How to Handle Distractions in Video Interviews As a Candidate

So you just had a video interview and you think you won’t get the job because during the interview:

-Your cat jumped on your desk right in front of the camera
-Your kids are fighting in another room
-Someone outside the window is cutting the grass
or any other distraction that you can’t control came into play.

Maybe you did blow the interview, or maybe you just became the leading candidate.
It is all about how you handled the situation and the rest of the interview.
Recruiters and hiring mangers do hate a lot of things that could happen in video interviews,

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however the good recruiters and hiring managers will understand that unfortunate things can happen when you are being interviewed from your home, especially when you are forced to be there by government order. 

If you nailed the rest of the interview, but a distraction happened:
1. Try not to make a big deal about it, however
2. Don’t act like it DIDN’T HAPPEN! Maybe make a joke of it or maybe a simple statement such as “I’m sorry about that. As I was saying…” or just smile and move on.
3. Keep your cool!

A good interviewer will use the distraction to find out more about you or your experience.
If you are doing okay in the interview but seem a little uptight, a distraction like your cat can be a potentially embarrassing thing, however it can also be the item that makes you relax a little more (or the interviewer for that matter) and seem more confident or personable. Interviewing is a formal process that makes everyone uptight and can block some of your true personality or experience.

 A distraction can also be a way of establishing rapport between you and the interviewer. If your cat causes the distraction, acknowledge it and ask the interviewer if they have any pets, or better yet if their pets did anything to embarrass them at any time. By asking the question you get time to recover while the interviewer has to answer. Sometimes they may have a long answer that makes your distraction seem really not a big deal. Their answer can also serve as a reminder to them to not hold that distraction against you because they have had similar situations.

A distraction can also be the answer to the hardest interview question of them all…
“tell me about yourself.” While that question is not meant for you to talk about pets, kids, yard work, etc., it can give the interviewer the opportunity to ASK YOU about your pets, kids, yard work, etc. and isn’t that what we would really like to talk about instead anyway?

The bottom line is in a video interview be yourself. Goofy things can and will happen, but good interviewers and companies won’t hold it against you...if you nailed the rest of the interview.

Thank you for passing this along.
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy