Joining Breakout Room 2: Interviewing Amid The Pandemic
AUSTIN WAHLE – Interviews have always prompted sweaty palms and nervous jitters among applicants. The age of COVID-19 has brought us virtual interviews, which has led applicants to worry about a host of new problems. A prior interview stressor could have been whether your handshake would be firm enough, but virtual interviews have brought new worries to light, such as, “Will my internet connection remain stable?” or “Will they be able to tell that I’m wearing fuzzy socks?”. As a student applying to medical schools amid the pandemic, I have felt my fair share of these new stressful dilemmas. Although I by no means am an expert on the virtual interviewing process, I do have some pieces of advice that I have found to be helpful throughout the interview season.
- Dress as you would for a normal interview. Although odds are the interviewers will not be seeing your bottom half, you will feel more confident when you are dressed for the part, and your confidence could likely come through in your presentation.
- Tell your roommates or family members that you are having an interview during the allotted time period, and then tell them again. Nothing can prompt horror quite like a roommate barging in to ask for advice when you are midway through explaining your greatest strengths and weaknesses.
- The day before the interview, stage a practice Zoom call. This practice provides an opportunity to test your internet connection, which may give you more confidence that you will not have any technical problems. Likewise, on the day of the interview, try to log on early, so that if a problem arises with the internet or with the Zoom link, you can address it and fix it without cutting into your interview time. The interview days begin promptly as scheduled, and you want to make sure you are logged in for the welcome.
- Between interviews or presentations, you will likely be put in a Zoom chat room with all of the other applicants who are interviewing. Don’t be afraid to talk to them! Everyone is stressed, and conversations with other people who are in the exact same shoes as you could help to alleviate some fear before heading in to an interview.
- Treat this interview the same as you would an in person interview! Prepare questions and stay alert throughout the entire day, even during long presentations. When someone is sharing a screen, you feel less visible than you would if someone was giving an in-person presentation, but people can still tell if you appear to be disengaged.
- When you are leaving an interview breakout room on Zoom, be sure to click “Leave Breakout Room” and not “Leave Meeting.”If this does happen to you, don’t panic. You will likely be able to access the meeting through the same link and if not, you will probably be provided with contact information for someone who can fix the problem.
Overall, online interviews have added many uncertainties to an already stressful time. Just remember, everyone is in the exact same shoes and there is no reason that your personality and application cannot shine through in this format just as much as it would in an in-person interview.
Copy Editor: Aditi Madhusudan
Photography Source: Shweta Mistry, https://hickoryhillsil.org/2020/05/may-20-2020-pension-board-meeting/zoom-meeting/