Tag Archives: Skype

The Illusion of Anonymity

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My junior year at Scripps I interviewed for the position of Admissions Intern. After a summer of working with the Office of Admission, I wanted to return my senior year to work with AAT leadership responsible for prospective student events, in addition to a number of special projects for the office.

I interviewed from abroad via Skype. I had commandeered my host-family’s kitchen, brushed my hair, put on lipstick and a nice button-up shirt. I went in confident. I felt good, and I knew my interviewers personally. I had worked with them all before.

I had prepared for the questions I knew were coming. Why was I applying for this position? What could I bring to the table? How would I balance the significant commitment of this job with my classes and thesis?

I answered the questions. I asked some of my own. We laughed and caught up a little bit. Everything was going as expected, until a question that caught me completely by surprise.

I was Skyping with an Admissions Officer and two of the AAT student staff whose shoes I would be trying to fill. I knew something was up towards the end of the interview, when one student turned to the other and said, “should we ask her?”

There was a pause.

I was on the edge of my seat.

Part of the job, the student explained, is keeping tabs on Scripps’ online presence, including college forums like College Confidential. “Are you [user_name] on College Confidential?”

College Confidential– a forum that allows students and parents to ask questions about specific colleges, majors, internships, study abroad and generally obsess over the admissions process.

I could feel my face go bright red. I laughed nervously and admitted that yes, that’s me.

There was laughter and quiet cheering on the other end of the Skype call. Someone said, “I knew it!”

I racked my brain to think of all the things I’d posted under that username recently. I certainly hadn’t posted any of it with my job interview in mind, but I had never tried to stay particularly anonymous. I was never shy about sharing details like my hometown, my major, my classes or on-campus jobs. It was all about helping prospies, and in my experience, the more specific detail the better. Although I never deliberately kept them separate, I never expected my online identity to be revealed as part of a job interview. The illusion of any sort of online anonymity had been shattered.

When the interviewer made the comment, “I feel like we should already be paying you!” I knew things were still ok. My online forum presence actually turned out to be a positive thing, in this instance. Answering questions online was something I had been doing to procrastinate homework and feel as if I’m helping people… and it helped me get the job where I could continue answering questions online for parents and prospective students.

I was lucky. What if I had lost my patience and cussed out a forum troll?  I’ve been tempted, I’ll admit, but this interview was a good reminder that online behavior, even under an “anonymous” user name can have very real consequences, good and bad.

Thoughts Before and After a Skype Interview

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Let’s go back a few months to the previous spring semester. I’m sweating profusely and chugging an extra large Red Bull while speed walking to my dorm. The short walk between the Field House and Clark Hall seems eternal; I repeatedly glance at my phone and count down the minutes. I should have left earlier. I shouldn’t have gone to work at all. I barrel through the bike shed and swipe my card four or five times before finally entering through the emergency exit (Oops!). On my way up the stairs I pass my roommate, who is watching hockey in the TV room, and feel a tremendous relief. She already got all her things and is out of the room. Brilliant. I throw my bag on my bed that is lofted way too high and start clearing the clutter off my desk. I button up a clean blue and white striped shirt, comb and pull my hair half up/half down, and prop my laptop onto my desk. It’s 10:17am and I dust a final layer of loose powder of my face while Skype loads.

… This is not ideally how you would prepare for a Skype interview (Now you know!). I suppose the interview must have gone well, as I managed to get the job and spend an invaluable time in New York this summer, but in hindsight, I know things could have gone a lot more smoothly. Here are some things I’m glad I did and other things I wish I had done differently (Be sure to take note of these “do’s and don’ts”!):

  • I’m glad I had the opportunity to do a Skype interview. Many employers consider the interview, both in person and via Skype, an integral part of the hiring process. Additionally, an increasing number of employers are utilizing Skype as a professional tool because it enables intimate conversation with prospective hires from all around the world and spares them the costly expense of travel. Download Skype here and familiarize yourself with the application.
  • I wish I had scheduled a better time to interview. My interviewer lived on the east coast, which meant she was also living in a completely different time zone. I had to be mindful that she was three hours ahead of me – although it was only 10:17am in California, it was already 1:17pm in New York – so I scheduled an early morning interview. However, I found out a little too late that a 10:30am interview would entail chaos for me. I had to leave work immediately after my shift was over, and eat and dress in less than an hour.
  • I’m glad I warned my roommate ahead of time that I would be conducting a Skype interview in our room that day. By communicating with my roommate early, I was able to secure a quiet space where I wouldn’t be interrupted and she was able to make plans to be somewhere else for half an hour (It would have been incredibly rude to exile her out of blue!). For peace of mind, I also silenced my phone and exited programs, such as Groupwise and Facebook, so that I wouldn’t be distracted by notifications during my interview.
  • I wish I had worn a solid colored blouse rather than one with stripes. Stripes or busy patterns tend to appear distorted on camera and thus distract from your face. Jennifer Johnson, founder of J. Johnson Executive Search, Inc., recommends a dark solid colored outfit with a pop of color somewhere. To make up for the distraction, I did my best to stimulate eye contact by looking directly at the camera rather than at the thumbnail of my interviewer. Sometimes things don’t always go the way we plan, but it’s important make the best of the situation!

Here are some helpful links to consult before your next Skype interview:

1. Learn How to Ace a Skype Interview – About.com Article 1

2. Video Interviewing With Skype – About.com Article 2

3. How to Ace a Job Interview on Skype – Time Video

What is your experience with job interviews, both in person and via Skype? If you have experience with both types, how are they similar and how are they different?

Interviews for a New Age

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A few months ago, one of my friends in DC was preparing for an interview. She thought of intelligent questions, prepared answers for generic interview questions, donned her best button-up, and sat down at her desk. It was nearly 9 o’clock at night. The company with which she was interviewing was in China. The interview, which at one point may have been either impossible or conducted through the phone, was taking place via Skype.

Soon after this interview took place, I read an article in TIME magazine that sparked my interest even more. It explains the rising trend of conducting interviews through Skype, a free program that runs on any computer and can connect people across the world. The article goes on to offer tips on how to succeed within this new situation. Some of them are obvious (clean up the space around you, silence any noise such as a pet or TV) while some are less so (sit tall enough that you don’t look like a “floating head”, avoid wearing white, do not have a bright light on behind you). One of the most key pieces of advice is to practice talking on Skype with friends, so they can let you know if you are doing anything strange or unprofessional.

Initially, I thought this seemed to be a perfect system for someone like me, who is applying for Washington, DC internships from across the country. So far, phone interviews have sufficed, but I can’t help but wonder how much of the interview is lost without facial expressions and body language. The next time I schedule a long-distance interview, you can bet that I will suggest Skype. It will not only boost my interview (hopefully!), but the fact that I am bold enough to suggest it might prove to a potential employer that I am technologically up-to-date, willing to take risks, and prepared to go one step further than is asked of me – all qualities that most employers look for in intern candidates.