Northwestern University Alumni

Transcript:

HELEN KIM: Welcome to another episode of Career Tip on Northwestern Intersections, where alumni who are industry experts in their field share their two cents with us on how to build up our careers during the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm your host, Helen Kim, from the Northwestern Alumni Association. And joining us today is Corinne Vargas. She is going to share her tips on how to ace our next virtual interview. 

So a little bit about Corinne. Corinne is the founder of CVC Consulting and Smart Choid, a startup that supports people of all ages and backgrounds throughout their path to betterment, development, and rebuilding. Corinne also presented a webinar for us back in late 2020 on dynamic interviewing, obtaining the position you want. If you would like to view the recording, you can check out the link in our show notes at www.alumni.northwestern.edu/intersections. 

We are here to talk about how to ace our next virtual interview. And with most jobs that are in corporate, startup, nonprofit sector that are mostly desk jobs, we are now working at the remote world, and that also means that a lot of interviews are held virtually due to social distancing measures. But virtual interviews are not uncommon. They've always been there. We have Skype interviews. We have phone interviews. 

But I think what has thrown us the curveball, for a lot of us, is that our final round interviews are also virtual. And that's when you have to really win over your potential hiring managers. So talk to us about how we can ace our interviews in the virtual world that we're living in right now. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Yeah. No, I'd love to share everything I know, and you're spot-on when you talk about the virtual components in terms of how the interview process has evolved during our current situation. About 86% of our interviews at this point in time are happening virtually, and this is not including those initial rounds, which tend to happen via the phone. So there's a lot of non-interpersonal interviewing going on. 

And really, what I think is the most important aspect is retaining that level of authenticity, so that you, as an interviewee, are not sitting there with a whoa moment, or too much awkward pausing, or awkwardness in general, which we can jump into some of those stories as you and I continue. 

HELEN KIM: Yeah. And then when you talk about authenticity, I think a lot of people have trouble with bringing that forward to their interviews because you're really looking at a screen and you can't really see the other person's body language, per se, or you can't really get the vibe from the other person, other side of the screen. How do we bring that out on a screen? 

CORINNE VARGAS: Absolutely. So I actually thought a little bit about this topic as we were running up to our conversation today. And me being a very visual learner, I wanted to create something for this podcast that would be a little bit different for our listeners. So I came up with an idea called avoiding awkward, meaning avoiding awkward, stressful situations during these virtual interviews. 

And really, it's as simple as ABCD. So our ABCDs. The first part, I would say, is avoiding all of those technical issues, which we all know a lot about, but I'd like to jump into in a second with you. But aside from that, the background behind us is very, very telling for interviewers for so many reasons, and that background is not just that virtual component, but that background noise where, for example, in my case, my new puppy that might be a little bit unpredictable. 

The C component from my perspective is Curating, meaning how are we curating your verbal, as well as written voice, in terms of who you are? And that includes your resume, as well as those verbal interview aspects, meaning on the phone, as well as with the camera. And then finally, discovery. And this discovery piece really has to do with your interviewer, figuring out, one, what that company culture is all about, and then, two, connecting with that interviewer. So 

There's the ABCDs-- avoiding awkwardness, making sure your background is great, curating who you are, and then discovering as much as you can about that person that's interviewing you, as well as that company. 

HELEN KIM: Let's go over each one of these acronyms, so let's start with A, Avoiding Awkwardness. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Yes, and I love this piece. I think we're all a little bit awkward when we walk into an interview in person, let alone our current circumstances. So you and I, Helen, fortunately or unfortunately, have a history with this when it came to the webinar. What I like to tell my clients, as well as when I'm speaking to some different groups that might be in the interviewing seat, is make sure that you're testing your tech, which did not happen so well with our first webinar. 

You and I did test our tech on a couple different opportunities, but unfortunately, that day, my computer decided to update. I got new headphones. For whatever reason, my computer decided it didn't want to connect to that interview. And then I am mindfully trying to make sure that my dog is sleeping before we jump on. So that was kind of a little bit of craziness, so do what you can in terms of tech. And I know that we all know that. 

But make sure, for example, that you are checking that your computer is updated that morning, that your new accessories are working, like my AirPods, and that your old accessories or programs are capable of handling whatever platform you're on. 

So in addition to that, I'd say have a backup that you know works. So for me, it would be headphones, which is always my biggest nemesis, as well as sometimes having a hotspot in case wherever I might be, the internet might go out. So just a little bit of an aspect that we all know about, but make sure that you're testing testing, testing-- testing your platform, testing your technology, and then testing that connectivity. 

HELEN KIM: Because even if you're test it the day before, on the day of the interview, it might all change, so it's always good to have backup, like you said. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Totally. And then circling that back, that would avoid that awkward situation that happened to me right at the beginning of the webinar, which you know what? I actually really enjoyed, in retrospect. It created a little bit of connectivity with the listeners that I wasn't able to talk to individually and show that human aspect. So things like that do happen. Don't stress too much. And as easy as that is to say, it definitely stressed me out before. 

But our goal here, again, is to do as much as we possibly can to avoid that awkward, stressful startup to our interview process, whatever stage that we might be in. 

HELEN KIM: Even if you do go through that mistake, or if your Wi-Fi connection is poor, you just got to own it on the spot. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Absolutely. Take responsibility for it, and that's all you can do in that moment. And beyond taking responsibility and a quick apology, don't think too much about it, so much about the fact that you're sitting there in that position. You're already qualified if you're sitting in that interview, so try to move on as quickly as possible in terms of your mindset, which isn't always easy. I understand. But those things do happen, and I think we've all experienced them. So try to keep that in mind, as well. But avoid, avoid, avoid awkward and stress, if you can. 

