While you want to dress professionally (again, from head to toe, not head to waist), dont just pull out any old interview outfit—take care to make sure what youre wearing works for video. “Certain colors, like many shades of blue—royal, navy, sky blue—look great on video, while others like reds and hot colors like magenta can be too bright,” says job search expert Alison Doyle.
“Someone I was Skype-interviewing with was so motionless, I thought for a while the screen was frozen,” a colleague recently shared with me. Lesson learned: Make sure your body language expresses that youre engaged and, well, alive. “As youre communicating, lean forward,” suggests Bailo. “This will show interest and concern and will engage your audience. It will also convey eagerness and willingness to listen.”
By now, youre probably familiar with the basics of video interviewing: Find a quiet, clean place to interview, make sure your mics turned on, and—seriously—put on some pants. But with more and more employers using Skype or Google Hangout for their first round interviews—and more and more job seekers knowing the basics—its a good idea to take your digital interviewing skills to the next level. From enhancing your sound quality to making sure your body language sends the right message on that small screen, theres a lot you can do to make sure your digital presence is as professional and polished as your IRL persona. To learn more, we sat down with experts who specialize in looking and sounding great on screen. Here are their (seriously) pro tips.
If youre going to be doing a lot of interviewing—or really want to make an impression at a high-stakes meeting—consider creating a mini-studio at your place. Find a quiet corner, buy a roll of seamless paper (Bailo suggests “professional background paper in a nice neutral color that does not compete with your wardrobe”), and hang it from the ceiling. Having a clean, simple backdrop not only looks professional, it makes sure that the interviewer focuses on you and only you.
Just like your in-person interviews, first impressions really matter. “The first five seconds will make or break your digital interview,” says Bailo. “It is those few seconds, when the hiring manager sees you and you see the hiring manager that the digital chemistry is created. That is when this person hopefully thinks, ‘I like what I see, I want to engage in this digital conversation.”
What are the onboarding and training methods?
Onboarding is one of the most important aspects of starting a new position, allowing you and your new employer to get on the same page. A good onboarding experience ensures that new employees are aligned with the company’s mission and values, and contributes to lower turnover and higher productivity. Asking about the facility’s training and onboarding practices will give you a good idea of how smoothly you will transition into the role.
A strong training period typically sets the stage for how the remainder of your time with the facility will look like, and what level of job satisfaction you will be able to achieve. These are fairly important factors, so try to unearth as many of the specifics of the onboarding and training period as possible.
What will my patient load be, and will I work alone or with another HCP?
A recent article suggested that approximately 20 patients a day is a reasonably average load for a nurse practitioner. Depending on the specific position title and the needs of the facility, advanced practitioners will either work on their own and have their own patient load, or they may share their patients with another healthcare professional, such as a physician.
This is a highly illuminating question, because it lets you know a few different things. First, it lets you know how many patients you will be expected to see on a regular basis. Depending on your experience level, you may already know how many patients you feel comfortable with seeing every day. Secondly, it lets you know whether you will be expected to collaborate with another healthcare professional, which can dramatically change the dynamics of the role. Not every professional thrives in the same setting, so knowing what you are getting yourself into right away is always beneficial.