Career Conversations

Virtual Interviews: New Standard in Recruiting

By Tiffany White, Career Advisor, Stuart Career Management Center

Campus recruiting has tremendously evolved over the years. Virtual interviews are becoming more popular and commonplace for employers, especially now during the pandemic. You may have heard the term virtual interview, but what does that term actually mean for a student interested in landing a summer internship or full-time role?

Once you have been selected to interview with an employer, the next step of the process is to have an in-person or virtual interview with representatives (i.e., campus recruiter, hiring manager, and members of the team) of the company. Now, let's get more specific about the virtual process.

Types of Virtual Interviews

Virtual interviews are generally conducted by either telephone, live video, or pre-recorded video.

Live video interviews are two-way scheduled interviews between the candidate and interviewer(s).
Pre-recorded video interviews are a different take on video interviews. Candidates normally receive a link to the video which has pre-loaded interview questions and are given a certain amount of time and tries to answer each question. Pre-recorded video interviews are not scheduled and the candidate can complete the interview at the time that works best based on their schedule. Your answers are recorded and the recruiting team and in some cases the hiring team will review your interview. Candidates are given a deadline to complete the interview.

For the companies that conduct virtual interviews, the norm has primarily been virtual first round interviews and in-person interviews for the second round/final round interviews.

The benefits of virtual interviews for students is that you can interview with more companies and you do not have to travel to the company, so there can be minimal disruption to your schedule, which employers know it is important during the busy periods, such as when the semester starts, mid-term exams, and final exams.

Tips to Prepare for Your Interview

Preparation for virtual interviews is just as important as preparation for in-person interviews.

You should research the company, have a basic understanding of the internship or full-time role, and you should be able to effectively speak about your interest and experience.
You should exhibit energy and show your personality. Mock interviews are great practice!
You should find a nice quiet well-lit place to participate in the interview, the background should be neutral, and there should be no background noise.
You should dress professionally for the virtual interview, so it is important to select your outfit prior to the day of the interview.

Sign Up for a Mock Virtual Interview

We want you to be fully prepared for the recruitment process. I would be happy to meet with virtually with any Stuart student for a mock interview and you can sign up here.

While working at JPMorgan Chase Bank, I was the Campus Recruiter for Asset and Wealth Management and Commercial Banking, Head of Diversity Recruiting for Commercial Banking, and Head of Campus Recruiting for Commercial Banking and Consumer and Community Banking and have interviewed undergraduate and graduate students across the country via in-person interviews and virtual interviews on a consistent basis. We want you to be successful in landing an internship or full-time role.

More Resources

Here are 2 articles to help with your preparation:

Posted April 10, 2020

Career Conversations is presented by the Stuart School of Business Career Management Center.