 Today's topic is using Zoom for interviews. Right now, especially in this day and age, we don't know when a lot of in-person things are going to be happening, especially indoors. So interviewing is going to be virtual for the time being. And then even in the future, as virtual interviews were being done before the pandemic as well. But in the future, we're probably going to be doing a lot of virtual interviews just because it is easier. And, you know, a lot of companies are now going to be leaning into that. So it's good to be prepared for that. Because it's similar rules for when you're on a regular interview. But when you're virtual, there's just such a different dynamic. So today we're going to go over some basics about Zoom itself. Because I want to make sure that you understand how to use this software. Actually, here, let me go to this next slide. Sorry. So we'll learn about Zoom itself. Then I'm talking about choosing the platform that's right for you, which really is just saying what device is best for you to use. Then we're going to talk about signing into a Zoom meeting. Then turning on and off the audio and video, meaning your microphone and your camera. And then we're going to talk about Zoom etiquette, sort of the dos and don'ts while you're on Zoom, especially under this lens of an interview. And then end everything with more ways that you can find help and keep learning. So with that, I'll jump right in. And this is just explaining what Zoom is. Now, all of you have been able to get into this class. So I'll assume that a lot of this, you have already come to understand that Zoom is a way for all of us to meet virtually with many people from a distance, which is basically a video call, you know, just like when, if any of you have ever done a video call with a friend or family member, it's very similar except with a larger group. And Zoom allows you to do a lot of other things beyond just a video call. And like I was saying earlier, this idea of multiple platforms, different devices that you can use, you can call in where you're dialing in over the phone, you can use the Zoom website instead of downloading the Zoom software. So you're basically logging in to Zoom, or sorry, yeah, zoom.us is the website for Zoom, US being United States US. And on that website, you'll see a spot that says join meeting. And you would click that to join a meeting. And then it would ask you to type in the meeting ID number. And that would be a way of sort of skipping the download process of downloading the Zoom software into your computer. The third bullet point there is saying zoom desktop software. So then of course, you're downloading the Zoom software, which some of you may have done today to be here in this Zoom class. And then the final one is where you can use a tablet or a smartphone. And you would download the Zoom app. And you would download that the same place that you would download any of your other apps. So those of you using an Apple device, it would be in the App Store. Those of you using an Android, it would probably be in what's called the Play Store. And I know there's many devices out there, but those would be typically the two stores that you would look for. And then this is just saying for an interview, choose the platform that you are most comfortable with because you do want to join that interview at your, your most comfortable level. You don't want to do something that you're not used to when you're kind of being watched by someone else. But calling in by phone is probably not the best option. So that's very first one that I mentioned where you're dialing in, because then the interviewer is not able to see you, they are only able to hear you. So unless they told you that this is going to be a phone interview, where you're just having a conversation over the phone, I wouldn't recommend using this. Because then they're the interviewer is probably going to be disappointed. This is always an option if you're having some kind of technical difficulty. If your device is not working for some reason, the computer, the tablet that you're using, is it if it's just not working for some reason, then understandably, you may want to dial in and, and do that as a last resort, but I wouldn't recommend using the dial in feature as your, you know, first option. Now this is an example of how you would sign in to a Zoom meeting, or in this case, maybe a Zoom interview. You would, now this is showing you what it looks like on a tablet. The next slide in a moment is going to show you what it looks like on a computer. What you'll notice is that the steps are very similar though. So the first one I'm going to zoom in a little here. This is when you join a meeting. So you've opened the Zoom app on your tablet. So you have Zoom, you tap on the Zoom app and it opens up and it's going to look like this. Or if it's maybe an Android device, the layout might look slightly different, but it's going to look very similar to this. And you're going to see somewhere where it's going to say join a meeting. You'll click on that. And then in the next screen, it's going to ask you to type in the meeting ID number. And I apologize if you can hear this, but my cat is being very vocal. So I apologize if you can hear that. The, you would type in the meeting ID number. And that's a number that the host being in this case, the interviewer is a number that they're going to give you at some point in the communication you get from them, whether it's over the phone or through email, they're going to give you a meeting ID number or a link that you just have to click on. If they give you a link to click on these first two steps, you won't need to worry about because once you click a link, it's going to bring you directly to either step three or step four. And the reason why I say step three or four is because a password is