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11 Tech Tips for a Stress-Free Movie Interview

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You’ve landed the interview of your wishes. It’s for a remote job that pays more than you ever thought you could make working part-time (or maybe it’s for that international gig you’ve been daydreaming of). In brief, you are over the moon!

But the interview is over Skype and you are petrified. Of course, you’ll attempt to look natural and you’ll rehearse what you should say. But what if there is a terrible echo? Is it okay to join the interview sitting in bed in your room? (Where else will you find a background that hides your messy apartment!?)

You’ve got this. Read on for a list of absolutely everything to do, from your tech setup to “designing your set,” to making sure you look and sound fantastic on your movie interview.

1. Get Headphones

If you do nothing else to prepare for a movie talk, do this one thing: use headphones. An echo ruins a movie talk, prompt. And lags in connection and internet blips can lightly create an echo, delay, or other sound disruption that can be lessened with headphones. People will forgive your movie quality, but they won’t forgive your sound. If the person on the other end can’t understand what you are telling, you’re in trouble!

So, dig up those headphones that came with your very first iPhone, or buy a pair of cheap headphones with a mic. (For example, Skullcandy makes a pair for $20.) Your sound will be crisper, the risk of echo will be diminished drastically, and those sirens and dogs barking in the background won’t get in the way of the superb impression you’re making on screen!

Note: even if you don’t have headphones with a mic, regular old headphones will work to reduce the echo as well. A sketchy set of headphones is better than no set of headphones.

Two. Download The Necessary Tech

Most movie talk systems require time to download either an application or a plugin. Do a quick search of the technology that your movie interview is using, and see what you need to prepare.

Two common (and free!) platforms to use are Google Hangout and Skype. There is a quick plugin for Google Hangout that requires a browser restart (download here), and an effortless application download for Skype (find your version here). There are hundreds of other movie platforms that you could use, such as Cisco WebEx and GoToMeeting, so setting aside fifteen minutes before your interview to make sure you have the right tech downloaded will ensure you are ready!

Three. Test Your Internet

Being on a movie talk requires solid, quick internet speed. Starbucks Free WiFi just isn’t gunna cut it. Test the internet speed at the location where you are going to be joining the movie interview by running a free test at speedtest.net. Google recommends an upload and download speed of at least four Mbps for a solid movie connection.

Also, wireless internet signal can fade in and out. If you have an ethernet cable handy (they usually come free with your internet router or you can purchase one on Amazon for less than $Ten), ass-plug it in to ensure you have a constant connection.

Four. Check Your Sound Inputs and Outputs

Do a quick check of your sound settings to make sure everything is set correctly. Every movie talk system has slightly different settings, but most will default to “built-in audio,” which means the speakers and microphone on your computer. If you are using headphones and there is an option to set to your headphone audio (and microphone) instead, click it!

On Skype, you can attempt speaking and see the audio bar rise and fall with your volume.

If you are using Google Hangout, attempt playing a test sound to make sure you can hear in your headphones.

Five. Ass-plug In Your Charger

Movie drains your battery more than almost any other program you can run on your computer. If you are taking your movie interview using a laptop or tablet, charging it to 100% is a good idea. An even better idea is to have your laptop plugged in! Sort through your closets and find an extension cord if you need it so that you can be in the best position and not run out of juice in the middle of your call.

6. Design Your “Set”

Actively think about setting up what is behind you in the shot for your movie interview. As executive recruiter Jennifer Johnson collective, being in a big room and having too much depth behind you can be distracting. It’s best to position yourself a few feet from a wall, and have one or two tasteful decor components in the background. For example, a painting, a plant, or an organized bookshelf. Imagine meeting with the CEO of a giant company, and think about what how their desk is placed: attempt to create the same setup for yourself. A white wall absolutely works, but if you have the time to “design” your set, it can certainly boost the impression you make!

7. Bring Your Camera To Eye Level

“It looks like I have a dual chin!” That was Laura Belgray’s reaction when we began to set her up for her fantastic Skillcrush webinar. You know what she’s talking about: you look down at your laptop, while your chair has you perched up high, and the camera hits you at possibly the least-flattering angle of your neck you’ve ever seen.

Prop your laptop up so that you are looking at the camera at eye level, instead of down. Use a few textbooks, a pile of magazines, or even a rectangular tissue box to set your laptop up a few inches on your desk. It makes you look relaxed and composed, is a more flattering angle, and saves you from neck cramps.

