How to Master Virtual Job Interviews Ace your next virtual interview by preparing your space and answers. Here's what you need to know.

When you're looking to make the next step in your career, you'll likely hit online job boards like ZipRecruiter to search for available positions that match your experience and your needs. As hybrid and fully remote work setups have become the norm, interviewing for jobs over video platforms has as well. Phone screening has always been a typical step in the interview process, and now it's not uncommon for recruiters to keep candidates at home for all interview rounds.

Some people thrive in a face-to-face interview setting, but virtual interviews also have advantages—you just need to be prepared. Brushing up on your career experience and rehearsing your answers can give you the confidence you need to have a successful interview.

Here are some basic considerations and reminders for making an excellent first impression and nailing your virtual interviews:

• Dress appropriately
• Make sure you're in a quiet and well-lit place
• Mute notifications
• Have a tidy and professional background
• Check to make sure you have a strong internet connection
• Avoid public places like coffee shops
• Get familiar with the video platform by testing your camera and mic ahead of the call

Prepare for the conversation.

Interviews typically consist of behavioral, technical, analytical, functional, and open-ended questions. Employers want a better idea of your experience, how it applies to their open role, their office culture and how you'll react in certain situations.

Here are some questions you can expect in your virtual interview and how to respond.

Why do you want to work here?

This question is all about preparation. Study the job description and research the company. Interviewers can tell when you've taken the time to learn about the organization.

From there, you can give examples about how the position aligns with your career goals, mention you're looking for mentorship or if you want your next step to provide opportunities to build something.

What are you most proud of?

Talking about your accomplishments can be a fantastic way to separate yourself from the competition. Try to sound confident without coming off as bragging. Share your most interesting, relevant, and impressive achievement. It's even better if you can show an example or provide quantifiable results of your impact.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Interviewers ask this to understand your career goals and how you might fit within the organizational structure. Hiring can be expensive for employers, so they want to hire people who are more likely to invest in the business.

It's OK to keep things general, but make sure to tie how your career goals align with what the company and position can provide.

Tell us about a time you encountered a challenge and how you overcame it?

The interviewer wants to see how you self-manage and deal with ambiguity. Your response should follow the "STAR Method" format of explaining the situation, your role, the action you took and the results of your solution. Help your interviewers visualize your contributions by providing quantifiable results.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Many candidates loathe this question, but you can use it to your benefit. Interviewers learn a little about self-awareness from this question.

Reference skills from the job description to create a list of your strengths. Your weaknesses shouldn't be something that disqualifies you from being hired and be sure to explain what you're doing to turn your weaknesses into strengths.

If you're still looking to find your next career move, ZipRecruiter can help. It's the #1 rated job site in the U.S.¹ and offers a convenient mobile app, and one-tap apply, so you can apply to jobs wherever you are with confidence. ZipRecruiter streamlines the hiring process and provides helpful resources like resume templates and interview tips to help job seekers land their dream jobs.

^{1 Based on G2 satisfaction ratings as of January 1, 2022}