not always going to be requested. The host, again, in this case, when I say host, I mean the interviewer. They'll let you know if their Zoom meeting requires a password because a password is something that the host can turn on or off. It's just a security measure that they can decide to turn on or off. For most interviews, I imagine they probably won't use a password. But just know that that is a possibility, that there might be a password. If there is, again, it would be something that the interviewer would have given you, whether it's over the phone or in that email. Now, if there is a password, you would type it in, click continue. And then it would bring you to the next step. If there isn't a password, then you would skip this and it would bring you straight to here where, again, four is also another one that may be turned on or off. So you might not see this either. But registration just means that the host, again, this being the interviewer, might have a few questions that they're going to ask you before you officially are brought into the Zoom meeting. Usually an interviewer might not use this step, but again, just know that it is a possibility. After that, you will be brought into the waiting room. The waiting room, much like if you had a doctor's appointment and you went in and there's that waiting room you're in before you officially walk into the doctor's office, Zoom has that as well, where there's a digital space that you're sitting in. And some of you probably saw that as you were waiting to come into today's lesson. You're just given a little welcoming message that's created by the organization. For this class, it would have been by the library. I actually forget what was on there while I was waiting, so I forget to give you that example. This one here is an example for an always active class, which is an exercise class. But you would have a little welcome message there. And the host has the ability to send you a little message, which I believe happened during this class, which is why, actually, ironically, our little tech delay helped give a little example of what I'm showing here right now. So that little message of sorry, we're a little delayed technical difficulties. That's what is a good example of if the interviewer, let's say, something happened where they're running late, they might do something like this where they send you a little message saying, sorry, we'll let you in in just a moment. So I'm going to zoom out again, just so you see here. If the interviewer gives you a meeting ID number that you are meant to type in, you are going to step one, open zoom and click join a meeting. Step two, type in the meeting ID number and then click join. If the interviewer has given you a password, you'll have to type in that password next. If there is no password, you're going to skip right here and remember again, step four is also optional. So the interviewer might not have a set of registration questions. If there are, it'll pop up next. Otherwise, the very next step, step five is where you'll end up. You're going to be in this waiting room until the interview is ready to let you in. If you're given a link to click, remember that once you click the link, you're skipping straight to step three. You click the link, it's going to open up zoom for you and you're going to have to either type in a password, registration questions, or if neither three or four are something the interviewer has turned on, it'll bring you straight to step five, which is the waiting room. Now on a computer, you'll notice the steps are actually very similar. I'm going to flip back and forth between the two. You see here, the pictures change, the pictures change, but the steps stay the same. So I'm just going to zoom in, but I'll go through these ones quickly since they're technically the same steps. You're going to open zoom on your computer, click join a meeting, type in the meeting ID number, click join. If there's a password required, type in the password, and then go down here. As you see here, the registration looks a little different, but it's still just giving you some questions to answer. And then step five looks very similar. It's a waiting room. And there's also the possibility of the the host sending you a message in case they're running late or something. You see here, similar steps. It's just the windows are going to look slightly differently, depending on what device you're using. Now, this is showing you what it may look like. If you enter the zoom meeting too early. So let's say the the interviewer tells you we're going to meet at 1pm on such and such date. And then you decide, okay, I want to log in very early. And so instead of 1pm, you log in at like 1230, a half hour before the time, you would potentially see something like this, where it's telling you that you have to wait for the host to start the meeting because they haven't even logged in yet. Now you can just wait right here. And you can there's this little button that asks you whether or not you want to test your audio. And so you can double check that your speakers and microphone still are operating normally, meaning that once you start this meeting, the interviewer will be able to hear you and you'll be able to hear them. When you tap on test audio, it'll give you the ability to basically there's gonna, there's gonna be like a high pitch ping, a little noise that'll run through your computer. As long as you hear it, and you see there's gonna be a window that'll pop up showing you sort of a sort of like a bar of like a progress bar, let's call it that, where you're the when the high pitch noise comes through, the progress bar will fluctuate based on that noise going through. So as long as you both hear the noise coming out of your device, and see that progress bar sort of fluctuate, you'll know that both your microphone and