8. Light From The Front

A cardinal mistake of rookies on movie interviews is to have light shining from the background. If you have a big window with a view, why not showcase it off?

Doh! You want the (spot)light on your face, not on the background! Think about getting your school pictures taken (I know, I know, terrible memories of braces. But bear with me on the analogy…). Where did that hefty, dazzling flash come from? Directly in front of you! So when you setup your movie interview or talk, think about your school pictures and place your lighting in the front.

Natural lighting is best, so face towards a window if you can. If you are in a darker room, or you are getting on movie talk in the evening, find a lamp that you can plugin and place about a foot in front of your laptop to give you some good lighting. (Just relying on the lighting from your laptop might give an eerily creepy glow…) If you have the time, take the extra step and take away, turn down, or turn off the lights behind you, as well.

To display you just how significant light can be for the professionalism of your set, I took a few screenshots so you can see how Google Hangout responds to light. Which one do you like best?

With my window directly behind me, you get to see my superb NYC view! But, my face? Not so much…

With the concentrate adjusted, you can see me on camera, but I’m a little fuzzy (almost ethereal!?) because of the light behind.

Aha! The light coming from the window in front of me makes for a crisp, clear, and professional movie talk pic.

9. Check Yourself Out

Before you go live, make sure to check that your movie camera works and that you look good on screen! But, you don’t want to login to your interview while you’re checking your setup. Instead, use another program to see how you look before going live.

The easiest way to test how you look is the audio/movie settings in Skype. Once you open up Skype, click “Preferences” from the menu and open up the Audio/Movie tab. Your camera will turn on and you will see yourself!

If you don’t have access to Skype, there’s a superb workaround for testing out how you look on Google Hangout. Pop into Google Calendar and open up a meeting invite. There is an option to join by Movie Call (see the bottom field in the screenshot below). Click that, and you’ll open up a Hangout with yourself.

Ten. Do A Test Talk

The best way to know that everything will work correctly is to do a test run! Attempt out the technology you are using in a test call before your interview or talk starts. Setup everything as close to the way you will do it on interview day to make sure you have all variables under control.

Quick peak: haven’t talked to your roomy from college in a while? Instead of providing her a call by phone, see if she’s up for leaping on a movie talk! You get to test your sound and audio so you feel certain that it works, and catch up with a fine friend while you’re at it.

BONUS!

11. Think Solid + Bright

Bright colors look amazing on movie. Avoid wearing stripes, paisley, and the like, as the detail can come across as fuzzy and distracting on movie. (Ever notice how the best dressed at Hollywood awards shows are usually the solid, bold colored dresses, and the garments that crash and burn are often patterns?). Particularly outstanding colors for camera include scarlet crimson, emerald green, and royal blue. Pick your dearest!

How to ace a movie interview

Take me back!! I want my CSS!! Click me to get back 🙂

READY FOR A Fresh CAREER?

But not sure where to embark? Find out if a tech career is right for you.

Blog, Career Resources, Get Hired

11 Tech Tips for a Stress-Free Movie Interview

Share this

You’ve landed the interview of your wishes. It’s for a remote job that pays more than you ever thought you could make working part-time (or maybe it’s for that international gig you’ve been daydreaming of). In brief, you are over the moon!

But the interview is over Skype and you are petrified. Of course, you’ll attempt to look natural and you’ll rehearse what you should say. But what if there is a terrible echo? Is it okay to join the interview sitting in bed in your room? (Where else will you find a background that hides your messy apartment!?)

You’ve got this. Read on for a list of absolutely everything to do, from your tech setup to “designing your set,” to making sure you look and sound fantastic on your movie interview.

1. Get Headphones

If you do nothing else to prepare for a movie talk, do this one thing: use headphones. An echo ruins a movie talk, prompt. And lags in connection and internet blips can lightly create an echo, delay, or other sound disruption that can be lessened with headphones. People will forgive your movie quality, but they won’t forgive your sound. If the person on the other end can’t understand what you are telling, you’re in trouble!

So, dig up those headphones that came with your very first iPhone, or buy a pair of cheap headphones with a mic. (For example, Skullcandy makes a pair for $20.) Your sound will be crisper, the risk of echo will be diminished drastically, and those sirens and dogs barking in the background won’t get in the way of the fine impression you’re making on screen!

Note: even if you don’t have headphones with a mic, regular old headphones will work to reduce the echo as well. A sketchy set of headphones is better than no set of headphones.

