactly, it's a perfect example. And I'm so glad she did that on Q. So my background has a lot of distractions to it. There's clothes, there's lamps, there's furniture. So, and Christopher, yours is just as bad. I know, it was China cabinet. We got the Eiffel Tower here. As much as I love seeing that, I sometimes find myself focusing on those things. A cardboard box. And losing focus on having a conversation with you. So there's something to be said for just having a blank wall, white wall or a nice neutral colored wall where there's not a lot of distractions behind you so that you're not losing out on your focus and what it is that you wanna say and you certainly don't wanna miss something that they're saying, the interviewer's saying back to you as well. So removing distractions is very important. The other thing too that I know that you and I talk about all the time in video interviewing is where you put the camera. So the recommended place to put the camera is actually have it raised a little bit so that you're actually looking up to the camera instead of looking down. Quite honestly, when I'm talking to you right now, I don't mind you looking down at your camera and that doesn't distract me at all from talking to you. That's a little close. But it's recommended and another thing is when you look up to the camera, it kinda makes you stand up straight, sit up straight more as well. So when you're looking up, it kinda makes you up and you can actually breathe better inside. So that's a technique you can use for breathing as well. Yeah, it helps you relax. So if nothing else, put the camera up just for the breathing exercise itself. Another tip is having a mirror underneath your camera so that you can see what your facial expressions look like as you're talking. So like when I'm doing this vlog cast, my view is very small of myself, but I can see you very clearly. So it's hard for me to see my facial expressions very clearly, but if I had a mirror underneath my camera, it'd be very easy for me to see how I'm reacting to your questions. So just a small tip, something to think about when you're doing video interviews. Keep eye contact with the camera and not the screen. So make sure that you're always looking at the camera because that's how the interviewer knows that you're looking at them. And as I'm doing right now, have bullet points nearby so that you have notes for yourself and what it is that you wanna say, you wanna make sure that you say for your questions. And the last thing I'm gonna say regarding this is make sure that you have queued up examples that you wanna use, especially for those behavioral type questions that you know you're going to get. We recommend having just two already queued up experiences that you're going to use for your examples. That way you don't have to think on the fly of an example that you wanna use. So those are some tips for also doing video interviews as well. Yeah, no, that's great, Jeff. I also wanted to say that I learned a new metaphor this week called Bats in the Cave. Bats in the Cave? Yes, and do you know what bats in the cave may allude to? Is it a new Batman movie coming out? No, I wish, baby, I don't know. But it's looking up your nose and seeing all the hairs and grossness in your nose. Apparently that is a thing that's garnered a new term called Bats in the Cave. So I like what you're saying because it reiterates, like be careful with bats in the cave. Sorry, I know. Thank you, Jeff, great information. And we have a few other small tips that other words of wisdom from the two nerds that we wanted to bring to you. The first one is obviously very hard for me to do and that's staying on topic, staying focused and not being too distracted by your message. Once you start veering off topic or start distracting from your message, you may lose the interviewer and you're gonna lose some big bonus points there. Be prepared for follow-up. So it's not just good enough to have a solid answer but to be prepared to provide some color and examples and evidence for a follow-up question. And those follow-up questions are typically a good sign because that means that they are listening to you and they're trying to extract more information from you. So be prepared for follow-up. And my final word of wisdom from this nerd is to use metrics to highlight the value that you bring to an organization. Use actual concrete numbers and data to provide as evidence to highlight your skills that you've conducted and accomplishments in your previous experiences. It's great advice. Anytime you can quantify what it is that you've done, it makes such an impact on the answer for sure. Yeah. And be accurate too. Don't just make up some BS number. Jeff and I have seen it before in counseling sessions and we call you guys out on it and it's painful and embarrassing. It really is, yeah. Some other things to think about is for sure be yourself. Be professional and try to have fun with the experience of doing the video interview. Don't think of it as a chore. Don't be nervous. Just be yourself and know that you have the skills and abilities for the job or internship that you're applying to. I mean, let's face it, they're contacting you for a reason. There's something that they like about you that you've sent into them, whether it be your cover letter, your resume, your LinkedIn profile, there's something there that they're interested in. So it's up to you now to make sure you highlight what those things are that you have to bring to their organization. Be prepared for sure. So you can do mock interviews with me and Christopher if you'd like to. We also have a tool called Interview Stream where you're able to do mock interviews as well. It's found on our website, the iSchool website. Just prepare yourself for the types of questions that you think that you're going to get. And the more interviews that you go on, the more prepared that you're going to be going forward. And the last thing that I'm going to mention for the final words of nerds wisdom is take your time. Don't feel like you have to rush through the answers. Once again, relax. Take a deep breath if you need to, review your notes that you have in front of you and take your time answering the questions that the interviewers are asking you. Make sure that you're being as thorough as you can. And as we've talked about, quantify as much as you can to show impact on what you've done for the various things that you're doing for your experiences. Yeah, amen. I think that it's all about the fluidity of your conversation, right? And if you can't be in the same room with your interviewer, just again, the best way to try to build a rapport with that person is to be yourself, be authentic and be genuine. But remember these strategies because that will just help enhance your confidence as you navigate the conversation. It really will. And there's nothing worse than somebody who is either memorized something because a lot of times they lose their place or they forget what they're going to say or something that sounds scripted. And you know it sounds scripted because they go through the answers so fast and because they're trying to make sure that they get everything out that they memorized. So it's like you said, a conversation. That's all it is, being relaxed and talking about the experiences that you have. Yeah. Great topic today, Jeff. I really like this. Yeah, two thumbs up, four thumbs up from the two nerds with career advice. So yeah, raise the roof. Like it's 1998 all over again. Oh, those were the days. So look, we've got one last episode. We have a season finale, I almost said series, season finale next week for you folks out there. And then we're gonna start this back up in the beginning of the fall. Yes, for sure. So thank you all for listening to two nerds with career advice. Jeff and I are gonna sign off. Stay healthy. Thank you very much. Stay healthy for sure.