Video Interview Tips That Actually Help
Video Interview Tips That Actually Help
The video interview tips that actually move the needle come down to four things: get your tech right (eye-level camera, clean audio, a stable connection), look into the lens instead of at the screen, prepare short talking points rather than scripted answers, and treat the recording like a real conversation. Nail those and the polish takes care of itself.
Most advice stops at "smile and dress nicely." Useful, sure, but it skips the parts that actually cost people offers. Below is the full setup, the eye-contact fix, how to prep without sounding rehearsed, and what changes for recorded interviews.
Set up your space before anyone joins
Win the first impression before you say a word. On video, your framing and audio speak first.
Camera at eye level. Stack the laptop on books or use a stand so the lens meets your eyes. A camera looking up at you flatters no one, and a camera you look down at makes you look checked out.
Light on your face, not behind you. Sit facing a window or a lamp. A bright window at your back turns you into a silhouette.
Sort out the sound. Use headphones or earbuds to kill echo, and test the mic. Bad audio gets people tuned out faster than a messy background.
Stabilize the connection. Plug into ethernet if you can, or sit close to the router. Close other tabs and apps so nothing eats your bandwidth mid-answer.
Keep the background simple. A plain wall or a tidy shelf. Frame yourself head and shoulders with a little room above your head.
Then test the actual platform. Open Zoom, Meet, or Teams ahead of time, confirm the link works, and update the app so it doesn't force an install two minutes before you start.
Look at the camera, not the screen
Here's the single biggest tell on video: people watch the interviewer's face (or worse, their own thumbnail), so their eyes drift down and to the side. To the other person, it reads as distracted.
The fix is small. When you're making your key point, look into the lens. You don't have to stare at it the whole time, that looks stiff. Just meet the camera on the lines that matter, the way you'd hold someone's gaze across a table.
Two things make this easier. Move the interviewer's window to the top of your screen, right under the camera, so the gap between "looking at them" and "looking at the lens" nearly disappears. And hide your self-view once you've checked your framing, so you stop performing for your own face.
Prep talking points, not scripted answers
This is where video interview tips and tricks usually go wrong. People write out full answers and read them, and it always shows: flat delivery, eyes scanning, a beat too long before every reply.
Prepare cues instead. Short prompts you can glance at and expand in your own words:
One-line versions of your STAR stories (situation, task, action, result), not the full paragraphs.
Two or three facts about the role and company so you can speak to why you're a fit.
The questions you want to ask them at the end.
Two or three points about yourself you want to land no matter what.
That's preparation, not a script. The goal is to steady you, not to read to a stranger. The same logic covers keeping notes during a remote interview without losing eye contact: short cues, glanced at, never read.
The catch is where those cues live. Taped to the side of the monitor, they drag your eyes off-camera every time you check them. A doc behind the call window means you visibly look away. An invisible notes overlay sits the prompts right under the lens instead, so a glance reads as a thought, not a detour.
Tired of your eyes darting to notes stuck beside the screen?
Sticky notes around the monitor and a hidden doc both pull your gaze sideways at the worst moment. There's a calmer way to keep cues in reach.
An invisible notes overlay like Oculta floats a few short lines just under your MacBook camera, and it stays out of the screen capture if the interview involves sharing your screen.
In practice, your talking points hover near the lens while you look straight at the interviewer. Arrow keys step you from one cue to the next, so there's no clicking around or hunting through a document. On a panel where you share your screen for a task, the notes never show up in what's captured (they're hidden at the system level on Zoom, Meet, and Teams). You can even import the prep you already wrote in PowerPoint. It won't answer for you. It just keeps your own points by the camera so a glance never costs you eye contact.
If you'd rather keep it low-tech, even a single sticky note at the top of your screen, right beside the lens, beats a stack of them off to the side.
Deliver like it's a real conversation
The best video call interview tips are about presence, not performance. Video flattens energy, so you have to push a little past what feels natural.
Sit up and lean in slightly. It signals interest, and it keeps you from slumping out of frame. Slow down: pauses that feel long to you read as composure to them, and they cover for any connection lag. Smile when you greet them and when you sign off. Keep your hands in frame and let them move naturally when you explain something.
Lag deserves its own plan. Wait a half-beat after the interviewer finishes before you answer, so you don't talk over each other on a delay. If the tech glitches, stay relaxed, name it briefly ("I think you cut out, could you repeat that?"), and move on. How you handle a hiccup is itself a data point for them.
