Excerpts below adapted from Zippia.com
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" HOW TO NAIL YOUR REMOTE INTERVIEW?

Coronavirus is sparking a wave of remote hiring. Remote interviewing is a different dynamic than in-person interviewing and thus requires unique preparation. Here are a few ways to help you nail your remote interview.
Create A Distraction-free environment:
You want to conduct your interview in a quiet room where you can focus.

• Distractions: Eliminate external noises like radios or television. Also, make sure that your phone is set to silent if you are conducting a video interview and that you turn all of your notifications off. 
• Children: If you have children, make sure that someone is looking after them. If they are old enough, explain to them that they have to be quiet and cannot bother you unless it is an emergency for the duration of the interview. 
• Pets: If you have a pet, try to keep them distracted during your interview. An excellent way to do this is to give them a treat before your meeting starts. For dogs, try to eliminate their barking.

Interview Backdrop:
For video interviews, creating a professional backdrop is very important.

• Clean: Make sure that the room you are in is clean. There should be no stacks of loose paper, dirty dishes, laundry, garbage on the floor, or unmade beds in the background. You should also eliminate clutter in the room.
• Decorations: The decorations in the room should be appropriate. For example, make sure your wall art does not have any curses in it and that the images are fitting for an interview. 
• Lighting: The room you choose to conduct your interview in should be well lit so that the interviewer does not have trouble seeing you. If your interview is by a window, make sure that you are not backlit or that the light is too bright, creating a glare.

Test Your Tech: 
Make sure that everything is working ahead of time.

• Camera: Test the camera that you are going to use ahead of time. You do not want to discover at the beginning of your interview that it is broken.
• Microphone: Make sure your audio works and that the sound quality is good. The interviewer may get frustrated if it is hard to hear you.
• Internet and Service: For video interviews, double-check to see if you have reliable internet. For phone interviews, make sure that there is adequate service in the room where you are going to have your interview.
• Video Software: Test the software you are using ahead of time. Many recruiters use Skype or Zoom, which allows you to test the platform, camera, and microphone ahead of time. 

Interview Attire:
Dressing to impress is not just important for in-person interviews. Even if it is a phone interview, dressing a certain way can give you confidence and put you in the right headspace.

• Top: For video interviews, your interviewer is most likely only going to see your torso. Make sure that you are wearing a professional shirt that is wrinkle and stain free.
• Best Colors To Wear: Look through these six common colors that individuals wear to interviews and what they convey.
• Patterns: Avoid busy patterns for video interviews. They can be distracting, especially on camera. 

Interview Checklist:
There are a lot of things that can go wrong during your interview. Identifying and taking care of them before time will take some of the stress away from the process.

• Battery: Your computer, tablet, or phone should be fully charged. Have a charger at hand and conduct your interview while connected to a power source, if possible. 
• Be Early: Be five to ten minutes early. Make sure you have some time to breathe, relax, and make yourself comfortable before the interview starts. Double-check to see if things are working one last time before you start.
• Eliminate Distractions: Silence your phone and turn all of your notifications off. Make sure that your pets and kids are occupied and will stay quiet throughout your interview.
• Have Software Ready: Load the video platform that the interview is being conducted on ahead of time. 
• Outfit: Plan your outfit ahead of time.

Video Interview Tips:
Here are a few helpful tips for video interviews.

• Eye Contact: Making eye contact does not necessarily mean that you have to look directly into the camera. Make sure that your eyes are focused on one thing. If you are looking at different parts of your screen, the interviewer will notice and might think you are uninterested or distracted. If you are choosing to focus on the interviewer, make sure that their image is close to the webcam. So if your webcam is in the middle center of your screen, do not have the interviewer in the bottom left corner.
• Handwritten notes: Taking handwritten notes may seem a little strange since you are on your computer where taking notes is easier. However, your interviewer can hear you typing, which can be distracting. They also may think that you are doing something other than taking notes. 
• Interview Cheat Sheet: Interviewing on your computer gives you an automatic advantage. You get to have notes handy in case you need to reference them. However, you do not want to be scrolling through endless pages and have your eyes looking at different things. Instead, have a few key points in a document as a backup. 
• Webcam Placement: Make sure your computer is in a good position. Some computers have a built-in webcam on top of the screen and others on the bottom. If your camera is on the bottom, make sure that it is not angled strangely. External webcams often work best if you place them on the top of your screen in the very center.