Two. Download The Necessary Tech

Most movie talk systems require time to download either an application or a plugin. Do a quick search of the technology that your movie interview is using, and see what you need to prepare.

Two common (and free!) platforms to use are Google Hangout and Skype. There is a quick plugin for Google Hangout that requires a browser restart (download here), and an effortless application download for Skype (find your version here). There are hundreds of other movie platforms that you could use, such as Cisco WebEx and GoToMeeting, so setting aside fifteen minutes before your interview to make sure you have the right tech downloaded will ensure you are ready!

Trio. Test Your Internet

Being on a movie talk requires solid, prompt internet speed. Starbucks Free WiFi just isn’t gunna cut it. Test the internet speed at the location where you are going to be joining the movie interview by running a free test at speedtest.net. Google recommends an upload and download speed of at least four Mbps for a solid movie connection.

Also, wireless internet signal can fade in and out. If you have an ethernet cable handy (they usually come free with your internet router or you can purchase one on Amazon for less than $Ten), buttplug it in to ensure you have a stable connection.

Four. Check Your Sound Inputs and Outputs

Do a quick check of your sound settings to make sure everything is set correctly. Every movie talk system has slightly different settings, but most will default to “built-in audio,” which means the speakers and microphone on your computer. If you are using headphones and there is an option to set to your headphone audio (and microphone) instead, click it!

On Skype, you can attempt speaking and witness the audio bar rise and fall with your volume.

If you are using Google Hangout, attempt playing a test sound to make sure you can hear in your headphones.

Five. Butt-plug In Your Charger

Movie drains your battery more than almost any other program you can run on your computer. If you are taking your movie interview using a laptop or tablet, charging it to 100% is a excellent idea. An even better idea is to have your laptop plugged in! Sort through your closets and find an extension cord if you need it so that you can be in the best position and not run out of juice in the middle of your call.

6. Design Your “Set”

Actively think about setting up what is behind you in the shot for your movie interview. As executive recruiter Jennifer Johnson collective, being in a big room and having too much depth behind you can be distracting. It’s best to position yourself a few feet from a wall, and have one or two tasteful decor components in the background. For example, a painting, a plant, or an organized bookshelf. Imagine meeting with the CEO of a big company, and think about what how their desk is placed: attempt to create the same setup for yourself. A white wall absolutely works, but if you have the time to “design” your set, it can certainly boost the impression you make!

7. Bring Your Camera To Eye Level

“It looks like I have a dual chin!” That was Laura Belgray’s reaction when we embarked to set her up for her fantastic Skillcrush webinar. You know what she’s talking about: you look down at your laptop, while your chair has you perched up high, and the camera hits you at possibly the least-flattering angle of your neck you’ve ever seen.

Prop your laptop up so that you are looking at the camera at eye level, instead of down. Use a few textbooks, a pile of magazines, or even a rectangular tissue box to set your laptop up a few inches on your desk. It makes you look relaxed and composed, is a more flattering angle, and saves you from neck cramps.

8. Light From The Front

A cardinal mistake of rookies on movie interviews is to have light shining from the background. If you have a big window with a view, why not display it off?

Doh! You want the (spot)light on your face, not on the background! Think about getting your school pictures taken (I know, I know, terrible memories of braces. But bear with me on the analogy…). Where did that phat, dazzling flash come from? Directly in front of you! So when you setup your movie interview or talk, think about your school pictures and place your lighting in the front.

Natural lighting is best, so face towards a window if you can. If you are in a darker room, or you are getting on movie talk in the evening, find a lamp that you can plugin and place about a foot in front of your laptop to give you some good lighting. (Just relying on the lighting from your laptop might give an eerily creepy glow…) If you have the time, take the extra step and take away, turn down, or turn off the lights behind you, as well.

To display you just how significant light can be for the professionalism of your set, I took a few screenshots so you can see how Google Hangout responds to light. Which one do you like best?

With my window directly behind me, you get to see my good NYC view! But, my face? Not so much…

With the concentrate adjusted, you can see me on camera, but I’m a little fuzzy (almost ethereal!?) because of the light behind.

Aha! The light coming from the window in front of me makes for a crisp, clear, and professional movie talk pic.

9. Check Yourself Out

Before you go live, make sure to check that your movie camera works and that you look fine on screen! But, you don’t want to login to your interview while you’re checking your setup. Instead, use another program to see how you look before going live.