Online video interview tips for one-way (recorded) rounds
Plenty of first rounds are now recorded, with no human on the other end. You read a prompt, a timer runs, and you record your answer. It feels strange, and that's exactly why people underperform.
A few online video interview tips specific to this format:
Use your practice takes. Most platforms give you a test question or a practice round. Burn one to check your framing, audio, and pacing.
Structure before you record. Jot a three-beat outline for each answer (point, example, takeaway), then talk to it.
Talk to the lens like a person. There's no face to react to, so imagine one. Energy that feels slightly too high usually lands as just right on playback.
Keep answers tight. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. Restate the question in a few words, make your point, give one example, land it.
Recorded rounds reward preparation more than charisma, so this is where your cue card earns its keep. For a deeper run at the format, here are tips for one-way video interviews start to finish.
A two-minute check before you join
Quick tips for video interview day, so nothing small trips you up:
Restart your machine an hour before, so no update reboots you mid-call.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and silence desktop notifications.
Have water in reach and the job description open.
Join two or three minutes early. Punctual, not anxious.
Take one slow breath before you turn the camera on.
None of it is dramatic. Together it's the difference between starting flustered and starting like you've got it.
FAQ
How do I prepare for a video interview?
Research the role and the people you're meeting, then write short cues instead of full answers: one-line STAR stories, a few facts about the company, and the questions you want to ask. Test your camera, mic, and connection ahead of time, and do one practice run out loud so your delivery feels natural rather than read.
Where should I look during a video interview?
At the camera lens, especially when you're making a key point. It's natural to watch the interviewer's face on screen, but that makes your eyes look slightly off. Move their window directly under your camera and hide your self-view, so meeting the lens feels close to meeting their gaze.
Is it OK to have notes during a video interview?
Yes, as long as they're brief prompts you glance at, not a script you read. Short cues keep you on track and calm. Reading full answers shows in your delivery and your eyes. Keep them within glance distance of the camera so checking them doesn't pull your gaze away.
How can I make a good impression in a video interview?
Get the basics right first: eye-level camera, good light on your face, clean audio. Then bring presence. Sit up, lean in slightly, slow your pace, and smile at the start and finish. Look at the lens on your important points, and treat any tech glitch calmly. Those small things read as confidence.
The video interview tips that actually move the needle come down to four things: get your tech right (eye-level camera, clean audio, a stable connection), look into the lens instead of at the screen, prepare short talking points rather than scripted answers, and treat the recording like a real conversation. Nail those and the polish takes care of itself.
Most advice stops at "smile and dress nicely." Useful, sure, but it skips the parts that actually cost people offers. Below is the full setup, the eye-contact fix, how to prep without sounding rehearsed, and what changes for recorded interviews.
Set up your space before anyone joins
Win the first impression before you say a word. On video, your framing and audio speak first.
Camera at eye level. Stack the laptop on books or use a stand so the lens meets your eyes. A camera looking up at you flatters no one, and a camera you look down at makes you look checked out.
Light on your face, not behind you. Sit facing a window or a lamp. A bright window at your back turns you into a silhouette.
Sort out the sound. Use headphones or earbuds to kill echo, and test the mic. Bad audio gets people tuned out faster than a messy background.
Stabilize the connection. Plug into ethernet if you can, or sit close to the router. Close other tabs and apps so nothing eats your bandwidth mid-answer.
Keep the background simple. A plain wall or a tidy shelf. Frame yourself head and shoulders with a little room above your head.
Then test the actual platform. Open Zoom, Meet, or Teams ahead of time, confirm the link works, and update the app so it doesn't force an install two minutes before you start.
Look at the camera, not the screen
Here's the single biggest tell on video: people watch the interviewer's face (or worse, their own thumbnail), so their eyes drift down and to the side. To the other person, it reads as distracted.
The fix is small. When you're making your key point, look into the lens. You don't have to stare at it the whole time, that looks stiff. Just meet the camera on the lines that matter, the way you'd hold someone's gaze across a table.
Two things make this easier. Move the interviewer's window to the top of your screen, right under the camera, so the gap between "looking at them" and "looking at the lens" nearly disappears. And hide your self-view once you've checked your framing, so you stop performing for your own face.
Prep talking points, not scripted answers
This is where video interview tips and tricks usually go wrong. People write out full answers and read them, and it always shows: flat delivery, eyes scanning, a beat too long before every reply.
