Job interviews are nerve-wracking enough without adding technology into the mix. Video interviews strip away the handshake, the walk to the conference room, and the subtle cues that help us read a situation. Instead, you're performing for a small rectangle while staring at your own face.

But here's the thing—video interviews aren't going away. And the skills that make you effective on screen are learnable. The goal isn't to become someone else or put on a performance. It's to remove the technical barriers that prevent the real you from coming through clearly.

Before you say a word, your environment speaks for you. A dark, grainy image with echo-y audio signals that you didn't prepare—or worse, that you don't understand professional norms. This isn't about having expensive equipment. It's about showing you take the opportunity seriously.

Lighting is your biggest lever. Face a window if possible, or position a lamp behind your computer screen. The light should illuminate your face evenly, not cast shadows or create a silhouette. Test this at the same time of day as your interview—afternoon sun behaves differently than morning light.

For audio, use earbuds or headphones with a built-in microphone. Laptop mics pick up room echo and keyboard sounds. Your background should be neutral and uncluttered—a blank wall, a tidy bookshelf, or a simple room. Avoid virtual backgrounds unless your internet connection is rock-solid, because glitchy edges around your head are more distracting than a slightly messy apartment.

Takeaway

Professional presence on video isn't about perfection—it's about removing distractions so people can focus on what you're actually saying.

Here's the counterintuitive challenge of video interviews: looking at the person on screen breaks eye contact. When you watch their face, you appear to be looking down or away. To create the feeling of genuine connection, you need to look at the camera lens itself.

This feels deeply unnatural at first. You're trained to look at eyes, not a small dot above your screen. Practice helps enormously. Have a few video calls with friends where you consciously practice camera-gazing. Put a sticky note with a smiley face next to your lens as a reminder.

You don't need to stare unblinkingly at the camera—that's creepy. Glance at the screen periodically to read reactions, but return to the lens when you're making important points or when the interviewer is asking questions. Position your video call window as close to your camera as possible, so when you do glance at their face, you're not looking dramatically away from the lens.

Takeaway

Eye contact through a screen is an illusion you create intentionally—look at the camera when you want them to feel you're looking at them.

In person, your presence fills a room. Your posture, your gestures, your micro-expressions all contribute to how engaged you seem. Video compresses all of that into a small box, and the medium itself absorbs energy. What feels like normal enthusiasm in real life can read as flat or disinterested on screen.

You need to dial up your expressiveness by about 20%. This doesn't mean being fake or manic—it means consciously leaning into your natural warmth and interest. Smile more deliberately. Nod to show you're listening. Let your voice carry a bit more animation than feels strictly necessary.

Sit slightly forward rather than leaning back. Use hand gestures, but keep them in frame—wild movements that disappear off-screen are distracting. And remember to pause. Latency in video calls means you'll accidentally interrupt if you jump in immediately. A beat of silence before responding also signals that you're thinking carefully, not just waiting to talk.

Takeaway

The screen absorbs your energy, so you have to give more than feels natural to come across as genuinely engaged.

Video interviews reward preparation in ways that in-person meetings often don't. You can control your environment completely, practice your setup endlessly, and even keep notes just off-camera. Use these advantages.

The goal is simple: remove every barrier between you and the person evaluating you. When the technology becomes invisible, your authentic self can finally show up clearly. And that's what gets you hired.