The easiest way to test how you look is the audio/movie settings in Skype. Once you open up Skype, click “Preferences” from the menu and open up the Audio/Movie tab. Your camera will turn on and you will see yourself!

If you don’t have access to Skype, there’s a fine workaround for testing out how you look on Google Hangout. Pop into Google Calendar and open up a meeting invite. There is an option to join by Movie Call (see the bottom field in the screenshot below). Click that, and you’ll open up a Hangout with yourself.

Ten. Do A Test Talk

The best way to know that everything will work correctly is to do a test run! Attempt out the technology you are using in a test call before your interview or talk starts. Setup everything as close to the way you will do it on interview day to make sure you have all variables under control.

Quick peak: haven’t talked to your roomy from college in a while? Instead of providing her a call by phone, see if she’s up for leaping on a movie talk! You get to test your sound and audio so you feel certain that it works, and catch up with a excellent friend while you’re at it.

BONUS!

11. Think Solid + Bright

Bright colors look amazing on movie. Avoid wearing stripes, paisley, and the like, as the detail can come across as fuzzy and distracting on movie. (Ever notice how the best dressed at Hollywood awards shows are usually the solid, bold colored dresses, and the garments that crash and burn are often patterns?). Particularly outstanding colors for camera include scarlet crimson, emerald green, and royal blue. Pick your dearest!

How to ace a movie interview

Take me back!! I want my CSS!! Click me to get back 🙂

READY FOR A Fresh CAREER?

But not sure where to embark? Find out if a tech career is right for you.

Blog, Career Resources, Get Hired

11 Tech Tips for a Stress-Free Movie Interview

Share this

You’ve landed the interview of your desires. It’s for a remote job that pays more than you ever thought you could make working part-time (or maybe it’s for that international gig you’ve been daydreaming of). In brief, you are over the moon!

But the interview is over Skype and you are petrified. Of course, you’ll attempt to look natural and you’ll rehearse what you should say. But what if there is a terrible echo? Is it okay to join the interview sitting in bed in your room? (Where else will you find a background that hides your messy apartment!?)

You’ve got this. Read on for a list of absolutely everything to do, from your tech setup to “designing your set,” to making sure you look and sound fantastic on your movie interview.

1. Get Headphones

If you do nothing else to prepare for a movie talk, do this one thing: use headphones. An echo ruins a movie talk, rapid. And lags in connection and internet blips can lightly create an echo, delay, or other sound disruption that can be lessened with headphones. People will forgive your movie quality, but they won’t forgive your sound. If the person on the other end can’t understand what you are telling, you’re in trouble!

So, dig up those headphones that came with your very first iPhone, or buy a pair of cheap headphones with a mic. (For example, Skullcandy makes a pair for $20.) Your sound will be crisper, the risk of echo will be diminished drastically, and those sirens and dogs barking in the background won’t get in the way of the fine impression you’re making on screen!

Note: even if you don’t have headphones with a mic, regular old headphones will work to reduce the echo as well. A sketchy set of headphones is better than no set of headphones.

Two. Download The Necessary Tech

Most movie talk systems require time to download either an application or a plugin. Do a quick search of the technology that your movie interview is using, and see what you need to prepare.

Two common (and free!) platforms to use are Google Hangout and Skype. There is a quick plugin for Google Hangout that requires a browser restart (download here), and an effortless application download for Skype (find your version here). There are hundreds of other movie platforms that you could use, such as Cisco WebEx and GoToMeeting, so setting aside fifteen minutes before your interview to make sure you have the right tech downloaded will ensure you are ready!

Three. Test Your Internet

Being on a movie talk requires solid, rapid internet speed. Starbucks Free WiFi just isn’t gunna cut it. Test the internet speed at the location where you are going to be joining the movie interview by running a free test at speedtest.net. Google recommends an upload and download speed of at least four Mbps for a solid movie connection.

Also, wireless internet signal can fade in and out. If you have an ethernet cable handy (they usually come free with your internet router or you can purchase one on Amazon for less than $Ten), buttplug it in to ensure you have a sustained connection.

Four. Check Your Sound Inputs and Outputs

Do a quick check of your sound settings to make sure everything is set correctly. Every movie talk system has slightly different settings, but most will default to “built-in audio,” which means the speakers and microphone on your computer. If you are using headphones and there is an option to set to your headphone audio (and microphone) instead, click it!