Prepare cues instead. Short prompts you can glance at and expand in your own words:
One-line versions of your STAR stories (situation, task, action, result), not the full paragraphs.
Two or three facts about the role and company so you can speak to why you're a fit.
The questions you want to ask them at the end.
Two or three points about yourself you want to land no matter what.
That's preparation, not a script. The goal is to steady you, not to read to a stranger. The same logic covers keeping notes during a remote interview without losing eye contact: short cues, glanced at, never read.
The catch is where those cues live. Taped to the side of the monitor, they drag your eyes off-camera every time you check them. A doc behind the call window means you visibly look away. An invisible notes overlay sits the prompts right under the lens instead, so a glance reads as a thought, not a detour.
Tired of your eyes darting to notes stuck beside the screen?
Sticky notes around the monitor and a hidden doc both pull your gaze sideways at the worst moment. There's a calmer way to keep cues in reach.
An invisible notes overlay like Oculta floats a few short lines just under your MacBook camera, and it stays out of the screen capture if the interview involves sharing your screen.
In practice, your talking points hover near the lens while you look straight at the interviewer. Arrow keys step you from one cue to the next, so there's no clicking around or hunting through a document. On a panel where you share your screen for a task, the notes never show up in what's captured (they're hidden at the system level on Zoom, Meet, and Teams). You can even import the prep you already wrote in PowerPoint. It won't answer for you. It just keeps your own points by the camera so a glance never costs you eye contact.
If you'd rather keep it low-tech, even a single sticky note at the top of your screen, right beside the lens, beats a stack of them off to the side.
Deliver like it's a real conversation
The best video call interview tips are about presence, not performance. Video flattens energy, so you have to push a little past what feels natural.
Sit up and lean in slightly. It signals interest, and it keeps you from slumping out of frame. Slow down: pauses that feel long to you read as composure to them, and they cover for any connection lag. Smile when you greet them and when you sign off. Keep your hands in frame and let them move naturally when you explain something.
Lag deserves its own plan. Wait a half-beat after the interviewer finishes before you answer, so you don't talk over each other on a delay. If the tech glitches, stay relaxed, name it briefly ("I think you cut out, could you repeat that?"), and move on. How you handle a hiccup is itself a data point for them.
Online video interview tips for one-way (recorded) rounds
Plenty of first rounds are now recorded, with no human on the other end. You read a prompt, a timer runs, and you record your answer. It feels strange, and that's exactly why people underperform.
A few online video interview tips specific to this format:
Use your practice takes. Most platforms give you a test question or a practice round. Burn one to check your framing, audio, and pacing.
Structure before you record. Jot a three-beat outline for each answer (point, example, takeaway), then talk to it.
Talk to the lens like a person. There's no face to react to, so imagine one. Energy that feels slightly too high usually lands as just right on playback.
Keep answers tight. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. Restate the question in a few words, make your point, give one example, land it.
Recorded rounds reward preparation more than charisma, so this is where your cue card earns its keep. For a deeper run at the format, here are tips for one-way video interviews start to finish.
A two-minute check before you join
Quick tips for video interview day, so nothing small trips you up:
Restart your machine an hour before, so no update reboots you mid-call.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and silence desktop notifications.
Have water in reach and the job description open.
Join two or three minutes early. Punctual, not anxious.
Take one slow breath before you turn the camera on.
None of it is dramatic. Together it's the difference between starting flustered and starting like you've got it.
FAQ
How do I prepare for a video interview?
Research the role and the people you're meeting, then write short cues instead of full answers: one-line STAR stories, a few facts about the company, and the questions you want to ask. Test your camera, mic, and connection ahead of time, and do one practice run out loud so your delivery feels natural rather than read.
Where should I look during a video interview?
At the camera lens, especially when you're making a key point. It's natural to watch the interviewer's face on screen, but that makes your eyes look slightly off. Move their window directly under your camera and hide your self-view, so meeting the lens feels close to meeting their gaze.
Is it OK to have notes during a video interview?
Yes, as long as they're brief prompts you glance at, not a script you read. Short cues keep you on track and calm. Reading full answers shows in your delivery and your eyes. Keep them within glance distance of the camera so checking them doesn't pull your gaze away.
How can I make a good impression in a video interview?
Get the basics right first: eye-level camera, good light on your face, clean audio. Then bring presence. Sit up, lean in slightly, slow your pace, and smile at the start and finish. Look at the lens on your important points, and treat any tech glitch calmly. Those small things read as confidence.
