The best Zoom interview tips are simple: put the camera at eye level, sit facing a window or lamp, use headphones with a microphone, test everything the day before, and join five minutes early. Then practise your answers out loud so you can look at the camera while you speak.
Camera
- Put the camera at eye level. Stack books under a laptop. A camera that looks up your nose or down at your head is distracting.
- Sit about an arm’s length away. The frame should show your head and shoulders.
- Look at the lens when you talk, not at the faces on screen. It feels strange and it reads as eye contact. Look at the screen when they speak.
- Close the other windows. Messages pop up, and your eyes will follow them.
Light
- Face the light. A window in front of you is best. A lamp behind the laptop works if the window is behind you.
- Avoid a bright window behind you. It turns you into a dark shape.
- Check how you look on camera before the day. If your face is dim, move a lamp.
Sound
Sound matters more than picture. People forgive a poor image and get tired quickly of a poor voice.
- Use headphones with a microphone. They stop echo and keep your voice clear.
- Choose a quiet room. Close the door, silence your phone and tell the people at home.
- Mute when you are not speaking only if there is noise, and unmute before you answer.
- Speak a little slower than normal. Video adds a small delay.
Set-up
- Click the link the day before to see what it asks for. You may need to install software or allow the camera.
- Test camera, microphone and speakers in the settings. Record a short clip and play it back.
- Plug in the laptop and close everything you do not need.
- Check your connection. If the signal is weak, sit closer to the router or use a cable. Have your phone ready as a back-up, with the link open.
- Choose a plain background. A tidy wall or shelf is enough. If you use a blur, test that it does not flicker around your hair.
- Dress as you would for the room. Wear a full outfit, in case you need to stand.
- Put the invitation, the interviewer’s name and your resume where you can see them.
- Join five minutes early, and wait quietly.
Common problems and quick fixes
- Your voice echoes. Someone else’s speakers are feeding back. Use headphones.
- The picture freezes. Turn your camera off for a moment, which often frees bandwidth, then turn it back on.
- You cannot hear them. Check the output device in settings before you say anything is wrong with their end.
- A family member walks in. Smile, say you will be a moment, and carry on. Interviewers are people too.
- You see a delay. Do not talk over them. Wait a beat after they finish.
During the call
- Greet them and check they can hear you. “Can you both hear and see me?” takes five seconds.
- Pause before you answer. Delay can make people talk over each other, so wait a beat.
- Nod and smile while they speak, since you cannot lean in as you would in a room.
- If the connection drops, rejoin at once and say so. Message them if you cannot. A calm recovery counts for more than the drop.
- Keep your hands and pen quiet so the microphone does not pick them up.
If you are nervous
Video can feel odd, because you see your own face. Many people hide their own picture in the settings, which helps you focus on the interviewer. How to not be nervous in an interview has more.
Practise before the day
The set-up is the easy part. The hard part is speaking clearly to a camera. Record yourself answering three questions, then watch for where your eyes went and how fast you spoke. How to practise for an interview by yourself gives a full routine.
Practise this with PrepHint AI
- Add or build your resume. Resume Maker is free forever with an account.
- Create a mock interview for the job you are interviewing for.
- Practise out loud, by voice, with the AI mock interviewer. Sit where you will sit on the day, in the same light, with the same headset.
- Read the transcript, then repeat the answers that rambled.
Every new account gets 15 free minutes of live help and 1 mock interview, with no card needed. See pricing.
Use it where AI help is allowed. PrepHint AI is made for practice and for conversations where help from AI is allowed. Check the rules of the employer and the interviewer before you use it in a real interview. If the answer is no, use it to practise.
For a full plan, read how to practise for an interview with AI.
Checklist
- Camera at eye level, light on your face.
- Headset tested, door closed, phone silent.
- Link tested, laptop plugged in, other windows closed.
- Resume, notes for the questions you will ask, water.
- Joined five minutes early.