Especially in a tight hiring market, landing a job interview is a reason to celebrate. However, because of the state of the creative market, it can also be a source of anxiety and pressure. As a designer crafting visual stories, a copywriter weaving words into magic, or a digital pro strategizing future trends, you already know that your portfolio might get you in the door, but the interview is how you really show your worth.
So, whether you’ve been out of the interview game for a while or are about to enter the workforce for the first time, you know you’ll have to plan differently for virtual and in-person interviews. Let's break down key differences in where you’ll need to focus for both!
Virtual Interviews
If you’ve landed a remote interview, congratulations! You may have less anxiety, thanks to not having to travel, get as dressed up, or risk being late to the interview. Yet, there are other factors you’ll need to be aware of while preparing for virtual interviews. Let’s go through that list so you can put your best foot forward:
- Test All Your Tech - Make sure all of your technology works and is charged. And not just your laptop. We seriously recommend grabbing yourself some noise-cancelling headphones. The last thing you want is to have your interview interrupted by an errant siren driving by or a delivery driver at the front door. Most importantly, triple-check your internet connection. If you have a spotty internet connection for whatever reason, consider renting a workspace for a day. But NEVER take an interview from a coffee shop.
- Present Yourself and Your Space Well - Dress professionally while staying true to your own style. We recommend dressing exactly how you would if you were going in person. Wearing appropriate bottoms and shoes will help you get in the right mindset. Then, choose a background that is clutter-free and not distracting. This might mean just adding a slight blur to your background or it could mean moving things around in your house.
- Clear Away Distractions - Turn off notifications, put your phone in another room, and inform everyone in your house that you’re on an interview.
- Have a Clean Presentation Ready to Go - Bonus points if you have a tailored presentation of your portfolio that fits the company’s goals and shows how you’d make the best addition. We recommend having anything you want to showcase from your portfolio open in another tab so that you can easily screen share and dive right in.
- Practice Interviewing - Whether you plan on walking through a website case study or want to use AI to practice interviewing, practice your presentation and answers beforehand. Stick to positive answers and remember to keep your body language attentive and natural.
- Use Your Time Wisely - During the interview, speak concisely, get directly to the point, and be sure to get some of your own questions in before your interview time is up.
- Follow up - After every virtual interview, follow up the next day with a thank-you. You can also ask a poignant question related to your interview, thereby continuing the conversation and staying top-of-mind. So few interviewees follow up, it's your opportunity to showcase how easy you are to work with. You'd be surprised by how much this means to interviewers.
In-Person Interviews
With more and more job opportunities returning to hybrid or even full-time in-person work, your interview will be an indication of how you show up each day. For this reason, in-person interviews have different expectations. Here’s how to wow the hiring manager at your next in-person interview:
- Arrive Early and Dressed to Impress - Just like with virtual interviews, look your best by ironing and laying out your outfit the day before. Come early. The sweet spot for arrival? 15 minutes before the interview. Anything more than 30 minutes can make people uncomfortable. If you’re too early, grab a coffee or snack nearby and practice interview answers while you wait.
- Bring a Tablet or Laptop to Present your Work - Avoid any tech issues by creating a PDF of your presentation on your desktop so you’re ready to go without WiFi. Use your work to answer interview questions.
- Have Printed Copies of Your Resume or CV - People are busy and you’ll be leading with empathy by having copies of your resume (on nice paper!), ready to give to them. Don't have a printer at home? A UPS, FedEx, or even public libraries is a good options for printing.
- Utilize Storytelling in Your Answers - Stories of your work habits and experiences will help you connect on a deeper level and make you more memorable.
- Mirror Body Language and Stay Positive - Make eye contact and present a confident posture. Refrain from answering anything with negative stories from your past—instead, focus on positive experiences in your answers.
- Follow Up - Make your follow-ups tailored to each interviewer and the conversation you’ve had. Add any answers to unanswered questions or point to common ground, thereby making yourself memorable as an engaged and interested interviewee.
All in all, both situations require you to be at the top of your game, both in the way you present yourself and how you communicate. It’s important to do your research on the company ahead of time and give yourself enough time to thoroughly prepare. Often, though, if you’re working with a recruiter, you don’t have to prepare all by yourself. A recruiter can help guide you, showing you how to prepare depending on the client. Want to work with us? We thought you’d never ask…