The video interview tips that actually move the needle come down to four things: get your tech right (eye-level camera, clean audio, a stable connection), look into the lens instead of at the screen, prepare short talking points rather than scripted answers, and treat the recording like a real conversation. Nail those and the polish takes care of itself.
Most advice stops at "smile and dress nicely." Useful, sure, but it skips the parts that actually cost people offers. Below is the full setup, the eye-contact fix, how to prep without sounding rehearsed, and what changes for recorded interviews.
Set up your space before anyone joins
Win the first impression before you say a word. On video, your framing and audio speak first.
Camera at eye level. Stack the laptop on books or use a stand so the lens meets your eyes. A camera looking up at you flatters no one, and a camera you look down at makes you look checked out.
Light on your face, not behind you. Sit facing a window or a lamp. A bright window at your back turns you into a silhouette.
Sort out the sound. Use headphones or earbuds to kill echo, and test the mic. Bad audio gets people tuned out faster than a messy background.
Stabilize the connection. Plug into ethernet if you can, or sit close to the router. Close other tabs and apps so nothing eats your bandwidth mid-answer.
Keep the background simple. A plain wall or a tidy shelf. Frame yourself head and shoulders with a little room above your head.
Then test the actual platform. Open Zoom, Meet, or Teams ahead of time, confirm the link works, and update the app so it doesn't force an install two minutes before you start.
Look at the camera, not the screen
Here's the single biggest tell on video: people watch the interviewer's face (or worse, their own thumbnail), so their eyes drift down and to the side. To the other person, it reads as distracted.
The fix is small. When you're making your key point, look into the lens. You don't have to stare at it the whole time, that looks stiff. Just meet the camera on the lines that matter, the way you'd hold someone's gaze across a table.
Two things make this easier. Move the interviewer's window to the top of your screen, right under the camera, so the gap between "looking at them" and "looking at the lens" nearly disappears. And hide your self-view once you've checked your framing, so you stop performing for your own face.
Prep talking points, not scripted answers
This is where video interview tips and tricks usually go wrong. People write out full answers and read them, and it always shows: flat delivery, eyes scanning, a beat too long before every reply.
Prepare cues instead. Short prompts you can glance at and expand in your own words:
One-line versions of your STAR stories (situation, task, action, result), not the full paragraphs.
Two or three facts about the role and company so you can speak to why you're a fit.
The questions you want to ask them at the end.
Two or three points about yourself you want to land no matter what.
That's preparation, not a script. The goal is to steady you, not to read to a stranger. The same logic covers keeping notes during a remote interview without losing eye contact: short cues, glanced at, never read.
The catch is where those cues live. Taped to the side of the monitor, they drag your eyes off-camera every time you check them. A doc behind the call window means you visibly look away. An invisible notes overlay sits the prompts right under the lens instead, so a glance reads as a thought, not a detour.
Tired of your eyes darting to notes stuck beside the screen?
Sticky notes around the monitor and a hidden doc both pull your gaze sideways at the worst moment. There's a calmer way to keep cues in reach.
An invisible notes overlay like Oculta floats a few short lines just under your MacBook camera, and it stays out of the screen capture if the interview involves sharing your screen.
In practice, your talking points hover near the lens while you look straight at the interviewer. Arrow keys step you from one cue to the next, so there's no clicking around or hunting through a document. On a panel where you share your screen for a task, the notes never show up in what's captured (they're hidden at the system level on Zoom, Meet, and Teams). You can even import the prep you already wrote in PowerPoint. It won't answer for you. It just keeps your own points by the camera so a glance never costs you eye contact.
If you'd rather keep it low-tech, even a single sticky note at the top of your screen, right beside the lens, beats a stack of them off to the side.
Deliver like it's a real conversation
The best video call interview tips are about presence, not performance. Video flattens energy, so you have to push a little past what feels natural.
Sit up and lean in slightly. It signals interest, and it keeps you from slumping out of frame. Slow down: pauses that feel long to you read as composure to them, and they cover for any connection lag. Smile when you greet them and when you sign off. Keep your hands in frame and let them move naturally when you explain something.
Lag deserves its own plan. Wait a half-beat after the interviewer finishes before you answer, so you don't talk over each other on a delay. If the tech glitches, stay relaxed, name it briefly ("I think you cut out, could you repeat that?"), and move on. How you handle a hiccup is itself a data point for them.
