During a global pandemic, where many organizations have entered a fully virtual new normal it is important as a job seeker to position yourself as the ideal “remote candidate” during this time. 

First things first, keep applying and networking whether that means attending virtual events, connecting with contacts on LinkedIn and putting introductions in place with your professional network. 

Looking to advance your career?

After submitting many applications and talking with recruiters, you just got news that you landed a “virtual interview”! Now what...?

While many organizations are still interviewing and hiring talent during this time, we have put together three simple ways to stand out as a “remote worker” in today's job market. 

Prepare
Make sure you have the appropriate technologies to stay connected during a remote workday. Some great video tools are Zoom, Skype or Google Hangouts. Prior to the interview, it is very helpful to test out your sound and lighting. As always, make sure your phone is on silent and will not cause a distraction during the meeting. We also encourage our talent to “dress to impress”. While you are not reporting to a physical office, we suggest you still dress business professional and have a blazer, suit jacket on for the meeting.

Have Examples of Your Remote Workstyle
Going into the meeting, it is helpful to brainstorm ways you are successful working in a remote environment. This is your moment to establish trust with the hiring manager and provide suggestions on how you best make a virtual work situation. Here are a few tips:

  • Be ready to share your motivations and commitment to a routine. 
  • Highlight your work station and how you block/organize your time during the day. 
  • Express the importance of communication and how you stay organized. Managers want to hear that you are available for daily touch points, virtual meetings and updating team members on your progress via a communication tool such as G-chat or Slack. 
  • We find it helpful to share with managers what your process looks like if you need to step away during the day. Perhaps, you send an email to the team that you are taking a lunch/stepping out or you put up an out of office message, so coworkers and managers expectations are set on your whereabouts. We also suggest, explaining your calendar to a manager and sharing the calendar, so members of the team can be in the loop on what your day looks like. This will help ease with scheduling and time management. 
  • It is also important to have examples of how you have overcome obstacles or struggles in a remote environment just as you would prepare for a regular interview. Being armed with these examples will for sure set you apart!

Do Your Research
Although you are meeting the interview panel remotely, that doesn’t mean that you don’t do your research and be ready to speak to the organization's brand, value and mission statement. If anything, now is the time to do the most research you can since you will not have the opportunity to go onsite and get a feel for the company culture and overall organization. We recommend going to the company’s website, reading their marketing materials and “About Us” section. It is also really great to check out their social media presence and make note of the topics they are posting about it. Last but not least, look for the managers on Linkedin. It is very important to review the hiring managers background, the number of years they are employed with the company and get a feel for what their career path has looked like up until this point.