Virtual Resources

Phone interviews are typically anywhere from 15 - 60 minutes and can often be the "first round" of an interview process. They may be with human resources/talent acquisition team members, your individual hiring manager, or both. In advance of your phone interview, make sure you have done the following:

• Have a quiet location prepared. 
• Have a pen and paper ready for note taking; unless you're planning to mute your call often the person on the other end of the line will be able to hear typing on a computer or tablet.
• Charge your phone or have a backup battery easily accessible to you! 

If you’re on the phone, it’s okay to refer to notes, but try not to read off prepared answers. Take note of responses to questions you might be asked and have them available. Expect to be asked:

• Tell me about yourself. Remember that this question is getting at connection; tell me about yourself as it pertains to your background, skills, and qualifications for the role...
• Why are you interested in the position? 
• General behavioral questions – about teamwork, key experiences, your strengths and skills related to the position.

You should still have questions for the employer, whether it is a phone screen or a full interview. Take brief notes on topics that give you an opportunity to reiterate your skills, so that you can highlight in your Thank You email (send within 24 hours!) 

• Send a Thank You to everyone on the call. You can ask the HR representative for the email addresses and contact information of each person on the call if they do not provide that proactively.

Take care of mechanics and logistics, here, too!

• Update your Skype username if it is not professional, or consider using the Microsoft Teams account associated with your Marquette/Checkmarq login (hint: you can send Teams invitations straight from Outlook!). 

• Have a quiet location prepared that will be free of distractions (including the space behind you) and interruptions. 
• Make sure your technology is charged and, if you can, practice using the video system with a friend so you know your audio and video features will work well. This will also help you see your “eye contact” and face/hand expressions 
• Have your phone handy if you need to call-in to meeting or your battery does shut down mid-call.

• Prepare for the interview like you would for an in-person one: do your research and prepare your questions. A video interview is often used in place of an in-person video; take it seriously.
• Stay focused on the question and when appropriate, use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Response) method!
• Vault career advice resource has a helpful collection of tips and videos to help you prepare for all sorts of interview formats, including those mentioned above.  Marquette University has a subscription to this resource, which you can access through Handshake.

Presentation:  

• Ensure that you are dressed as though you may need to stand up! Just like in-person interviews, you should err on the side of conservative dress. A suit is nearly always appropriate. 
  • One employer shared the story of a student interviewing virtually who wore athletic shorts with his suit coat and button down shirt, not knowing it would be visible on-screen. Makes sure you always do a “camera check!” 

• Do your best to sit up straight, be mindful of potentially distracting body language like hand movements, and relax. Do not swivel in your chair or interact with your pets, as these actions can be distracting 
• Look at the camera as if you’re making eye contact. 

• Show enthusiasm and be yourself as you would in person. Make small talk, connect with the employer just as you would during an in-person interview 
• Log-in early to troubleshoot any technical difficulties 

• As always: send your Thank You email within 24 hours to everyone on the call. 

   

  One-way Interviews (Hirevue, Sparkhire, etc)

  • Follow the above guidelines, and PRACTICE extra for a one-way interview.  You will be timed and the software WILL cut you off at some point (typically 90 seconds but it depends on the software being deployed), so have responses in mind and practice saying them at a reasonable pace. 
  • While you may have 1-5 re-do's for each question, practicing beforehand can help your chances of getting the answer you want to record.  
  • Brainstorm specific examples for why you’re the best fit candidate when it comes to your skills and experiences.  Offer as much support for this as possible, as this video could likely be showed to multiple reviewers. 
  • Use this worksheet for help with organizing your examples and pairing them with a skill to reinforce why you are the right candidate for the position. 
  • Video: HireVue tips and mistakes to avoid (Source: Primal Career)

In addition to Handshake, LinkedIn, and common aggregate search sites such as Indeed and MilwaukeeJobs, are several external options that can support a search for remote/virtual work:

Website	Link	Description	Majors of interest	Cost
Upwork	https://www.upwork.com/	Upwork provides Freelance, short-term and some long-term work options for remote work.	All	Free for job seekers to search for and apply to jobs
Fiverr	https://www.fiverr.com/	Fiverr specializes in Short-term projects. “Sellers” promote their skills, options for work and services they provide. “Buyers” are businesses that buy services they need to get done.	Marketing, Finance, Business Analytics, Information systems	Free for job seekers (“sellers”)
Flexjobs	https://www.flexjobs.com/	Flexjobs focuses on long-term remote jobs. They also provide news, blogs and advice columns about working remotely. This site is updated frequently.	Accounting, finance, Human Resources, Marketing, information systems, business analytics, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Economics, International Business	Free to search jobs but a membership is needed to get full descriptions and information about postings.
Remotive	https://remotive.io/	Remotive is a Job board that focuses on long term, remote job opportunities.	Information Systems, Business Analytics, Human Resources, Marketing	Free job searches and applications. Cost to join community and network with employers, recruiters, and other members
Remote.co	https://remote.co/	Remote.co is a job search platform as well as a source for virtual, remote and, freelance news and advice. They provide many articles regarding switching to remote work and best practices.	Accounting, Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Systems	Free for job seekers
Outsourcely	https://www.outsourcely.com/remote-workers	Outsourcely provides long term remote work opportunities around the world for a variety of companies. They are advertising it as a great way to get involved with a start-up.	Information Systems, Accounting, Human Resources, Marketing, Finance, Accounting	Free for job seekers
We Work Remotely	https://weworkremotely.com/	We Work Remotely is a job search platform for 100% remote jobs only. Interested talent can sign up for job alerts sent to email for positions within specific industries, and categories. Postings include links to external applications and company LinkedIn pages.	Operations and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Business Analytics, Finance, Accounting, International Business	Free for job seekers

 

There are a variety of free and fee-based resources available to you to help hone your skill-sets, with or without a summer internship. The following are free:

• PwC's Digital Fitness app to work towards building your Digital IQ.
• Harvard Online Learning
• KhanAcademy
• MIT OpenCourseWare
• LinkedIn Learning (free trial, many courses are then at cost)
• The Commons Skills Accelerator Program
• Graduating in the Age of COVID-19, a Student Guide: This guide addresses topics ranging from organizing your search, to “who’s hiring” resources, virtual career fair listings, free training resources and financial planning. Pages 9-11 are especially helpful.