Online video interview tips for one-way (recorded) rounds
Plenty of first rounds are now recorded, with no human on the other end. You read a prompt, a timer runs, and you record your answer. It feels strange, and that's exactly why people underperform.
A few online video interview tips specific to this format:
Use your practice takes. Most platforms give you a test question or a practice round. Burn one to check your framing, audio, and pacing.
Structure before you record. Jot a three-beat outline for each answer (point, example, takeaway), then talk to it.
Talk to the lens like a person. There's no face to react to, so imagine one. Energy that feels slightly too high usually lands as just right on playback.
Keep answers tight. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. Restate the question in a few words, make your point, give one example, land it.
Recorded rounds reward preparation more than charisma, so this is where your cue card earns its keep. For a deeper run at the format, here are tips for one-way video interviews start to finish.
A two-minute check before you join
Quick tips for video interview day, so nothing small trips you up:
Restart your machine an hour before, so no update reboots you mid-call.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and silence desktop notifications.
Have water in reach and the job description open.
Join two or three minutes early. Punctual, not anxious.
Take one slow breath before you turn the camera on.
None of it is dramatic. Together it's the difference between starting flustered and starting like you've got it.
FAQ
How do I prepare for a video interview?
Research the role and the people you're meeting, then write short cues instead of full answers: one-line STAR stories, a few facts about the company, and the questions you want to ask. Test your camera, mic, and connection ahead of time, and do one practice run out loud so your delivery feels natural rather than read.
Where should I look during a video interview?
At the camera lens, especially when you're making a key point. It's natural to watch the interviewer's face on screen, but that makes your eyes look slightly off. Move their window directly under your camera and hide your self-view, so meeting the lens feels close to meeting their gaze.
Is it OK to have notes during a video interview?
Yes, as long as they're brief prompts you glance at, not a script you read. Short cues keep you on track and calm. Reading full answers shows in your delivery and your eyes. Keep them within glance distance of the camera so checking them doesn't pull your gaze away.
How can I make a good impression in a video interview?
Get the basics right first: eye-level camera, good light on your face, clean audio. Then bring presence. Sit up, lean in slightly, slow your pace, and smile at the start and finish. Look at the lens on your important points, and treat any tech glitch calmly. Those small things read as confidence.
The video interview tips that actually move the needle come down to four things: get your tech right (eye-level camera, clean audio, a stable connection), look into the lens instead of at the screen, prepare short talking points rather than scripted answers, and treat the recording like a real conversation. Nail those and the polish takes care of itself.
Most advice stops at "smile and dress nicely." Useful, sure, but it skips the parts that actually cost people offers. Below is the full setup, the eye-contact fix, how to prep without sounding rehearsed, and what changes for recorded interviews.
Set up your space before anyone joins
Win the first impression before you say a word. On video, your framing and audio speak first.
Camera at eye level. Stack the laptop on books or use a stand so the lens meets your eyes. A camera looking up at you flatters no one, and a camera you look down at makes you look checked out.
Light on your face, not behind you. Sit facing a window or a lamp. A bright window at your back turns you into a silhouette.
Sort out the sound. Use headphones or earbuds to kill echo, and test the mic. Bad audio gets people tuned out faster than a messy background.
Stabilize the connection. Plug into ethernet if you can, or sit close to the router. Close other tabs and apps so nothing eats your bandwidth mid-answer.
Keep the background simple. A plain wall or a tidy shelf. Frame yourself head and shoulders with a little room above your head.
Then test the actual platform. Open Zoom, Meet, or Teams ahead of time, confirm the link works, and update the app so it doesn't force an install two minutes before you start.
Look at the camera, not the screen
Here's the single biggest tell on video: people watch the interviewer's face (or worse, their own thumbnail), so their eyes drift down and to the side. To the other person, it reads as distracted.
The fix is small. When you're making your key point, look into the lens. You don't have to stare at it the whole time, that looks stiff. Just meet the camera on the lines that matter, the way you'd hold someone's gaze across a table.
Two things make this easier. Move the interviewer's window to the top of your screen, right under the camera, so the gap between "looking at them" and "looking at the lens" nearly disappears. And hide your self-view once you've checked your framing, so you stop performing for your own face.
Prep talking points, not scripted answers
This is where video interview tips and tricks usually go wrong. People write out full answers and read them, and it always shows: flat delivery, eyes scanning, a beat too long before every reply.
