Guide on How to Ace in Your Google Hangout Interview

There are many companies now that prefer to do interview over Google Hangout to avoid keep having to attend to people who call on them at the office for interview. It can be an intimidating experience for a person who don’t know how to use Google Hangout. You want to make sure you do everything right during the interview so that you can get the job.

Before the Interview

If you have an email asking you to do a Google Hangout interview, you should reply yes. The other concerns you have on your head such as poor internet connection or you don’t have Google account can all be fixed easily afterwards. If you say no, you will be risking a job offer.

Second, you must use a professional Hangout username that is related to the job you apply. You can change your username by going to http://aboutme.google.com and clicking on the pencil button. After that, you simply enter the first and last name to edit the username and then press the OK button. It will also be better if you can update your profile with a current photo of yourself. Ideally, it is a photo that show your face. You can also complete the profile on your Google account with 3 – 5 sentences that talk about your interest and job specialization.

The first impression that you give the interviewer is important so make sure you don’t dress casually when in front of the camera. Instead, you should wear the type of clothes you would wear when you go to an in-person interview. For example, if you are applying for office job, you should wear office clothes and tie a necktie to look polite.

If you have some time until the interview, you can record yourself practicing with responding to the questions you think the interviewer will ask on the webcam. After that, you can play back and assess the overall performance, for example body language, eye contact with the camera, are the responses too long, and are you talking confidently.

You can use a screen recorder like Movavi Screen Recorder to record yourself practicing. Google Hangout has a record feature that will directly upload the video to YouTube. To record Google Hangout, click start a hangout and check the enable hangouts on air box. After that, agree to the TOS and click continue to start recording. Once the video is upload to YouTube, launch the screen recorder and draw the record frame over the YouTube video player showing your interview practice video. When it finish recording, press the stop button a save the video.

Your background is also important. You must clean up the area directly behind where you sit in front of the webcam. There must be enough light so that the interviewer can see you clearly in the webcam. Ideally, the place should also be quiet with minimal sound. You should avoid sitting for the Hangout interview in a messy room or a noisy place like cafes or fast food restaurant. It is always best to wear a headset during the interview as it can reduce the distracting background noises.