the speakers are working. Typically, you won't have to worry about that as long as it's been working before. But it's always a good opportunity if you do log in very early to just test it just to be sure so that you know once everything starts, you're not fumbling to get everything together. As you see at the very top of this slide, my suggestion is to sign in five minutes early. If you feel like you may have to or actually, let me rewind. If your interviewer has told you that there are registration questions that you'll have to answer, then I suggest logging in. Like I said earlier about a half hour to 15 minutes early, just to make sure that no matter what these registration questions are, you're going to be able to get through them. More than likely, if the interviewer has registration questions, they'll give you a heads up as to what the questions are. But just factor in that time of answering questions. Otherwise, I recommend five, maybe 10. But I wouldn't really push it much earlier than that. Only because in a virtual situation, it's not the it's not the same as in person interviews, because in person interviewers, the the rule is always that 15 minutes, that 20 to 15 minutes is always that golden time. Any sooner doesn't seem right. Any later does it almost feels like you're running late. So like that 15 minutes is the golden time to show up early for an interview. Whereas in a virtual world, five minutes is really that key golden time, because any sooner, you're just sitting at your computer staring at the camera. And it's just it's a different sense than when you're in person, because 15 minutes early, it's just it's a very different energy in person. Typically, the interviewer is probably going to log in 15 to 20 minutes early and no sooner. So you're going to end up seeing this screen here saying the host, you're gonna have to wait for the host. If you log in any earlier than 20 minutes. Now, if you log in, like I said, that sort of golden time of 10 to five minutes early, you're going to see something more like this. And this is just a larger image of that waiting room that I was showing you earlier. If you're on a computer, just notice that the chat, if the host sends you a message while you're in the waiting room, it's going to show up to the right over here. Whereas, if you're on a tablet, it's going to pop up almost like a separate window. But as I mentioned earlier, you could always test your speakers. If you're in the waiting room for a really long time for some reason, you could always test your speakers and microphone. Now, once you're in this zoom meeting, once you are in the interview, you will be able to mute or unmute yourself. I just want to make sure that you understand what the mute icon looks like when you're in a zoom meeting to make sure that you again, aren't fumbling and the interviewer is constantly telling you, oh, you're still muted. When the icon is gray, and there is no line going through it, that means that you are unmuted. You can be heard by the interviewer. Notice that when you're unmuted, the button will actually say the word mute. When you are muted, and no one can hear you, you will notice that there's a red line going through the icon. And the wording will say unmute. This is because when you're muted, you have to click the button in order to unmute. That's why it's saying the word unmute while you're muted. So just note that the words written on the button are technically the opposite of what your current state is. Now, the same thing goes for your camera, which is the typically the icon right next to your mute button, depending on the device that you're using, the location might be slightly different. But the icon should be very similar. It's going to look like this little kind of like a cam quarter from back in the day that people would use. Now, same thing, when your camera is turned on, and people will be able to see you, you will notice that it is gray. And it says stop video. When your camera is off, you will notice that there's a red line through it. And the icon will say start video. And I highly recommend planning on having your camera turned on during an interview. Like I mentioned earlier, with the dial in feature not being a good option for for when you're in an interview, the whole point of a virtual interview is that they expect your camera to be turned on so that they can see you. So plan on being seen. Now, this slide here is letting you know what happens worst case scenario, your your audio isn't connecting for some reason. And this could happen for multiple reasons. It could be an internet issue, just the internet in your area is is too weak for some reason, or it could be some other kind of technical issue that's happening. If you ever see this icon, and I'm going to zoom in on that just to make sure you know which one I'm talking about, it looks like a pair of headphones or a headset that you would put on to listen to music or an audio book or something. If you ever see this icon, that is a red flag that your audio has not connected for some reason. It will be placed where your mute button is. So instead of seeing that mute button that I showed you earlier that looks like a microphone, you will instead see this icon that looks like a headset with a green arrow pointing up. And it'll say join audio underneath it. Now, if you see this icon, you're going to click on it. And then depending on what device you're using, you're going to see one of these two popups. Now I know there are a lot of arrows pointing around here. So I'm going to walk, I'm going to talk through this slowly to make sure everyone understands what's happening here. So again, you join zoom, and you see this little headset icon, which again is an immediate red flag that your audio has not connected. And when I say audio, I mean your speakers and your microphone