Prepare cues instead. Short prompts you can glance at and expand in your own words:
One-line versions of your STAR stories (situation, task, action, result), not the full paragraphs.
Two or three facts about the role and company so you can speak to why you're a fit.
The questions you want to ask them at the end.
Two or three points about yourself you want to land no matter what.
That's preparation, not a script. The goal is to steady you, not to read to a stranger. The same logic covers keeping notes during a remote interview without losing eye contact: short cues, glanced at, never read.
The catch is where those cues live. Taped to the side of the monitor, they drag your eyes off-camera every time you check them. A doc behind the call window means you visibly look away. An invisible notes overlay sits the prompts right under the lens instead, so a glance reads as a thought, not a detour.
Tired of your eyes darting to notes stuck beside the screen?
Sticky notes around the monitor and a hidden doc both pull your gaze sideways at the worst moment. There's a calmer way to keep cues in reach.
An invisible notes overlay like Oculta floats a few short lines just under your MacBook camera, and it stays out of the screen capture if the interview involves sharing your screen.
In practice, your talking points hover near the lens while you look straight at the interviewer. Arrow keys step you from one cue to the next, so there's no clicking around or hunting through a document. On a panel where you share your screen for a task, the notes never show up in what's captured (they're hidden at the system level on Zoom, Meet, and Teams). You can even import the prep you already wrote in PowerPoint. It won't answer for you. It just keeps your own points by the camera so a glance never costs you eye contact.
If you'd rather keep it low-tech, even a single sticky note at the top of your screen, right beside the lens, beats a stack of them off to the side.
Deliver like it's a real conversation
The best video call interview tips are about presence, not performance. Video flattens energy, so you have to push a little past what feels natural.
Sit up and lean in slightly. It signals interest, and it keeps you from slumping out of frame. Slow down: pauses that feel long to you read as composure to them, and they cover for any connection lag. Smile when you greet them and when you sign off. Keep your hands in frame and let them move naturally when you explain something.
Lag deserves its own plan. Wait a half-beat after the interviewer finishes before you answer, so you don't talk over each other on a delay. If the tech glitches, stay relaxed, name it briefly ("I think you cut out, could you repeat that?"), and move on. How you handle a hiccup is itself a data point for them.
Online video interview tips for one-way (recorded) rounds
Plenty of first rounds are now recorded, with no human on the other end. You read a prompt, a timer runs, and you record your answer. It feels strange, and that's exactly why people underperform.
A few online video interview tips specific to this format:
Use your practice takes. Most platforms give you a test question or a practice round. Burn one to check your framing, audio, and pacing.
Structure before you record. Jot a three-beat outline for each answer (point, example, takeaway), then talk to it.
Talk to the lens like a person. There's no face to react to, so imagine one. Energy that feels slightly too high usually lands as just right on playback.
Keep answers tight. Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. Restate the question in a few words, make your point, give one example, land it.
Recorded rounds reward preparation more than charisma, so this is where your cue card earns its keep. For a deeper run at the format, here are tips for one-way video interviews start to finish.
A two-minute check before you join
Quick tips for video interview day, so nothing small trips you up:
Restart your machine an hour before, so no update reboots you mid-call.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and silence desktop notifications.
Have water in reach and the job description open.
Join two or three minutes early. Punctual, not anxious.
Take one slow breath before you turn the camera on.
None of it is dramatic. Together it's the difference between starting flustered and starting like you've got it.
FAQ
How do I prepare for a video interview?
Research the role and the people you're meeting, then write short cues instead of full answers: one-line STAR stories, a few facts about the company, and the questions you want to ask. Test your camera, mic, and connection ahead of time, and do one practice run out loud so your delivery feels natural rather than read.
Where should I look during a video interview?
At the camera lens, especially when you're making a key point. It's natural to watch the interviewer's face on screen, but that makes your eyes look slightly off. Move their window directly under your camera and hide your self-view, so meeting the lens feels close to meeting their gaze.
Is it OK to have notes during a video interview?
Yes, as long as they're brief prompts you glance at, not a script you read. Short cues keep you on track and calm. Reading full answers shows in your delivery and your eyes. Keep them within glance distance of the camera so checking them doesn't pull your gaze away.
How can I make a good impression in a video interview?
Get the basics right first: eye-level camera, good light on your face, clean audio. Then bring presence. Sit up, lean in slightly, slow your pace, and smile at the start and finish. Look at the lens on your important points, and treat any tech glitch calmly. Those small things read as confidence.