{"id":70113,"date":"2020-06-25T11:20:29","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T18:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/?p=70113"},"modified":"2020-06-25T11:20:29","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T18:20:29","slug":"virtual-interview-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/teacher-resources\/teaching-in-south-carolina-blog\/virtual-interview-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Interview Tips &amp; Tricks for Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center\">Land Your First Job<\/h1>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><i>Virtual Interview Tips for South Carolina Teachers<\/i><\/h2>\n<p>Many of us are left wondering what the next steps are as COVID-19 continues to spread. Let us provide some answers. School districts still need to hire teachers. This means they will rely heavily on virtual interviews during this time. There\u2019s no need to be wary of this; the key is to be prepared. We&#8217;ve compiled some helpful tips and tricks to help you prepare.<\/p>\n<p>First things first, download and set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skype.com\/en\/get-skype\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Skype account<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zoom account<\/a>, if you don\u2019t have one already. Once you download, click \u201cCreate a free account\u201d. Next, you\u2019ll sign in to Skype or Zoom to get started. If you\u2019re unfamiliar with Skype or Zoom, consider viewing the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.skype.com\/en\/skype\/all\/start\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Skype support page<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/support.zoom.us\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/206618765-Zoom-Video-Tutorials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zoom support page<\/a> which will help you navigate the platform. To learn about other online resources, read this post about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/blog\/insights\/transitioning-remote-learning\">transiting to the digital classroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-74201 aligncenter\" src=\"\/media-nc\/Interview-2.png\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>With your Skype or Zoom application ready to go, you can now start preparing for your virtual interview. Here\u2019s a list of best practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Dress for success.<\/strong> There are stories about candidates who only put on a shirt, tie and coat and sit in boxers, then stand up accidentally to reveal limited clothing \u2013 oops. Save yourself the embarrassment and put on some pants. Treat this no differently than an in-person interview: wear professional clothing and jewelry (from head to toe).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Find a quiet, private, well-lit place, free from possible interruptions<\/strong>. Before starting your interview, test your camera, and make sure your background is neat and tidy. Poor lighting can ruin a virtual interview. To avoid this, make sure the light source is in front of you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ensure your internet connection is stable.<\/strong> Google \u201cInternet Speed Test\u201d and a blue button will appear, which says \u201cRUN SPEED TEST\u201d. This will give you a good idea of how fast your internet is. You\u2019ll need around 128Kpbs for Skype or Zoom. If your internet speed does not meet this requirement, either purchase an Ethernet cable or go someone else with fast and reliable internet (make sure it\u2019s a quiet place, too).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Test your audio<\/strong>. You\u2019ll want to do this <em>before <\/em>you begin. There\u2019s nothing more panic-inducing than trying to troubleshoot technical issues at the beginning of a job interview. You may also want to consider using headphones to improve voice quality when speaking.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Test your webcam. <\/strong>\u00a0Again, do this <em>before<\/em> the interview. Try turning on the camera and view where it\u2019s pointed. You want your head in the top half of the screen. It\u2019s also appropriate to show your shoulders. Adjust the camera to find the sweet spot \u2013 not too close, not too far.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Close any unnecess<\/strong><strong>ary web browser tabs and applications.<\/strong> Keep your screen clean. You don\u2019t want pop-up ads from other sites with loud audio to start abruptly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take notes.<\/strong> This is just good sense. Remember, it\u2019s an interview so have a pen, notepad, and copy of your resume handy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have a glass of water.<\/strong> You\u2019ll be talking a lot, so take a drink when you need to.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Remain engaged.<\/strong>\u00a0You won\u2019t be able to rely as much on body language, so make sure to use head cues such as nodding and smiling when listening to your interviewer. When appropriate, use hand gestures.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Put your phone on silent. <\/strong>Or better yet, leave it in the other room so you are not tempted to look at it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eliminate external noise.<\/strong> Make sure you won\u2019t be disrupted by any pets, children, or others in the area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practice.<\/strong> Participating in a virtual interview may be new to you. Ask a friend to video call you so you can practice. Send your friend a list of questions you\u2019ll likely be asked and prepare your answers. If you\u2019re unsure of what you\u2019ll be asked, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/texas\/teacher-resources\/teaching-in-texas-blog\/8-teacher-interview-questions-answer-confidence\">this list<\/a> of teacher interview questions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Research the school district.<\/strong> Do your homework. Research the district and demonstrate to them why you want the job. These are steps you would take for an in-person interview, so don\u2019t think of a virtual interview any differently. Keep in mind that if you try to look something up quickly on your computer during the call, they\u2019ll likely be able to hear your keyboard.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t read from your screen.<\/strong> Much like being able to hear the clicking of your keyboard, it\u2019s a dead giveaway if you\u2019re reading off the screen as your eyes trail horizontally from left to right, and back again. Please, don\u2019t do this. Be authentic and provide thoughtful responses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask questions.<\/strong> It\u2019s okay to ask to repeat a question; it\u2019s much better than talking just to talk (or saying nothing at all). If you\u2019re truly stumped on a question, it\u2019s even okay to say, \u201cthat\u2019s a great question. Let\u2019s move on the next one while I think about this and I\u2019ll get back to you.\u201d This will prove that you want to provide a thorough response. At the end of the interview, make sure to ask the recruiter questions \u2013 three is a nice number to aim for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Again, here\u2019s are the biggest takeaways worth repeating:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Maintain Your Professionalism.<\/strong> This is a real interview. Remember to speak professionally throughout the entire call.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set the Environment.<\/strong>\u00a0Clean background, natural lighting, no distractions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Be Personable.<\/strong> Take this opportunity to introduce yourself. Remember, your personality comes through whether it&#8217;s in person or through a screen. Be courteous, inquisitive, and professional.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And there you have it!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Study these tips and you&#8217;ll master your virtual teacher job interview. You&#8217;ve got this!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74202 aligncenter\" src=\"\/media-nc\/Interview-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"616\" height=\"449\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Land Your First Job Virtual Interview Tips for South Carolina Teachers Many of us are left wondering what the next steps are as COVID-19 continues to spread. Let us provide &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":70114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"\/media-sc\/virtual-interview-guide.png","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2024-05-04 15:32:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70115,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70113\/revisions\/70115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.teachersoftomorrow.org\/southcarolina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}