have not connected for some reason. You would click on that icon, again, the one that looks like a headset, and then a window will pop up. Now, if you're on a smartphone or a tablet, it'll look similar to this image right here to the left. If you're on a computer, it's going to look more like this one here to the right. But both are giving you the same options. It's just the window is shaped differently and formatted differently. So this first option here says call using internet audio, or if you're on a computer, it'll say join with computer audio. Now what this means is that you're going to use your devices, microphone and speakers to connect. So it's actually meaning just like connect to zoom normally. I wish zoom used that vocabulary on its own to make it a little more clear. But this is the vocabulary that they use. So just know that if this ever happens to you, to attempt to join zoom normally and have your audio connect normally with your built in microphone and speaker, you're going to want to click this first option, or this middle one here if you're on a computer. Now, if for some reason that doesn't work, and typically that would be because of maybe a hardware issue, something is physically wrong with your microphone or speaker, or the internet is just so weak that it's just not allowing your audio to connect properly over the internet. Then what I recommend is choosing one of these other options where it says dial in or call my phone. And then if you're on a computer, it says here, phone call or call me. And I explain here what that means. So if you click dial in or phone call, if you're on a computer, you will be given a number to call. And then you'd be able to join this zoom meeting over your phone. Or if you click call my phone or call me, a window will pop up asking you to type in your phone number. And then zoom will call you. And that's the option I highly recommend. If you're going to follow this, where you're going to attempt to do a phone call into the zoom session, I would say click call me or call my phone, so that it happens automatically for you. All you have to do is answer that phone call, and you will be brought into that zoom session. Whereas you have to go through extra steps when they give you the phone number to for you to dial. Now if you go down this road, you would then be listening and talking to your interviewer using your phone. But you would be looking at them and then looking at you on your tablet or your computer. So you would still have the visual, but you would be using your phone as the audio component. And I only recommend doing that again, if you're having some kind of issue. And this is your last resort. You know, you still want to be heard and seen by your interviewer. So this is showing this is you showing them that you are doing your due diligence to have all the aspects of an interview. You would hopefully not have to do all of this. This is again, only if you have some kind of audio issue, because I don't want you to ever have to panic. If something like this happens, there are the options for you. If something were to happen like this. So now we're gonna jump into some etiquette, some of these do's and don'ts. So in general, like I mentioned earlier with the waiting room, that's something that you're always going to see. It's even though it is technically an optional thing for the host to turn on or off as well. So I mentioned passwords are optional. Registration is optional. Technically, the waiting room is also an optional security measure for the host to turn on or off at their own decision. But it's become one of those things that most people use on zoom because it's kind of this like basic thing. So this is something that you're going to run into pretty often, no matter what zoom activity, interview or meeting you're joining, you're probably going to see a waiting room. Once you've been admitted into that activity or the interview in this situation, you can change the name you have displayed to anything you'd like by bringing your cursor or mouse. So meaning, you know, the arrow on your computer to your name in the participants list or to the square in the video display. So when you see everyone's square sort of Brady Bunch style, you would bring the cursor of your or the mouse over to your square. And then you would see a blue button with three dots. You would click on that. And there would be an option that says rename. And then you'd be able to rename yourself. This I would recommend if you're going to rename yourself just make sure that you use either your full name or just make sure that you sound as professional as possible. Because obviously we're doing this through the lens of an interview. So I just want to typically when I teach zoom I tell people Oh, you can, you know, change it to a nickname or whatever you prefer to be called by. Definitely whatever you prefer to be called by but just make sure that it's as professional sounding as possible for an interview. Now be mindful of other participants pronouns and feel free to display yours in parentheses next to your displayed name. So some of you might see if you look at my name in my little square, I've put in parentheses key him. And those are my pronouns. This is something that's going to become or is becoming very common practice on zoom. So you'll see it fairly often. You don't have to do it yourself. But it's just something I want you to be aware of. So that you can respect others pronouns, and make sure that you are you're showing yourself in your best light during an interview, because obviously you want to make sure that you're respecting those who you're talking to in an interview. So just be aware that this is something you'll see. Now, another one, dress to impress. And as you see with the caveat of at least from the waist up, because as you know, on a