On Skype, you can attempt speaking and witness the audio bar rise and fall with your volume.

If you are using Google Hangout, attempt playing a test sound to make sure you can hear in your headphones.

Five. Ass-plug In Your Charger

Movie drains your battery more than almost any other program you can run on your computer. If you are taking your movie interview using a laptop or tablet, charging it to 100% is a excellent idea. An even better idea is to have your laptop plugged in! Sort through your closets and find an extension cord if you need it so that you can be in the best position and not run out of juice in the middle of your call.

6. Design Your “Set”

Actively think about setting up what is behind you in the shot for your movie interview. As executive recruiter Jennifer Johnson collective, being in a big room and having too much depth behind you can be distracting. It’s best to position yourself a few feet from a wall, and have one or two tasteful decor components in the background. For example, a painting, a plant, or an organized bookshelf. Imagine meeting with the CEO of a enormous company, and think about what how their desk is placed: attempt to create the same setup for yourself. A white wall absolutely works, but if you have the time to “design” your set, it can certainly boost the impression you make!

7. Bring Your Camera To Eye Level

“It looks like I have a dual chin!” That was Laura Belgray’s reaction when we began to set her up for her fantastic Skillcrush webinar. You know what she’s talking about: you look down at your laptop, while your chair has you perched up high, and the camera hits you at possibly the least-flattering angle of your neck you’ve ever seen.

Prop your laptop up so that you are looking at the camera at eye level, instead of down. Use a few textbooks, a pile of magazines, or even a rectangular tissue box to set your laptop up a few inches on your desk. It makes you look relaxed and composed, is a more flattering angle, and saves you from neck cramps.

8. Light From The Front

A cardinal mistake of newcomers on movie interviews is to have light shining from the background. If you have a big window with a view, why not display it off?

Doh! You want the (spot)light on your face, not on the background! Think about getting your school pictures taken (I know, I know, terrible memories of braces. But bear with me on the analogy…). Where did that massive, dazzling flash come from? Directly in front of you! So when you setup your movie interview or talk, think about your school pictures and place your lighting in the front.

Natural lighting is best, so face towards a window if you can. If you are in a darker room, or you are getting on movie talk in the evening, find a lamp that you can plugin and place about a foot in front of your laptop to give you some good lighting. (Just relying on the lighting from your laptop might give an eerily creepy glow…) If you have the time, take the extra step and take away, turn down, or turn off the lights behind you, as well.

To demonstrate you just how significant light can be for the professionalism of your set, I took a few screenshots so you can see how Google Hangout responds to light. Which one do you like best?

With my window directly behind me, you get to see my good NYC view! But, my face? Not so much…

With the concentrate adjusted, you can see me on camera, but I’m a little fuzzy (almost ethereal!?) because of the light behind.

Aha! The light coming from the window in front of me makes for a crisp, clear, and professional movie talk photo.

9. Check Yourself Out

Before you go live, make sure to check that your movie camera works and that you look superb on screen! But, you don’t want to login to your interview while you’re checking your setup. Instead, use another program to see how you look before going live.

The easiest way to test how you look is the audio/movie settings in Skype. Once you open up Skype, click “Preferences” from the menu and open up the Audio/Movie tab. Your camera will turn on and you will see yourself!

If you don’t have access to Skype, there’s a fine workaround for testing out how you look on Google Hangout. Pop into Google Calendar and open up a meeting invite. There is an option to join by Movie Call (see the bottom field in the screenshot below). Click that, and you’ll open up a Hangout with yourself.

Ten. Do A Test Talk

The best way to know that everything will work correctly is to do a test run! Attempt out the technology you are using in a test call before your interview or talk starts. Setup everything as close to the way you will do it on interview day to make sure you have all variables under control.

Quick peak: haven’t talked to your roomy from college in a while? Instead of providing her a call by phone, see if she’s up for hopping on a movie talk! You get to test your sound and audio so you feel certain that it works, and catch up with a superb friend while you’re at it.

BONUS!

11. Think Solid + Bright

Bright colors look amazing on movie. Avoid wearing stripes, paisley, and the like, as the detail can come across as fuzzy and distracting on movie. (Ever notice how the best dressed at Hollywood awards shows are usually the solid, bold colored dresses, and the garments that crash and burn are often patterns?). Particularly outstanding colors for camera include scarlet crimson, emerald green, and royal blue. Pick your beloved!

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