​In this current climate, it is vital that businesses adapt their recruiting and headhunting methods. This, of course, includes methods of interviewing and onboarding.

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In March 2020 the UK went into a national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, which put an unprecedented strain on many companies hiring top talent. The developing global situation and the ever-changing status of hiring saw everyone at Mantell Associates adapting their approach, to ensure we could continue to secure the best talent in the Pharmaceutical and Life Science space.

Over the past year, ways of communication and remote working have developed at an accelerated pace. Due to updated and improved systems and technologies, along with a new approach towards virtual working, people are now able to effectively communicate with one another. This is the same for businesses, both internally and externally – companies have transformed processes for interviewing candidates and video interviews have become the ‘new norm’. This new primary way of interviewing presents another challenge to overcome, so to help, we have put together 5 key tips to a successful video interview. 

1. Preparation – This is vital in every aspect – “Poor preparation leads to poor performance”. Ensure that you familiarise yourself with the relevant technology along with the interview technique that will be employed, and are set up in a space where you can interview with no distractions. Once familiar with these elements, it is then possible to conduct the interview just as you would a face-to-face meeting, using all the skills at your fingertips. Know who your interviewer is, prepare the relevant background, and make sure you have gone into detail regarding the potential of the position and the profile of the company in question. Don’t forget to re-cap where appropriate, particularly when responding to a buying signal. 

2. Appearance – Even when it comes to a video interview, being well presented is incredibly important as this will give a good first impression – you only get the chance at a first impression once! Make sure you are appropriately dressed for the role you are interviewing for (just as you would for a face-to-face interview), and that your environment is not distracting for the person on the other end of the video.

3. Eye contact and body language – This is key to delivering a professional and confident interview, and is just as important over video. If anything, this could be considered even more important when virtual interviewing, as it can be more difficult to relay emotions and build rapport over video. In order to really engage with the interviewer it is often a good technique to repeat key phrases used by them, provide positive visual agreement, and really listen and react to questions, phrases and comments back and forth.

4. Sell yourself – A key question often asked during the interview process is “what value can you add to this business?” Before your video interview, think of your unique selling points in terms of leadership, numbers and strategy, and anything else relevant to the potential role, and relay these during the interview.

5. Close the interview – If you are interested in the company and would like to proceed, a good question you could ask to close any interview, virtual or not, would be, “are there any reservations about me and if so, what are they?” This is a great question to end the interview, as if there are any doubts from either side it gives you a chance to iron them out there and then!

Of course, there are many other tips and techniques to succeed in a video interview, but the above advice will ensure you leave a good impression.

Mantell Associates is a specialist Pharmaceutical and Life Science headhunting organisation. For more interview advice or to find out how we can help with your job search, please get in touch with us on +44 (0)20 3778 0990.