virtual zoom class or zoom interview, they can only see you from the waist up. So don't stress too much about what, you know, what pants to wear, what shoes to wear, you don't have to worry about that. Just make sure that from the waist up, you are looking the way you would want to for any interview. Now these audio, sorry, these etiquette tips specifically focus around audio. So as you'll see, most zoom activities will be set to automatically mute your microphone when you enter. This is to ensure there isn't any background noises added into the room as more participants join. So in an interview, the interviewer might not do this, but it is still something to be aware of that more often than not, when you first join a zoom meeting, you're going to be muted by default, meaning when you first join, it's just that's how it's going to be your your microphone will be in the off position. So in order to be heard, you will have to click on the mute button to unmute yourself and be heard. So that's just something to be aware of. Now the second bullet point here is letting you know to it's usually a good practice to stay muted unless you're speaking. Now if the interview is going very back and forth, back and forth, maybe it's best to stay unmuted so that you don't have to keep unmuting and remuting back and forth. But if you're finding that you're listening to something for a period of time, like they're explaining something to you, then it's best to stay muted while they're talking. And that's only to again, not bring in background noises into the zoom room. So earlier, my cat was meowing. I don't know how many of you could hear it. But that's something where if somebody else was talking, it it would be very distracting. So I would want to mute myself so that it's not adding noise to the room. Same thing if something was happening outside my window, or somebody started calling me and the phone was ringing. It's just proper etiquette to keep yourself muted while someone else is speaking. But again, if the conversation in an interview is going very back and forth, it would make more sense to just keep yourself unmuted. Or there's also this fun little feature that in parentheses here, it says use the space bar on your keyboard, just like a walkie talkie to quickly mute and unmute more easily. So this only works on a computer. So if you're using a tablet or a smartphone, you won't be able to do this. But if you're on a computer, you can actually hold down your space bar, and it will unmute yourself. And then once you release the space bar, you'll be muted again, meaning your your microphone will be automatically turned off. Very similar to the way a walkie talkie works, where the other person will only be able to hear you as long as you hold the button down. The moment you've released the button is when that other person can no longer hear what you're saying. So that could be really handy for an interview where you're able to quickly mute and unmute. Now the third bullet point here, like I mentioned with the whole noise around you, it's best for an interview to try and find a quiet space. Close all your windows, all the doors, turn off the televisions, radios, or anything else that can create any kind of extra noise or distraction. Obviously, we can't turn off our pets. So I'm sorry for anyone who heard my cat. But try your best to find a quiet space. If you're experiencing any internet delay, where there's perhaps a you're noticing that there's a bit of a lag, where while you're talking, they clearly are listening to you a few seconds after what you said. My rule of thumb is every time you're talking after you're finished, or after sorry, every time someone else is talking after they're finished, count quickly count to three in your head before responding, just in case they're actually going to say something, because you don't want to talk over each other. And right here, the final parentheses I have on this slide explains a little bit why the way zoom works is it'll focus on whoever's speaking most recently. So this means when person B talks over person A person B's audio is amplified louder than person A. So the if the second person talks over the first person, that second person's audio, even though they might be talking at the same, you know, noise level, their audio on zoom is going to sound even louder, because they're technically the most recent person to begin speaking. So zoom it's very complicated for for someone to talk over because it just sounds very chaotic and garbled. So try your best to, like I said, maybe count to three in your head before responding so that you don't talk over the interviewer. Now, these etiquette tips will focus on your camera. So the first one here, try to find a location where the source of light is in front of you and not directly behind you. Any of you who've ever tried taking a photograph of something, you'll notice that if the source of light is directly behind the thing that you're taking a picture of, like let's say the sun is directly behind a statue that you want to take a picture of. When you take that picture, you're probably going to get a very dark silhouette. The same thing kind of happens on zoom. So you want to make sure that you don't log into zoom with a window directly behind you or the just the source of light directly behind you. Try to have either a lamp or just anything in front of you so that you're very well lit. Make sure that you're sorry. Oh, and try to have the camera directly in front of you, not tilted from below or above your line of vision. So this means try not to have the camera too high up or too low. If you're using a device that has a built in camera, this probably won't be a big issue for you. But those of you where the camera is maybe a separate camera that you've plugged into your computer. Try not to have that camera