How to succeed in your online interview: TIC Recruitment’s top tips

Published on 7th March, 2022 by Wendy Hartrey. Published in For Candidates / TIC News

Congratulations, you’ve secured an interview for your dream international teaching job! Now what? Online interviews are just as important as face to face, so it’s important you make a great first impression and let your personality shine through. Here at TIC Recruitment, our expert team are on hand to help you through every step of the process. Below we have shared our top tips, to ensure you impress in your interview.

1) Get ready and look the part

A positive first impression is even more powerful over video. Therefore, it will make a difference if you are dressed in interview attire.

Make sure your clothing is neat, tidy and appropriate – always dress smart. Treat this as you would any other interview.

2) Think, what will the interviewer see and hear?

Make sure the room you choose is quiet and you are well away from distractions. Let other people in the household know you that are being interviewed to avoid being disturbed.

Common distractions can be:

• Pets needing attention
• House phone or mobile ringing – always turn them off
• Children
• Doors slamming
• Music / noise in another room

Also, consider your camera set up. What can the interviewers see? Is the room too dark? Is the background distracting in any way? A plain, subtle background is best to ensure the focus is on you.

3) Test the equipment

As we all know, technology can be unreliable at times, so always be prepared. Do a test call with a friend or colleague prior to the interview. Test the sound, the camera – ensure that all you need to worry about is answering the questions and making a good impression.

Get to know the platform the school has chosen – Teams, Zoom, Google meets, etc, all have different ways of working. Ensure you know your way around, log in details and have the invite link to hand, all with plenty of time before the interview is due to start.

4) Look at your camera, not the screen

An online interview can feel unnatural at first, and it’s very tempting to watch yourself or your interviewer during the call.

However, you should try and focus your attention on the camera – from the interviewer’s side you will be maintaining eye contact, and this is imperative. It will also make you look more confident!

5) Be on time

Be on time for the interview.

On time means five to ten minutes early just in case (given time differences) the school recruiter calls early. Prompt is always a good first impression.
Make sure you have got the correct time for your interview, this website can be really useful to check this: https://www.timeanddate.com/

6) Prepare

Prepare a response for a range of important questions. Check out our blog on what questions to expect here.

Do your homework! “What do you know about our school?” Is perhaps the most important question. If you can try to relate what you know about the school when answering any question, this will impress the interviewer. Spend some time on the school’s website, try to understand what their values are and their approach to teaching and learning. When discussing your career accomplishments, match them to what the school is looking for.

Make sure you know the interviewer’s name and use it during the job interview. This will show you care and have taken the time to do your research. If you’re not sure of the name, call and ask us prior to the interview.

7) Be concise

Keep our answers concise and to the point. Waffling should be avoided, talking too much in an interview is a trap many fall into. The best way to prevent this is to practice your answers and maybe try them out on a friend first.

8) Stay calm

During the interview, try to relax and stay as calm as possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention – you will be embarrassed if you forget the question.

9) Ask questions!

Asking questions yourself shows that you are enthusiastic about the position. The types of questions you may ask are:

• What kind of professional development will the school be able to offer me?
• How else can I contribute to the school?
• What are your resources?
• What do you think are the greatest challenges for teachers in your school?
• What will the accommodation be like? How far away from the school is it?

10) And finally, follow up!

Always follow up with a thank you email reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a thank you note. Just ask us for contact details or we can send the email on your behalf.

Good luck!

Would you like to teach overseas? Register with us today, It’s quick and easy and gives you access to many international school jobs in reputable, accredited international schools, some that are not advertised anywhere else.

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Wendy Hartrey