What If Something Goes Wrong:
No matter how much you prepare, you cannot control everything that will happen. What if the internet cuts out, the power goes out, or your kid comes rushing in with an emergency?

• Stay Calm: Do not panic. When you maintain your composure, you can think more clearly and act more rationally. 
• Look at it as an opportunity: Take advantage of the situation and use it to show the employer how you act under pressure and deal with problems when they arise. 
• Have a backup: Have backup plans in case your internet cuts out, or the power goes out. For example, you can use cellular data to email the interviewer if these things happen. 
• Apologize: Say you are sorry once and then move on. Your interviewer can sense if you are panicked or calm, and if you apologize profusely, again, and again, they might get annoyed. 

Tips For Landing the Internship or Job:
Congratulations! You were invited to be interviewed. However, now you have to convince the interviewer that you are the right candidate for the job. Here are several tips to help you stand out from the competition. For additional information read through our great guide on how to prepare for an interview.

• Accessibility: Make sure the employer knows that you are easy to reach. Highlight your communication skills. This starts with your first correspondence. It does not look good if it takes you several days to answer their email that invites you to be interviewed. Have notifications on so that you see emails right away. 
• Know about the company: Learn about the company’s mission statement. Knowing their aims and values will give you a better understanding of the company. During the interview, you can talk about how your interests and passions align with their mission and how you want to and will help them achieve their goals.
• Review the job posting: Most job postings have a section that outlines what skills, qualities, and experience you need for the open position. Go through the highlighted attributes and make a list of them. You can categorize them into three sections: qualifications, responsibilities, and personal traits. These are things you should try to incorporate into your interview.
• Self-Motivated: This is an important attribute to highlight. When you are working by yourself, you are your own supervisor. Give concrete examples of what you have accomplished on your own. 

Questions Your Interviewer May Ask Specific to Working at Home
Your interviewer is going to ask you several questions to determine if you are the right candidate for the job. Here are five specific questions targeted to work from home positions.

• Have you worked at home previously?
  If you have great, this gives you an advantage. You can show that you are experienced and versed in dealing with the challenges of remote work. Talk about how you communicated effectively, especially with coworkers in different time zones. If you have not worked remotely, explain the attributes you have that would make you a good remote worker like being good with communication, organization, time management, self-motivation, and technology.
• Do you have a home office? Where will you be working?
  Do not answer this question by saying that you do not have one. Instead, say that you have a designated space at home where you can work productively. 
• Are you a good communicator? Give examples.
  Give concrete examples of times where you excelled at communicating with others while working remotely. If you have never worked remotely, give examples of times that you communicated with others in your office or with remote clients.
• What do you think your biggest challenge will be as a remote worker? How will you address it?
  Do not say that you will not have any challenges. Be honest. You can talk about staying focused, avoiding distractions, and staying motivated throughout the day. Once you address these obstacles, explain how you can overcome them. 
• How do you stay motivated?
  Explain the tools and strategies you use to stay focussed and get your work done. Maybe you make a handwritten list at the beginning of each day and cross off things as you go through them. Perhaps you installed software that blocks distracting applications and websites like Instagram and Facebook.

Questions to Ask Your Interviewer: 
At the end of most interviews, your interviewer will ask if you have any questions for them. Having questions ready to ask shows that you have done your research and are interested in the position. Here are a few questions that you can ask.

• Are employees in different time zones. If so, what does communication look like? How do you deal with the time differences?
• Do you use a specific platform to communicate? Do you have virtual meetings? If so, how often?
• Who would I report to? What does the communication between that person and me look like? How often will I get feedback? 
• Are work hours strict or flexible?
• What does a successful remote worker look like at your company? How do you measure the success of your remote employees?"

Excerpts above adapted from Zippier.com - to learn more visit www.zippia.com.