placed very high up on a shelf somewhere. Just because again, if the camera is looking at you from above, you're not going to be viewed. You're not going to look the way you normally do. It's going to sort of obscure you a little bit. If you're looked at from below, same thing, your facial features and everything, they're going to look either larger or smaller than they normally do. So you're just not going to look the way you normally do. It's always best to have the camera directly along your line of vision. But this is a bigger issue for those of you, like I said, who have the camera separate. Make sure the camera doesn't have any object or dust or grime sort of blocking it. Some people will put a little post it note over the camera. Just remember to if you are the type of person that do that does that, remember to take it off before the zoom interview. But always also try to dust off the camera. You can do that with the same microfiber cloth you might use to clean off your your eyeglasses or sunglasses. Don't use like a paper towel, because the that paper towel is too abrasive for your screen and you might end up actually scratching the camera lens. So try to use some kind of microfiber cloth. If you if you are not using a virtual background, and when I say virtual background, just in case that term, not all of you are aware of it. That's what I'm using right now here to have the community living campaign logo behind me. It basically blocks what's actually behind me right now. But if you're not going to use one, make sure that everything behind you is clean and organized. Anything that's visible within the camera is obviously going to be seen by the interviewer. If you do decide to use a virtual background, be sure that it is something respectful and professional, and not something that's very loud or distracting. So even though my community living campaign logo is very professional, it does have very bright colors. So this is an example of when I say loud, that's what I'm talking about is these like bright like the bright green color. That's something you might want to for an interview, you might want to pull away from a little bit and find something that has a calmer color. Because this is something that the interviewer is going to be staring at while they're talking to you, they're going to see you and this image behind you. I recommend taking a picture of your apartment or your, your house or your room at its cleanest. So think of that like, you know, you, you want your room to be super nice and organized for an interview, clean it all up, make it nice and organized, take a photograph of it, and use that photograph as your virtual background. Because then you're still showing them what I mean, now this is also only if you're willing to show what your house looks like, you don't have to do this. But you're still showing them a sort of window into who you are. But it's at its cleanest. And then you don't have to worry about what it looks like behind you. Well, yeah, I'll get to, or actually, if you have questions about virtual backgrounds, in a moment, I'll field some questions. And I can answer a few more questions about virtual backgrounds, if that's something that you would like to use. Just know that for an interview, I don't recommend using anything too flashy. Try to be as calm and as color as possible. And nothing too detailed, because you don't want it to be distracting either. So try to pick something calm and simple. Now this next slide here is showing you some ways that you can find more help. This zoom, or this zoom website is the support page. So if you type in support.zoom.us, you don't even necessarily have to type in the rest of it, if you at least remember this first part, it'll bring you to the support page on zoom. And it will be laid out, like these images sort of suggest, it'll break out by topic. So if you want to learn some basics of zoom sort of getting started with zoom, you can click right here where it says get started. If you want to talk about audio and video, like some of the things we covered here today, you can click on here. If you want to learn a little bit about scheduling your own zoom sessions, you can click here. You can also click on it based on the type of device you're using. So those of you who are using a Mac computer, an Apple computer, you can click right up here. If you're using a Windows PC, you can click there. If you're using a Linux device, you can click here. If you want to learn more about using the zoom website itself, you can click here. If you want to or if you have a an iPhone or an iPad, you can click here where it says iOS. And then if you have an Android tablet or smartphone, you can click here. These links that I have listed are links to actual support articles within the zoom website. So if you want more of a breakdown of the step by step process of joining a zoom meeting, this first article here will bring you directly or this link will bring you directly to an article about joining a meeting. You can always find this article if you go to the support page using this website. So I don't want anyone feeling like they have to frantically write down this link. I could also try and copy and paste it and maybe put it in the chat if anyone wants it. But you can always find this article again if you click getting started, this article will be within the getting started section. Zoom best practices. So if you want to learn a little bit more about that the etiquette that I was talking about, this article here will bring you directly or sorry, this link will bring you directly to an article about best practices, do's and don'ts with zoom. If you haven't already downloaded zoom into your computer, you can go to zoom dot us slash download and that'll bring you directly to the part of the website where you can download the zoom software.