HELEN KIM: Yes. Now, let's go to the next one, the B, Background. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Yes, B for Background. As we go through this, this is a little cheesy, but like I said, I love my acronyms in terms of remembering things. So background-- this means a lot of things. We talked about the visual background, as well as the auditory background. So for this aspect, it might mean, for many of us, kids, significant others, and in my case, as I mentioned before, a puppy. 

So you want to try to find a neutral place in the house with really great acoustics, which isn't always possible. But make sure those doors are locked. Those kids are napping. If you can, schedule it during that period of time. And for me, that puppy has that really frustrating treat that keeps him out of my background and out of my attention area. 

Additionally, in terms of backgrounds, not only are we talking about those disruptions that can be auditory, as well as visual, that are a part of our lives, the actual technical component, meaning our camera. You want to make sure that you're setting it at eye level, if not a little bit above. No one wants to be looking up your nose, particularly when you're interviewing. This might seem common sense, but it's just a quick reminder. 

Another piece that I think about is windows. You don't want to be sitting in front of a window because it's going to gray out or black out who you are, as our computers tend to try to focus on that light component. And then if you're thinking about your background, try to keep it as simplistic as possible with a couple humanistic personal touches, but don't feel that it's necessary to have those aspects. 

When all else fails, go boring in the background. You just don't want to bring anything into the interview or introduce any aspect that, one, you don't want to be asked about, or two, that might be sloppy, messy, or distracting for your interviewer. 

And then finally, this is actually an interesting one that just came up recently for me, personally, with one of my clients. That Google, Alexa that we all depend on so much-- make sure that you turn off that voice recognition because those things pick up your voice at any given time. So for example, I was working with a client last week, and Alexa kept saying, what do you need? What do you need? Although it was funny for us, it would not be great during an interview. 

HELEN KIM: The problems with living in a world where we have Alexas and Siris. 

CORINNE VARGAS: One of my former client's name was Alexa, so when I was working at a friend's house in another state, when we are actually able to travel, whenever I mentioned her by name, that just became frustrating, obviously. So just consider those things that are not so obvious to us because those things can often be a little bit annoying, for one, but two, catch us off guard and bring us back to that first piece-- awkward and stressful. 

HELEN KIM: Let's move on to the C. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Good, curating who you are. So this has two pieces to it, has well, the verbal and the resume. So from a resume perspective, I'm not going to dive too far into this. Anyone who is listening to this podcast can absolutely reach out to me in terms of having a conversation about your written presentations in your resume, your LinkedIn, and your cover letters. 

But you want to make it easy to scan and read, but also purposeful, meaning that you are highlighting components, themes, or skill sets throughout your resume in a very, very scannable format because we all have attention spans that are very short. Think about Instagram. Think about Facebook. Think about TikTok. We all want to scan and really get the meaning or the purpose behind the information as quick as possible. 

From the other aspect, meaning your verbal presentation, be camera ready. And I am also guilty of this. As much as I do a lot of speaking and working with different clients, for whatever reason, some days I get distracted with a certain aspect of my face or something that might pop up. Put a sticker next to your camera or as close to that lens as possible that you can stare at that, and maybe minimize your screen so that you're not so focused on those weird tics that you might notice, in terms of the visual components, but others wouldn't. 

I have a couple friends who have actually pointed this out in the videos that I put together that know me really well, that would actually see my shoulder nod or my hair flip, for example, when I'm giving a quick little bit of advice. Others wouldn't notice it, but I do now because they brought it up. So put a sticker there. 

And then last two points here. Practice, practice, practice. We all know this. And I don't want to be preachy on this side, but you have a lot of resources available to you right now. First and foremost, use yourself. Record yourself answering different types of interview questions that you are aware will come about, but also some of those more difficult ones. 

If you're looking for more difficult type of interviewing questions, you can definitely shoot a Google search, and again, email me or check out LinkedIn for a number of different types of questions that might ask you different aspects of your experience in creative ways. So use yourself. Record, go back, look, listen, take note of what's working and what isn't, and track, track, track. Track your tics. Track what you're doing well. And then continue to build on that. 

Outside of that, use your friends, old coworkers, and then of course, I'm going to say coaches. As necessary, make sure that you're getting feedback from others. We are the biggest critics of ourselves. But outside of that, I would say it's also really great sometimes to get an outside perspective and summarize who you are. I often tell so many of my clients that I have a really difficult time, as embarrassing, but also honest, as this is, defining who I am in different circumstances or for different reasons without practice or without testing that out. 

So be shameless. Make sure that you're reaching out to those who know you, particularly those old coworkers and more professional-type friends or coworkers, to help you do that. 

Last point here is comfort. Oftentimes, in this the situation, we all know that we're home when we're interviewing or that we're not in an office. So at this point in time, it's really acceptable to have a cup of coffee during an interview. Or if you tend to be a fidgeter, hold something off camera that isn't making noises and just be cognizant if you are a pen clicker or anything like that with that reverb. But you can absolutely have and use this camera situation to your advantage. So find fidgets that work for you. 

That's pretty much it when it comes to curating who you are. One, from that written side, your resume, as well as two, from that verbal side, in terms of the interview content when you're speaking with someone else. 

HELEN KIM: When you mentioned the word authenticity, I want to talk a little bit about showcasing competence over screen, because that's obviously important, and at least in my opinion, it's easier to do that in an in-person setting. But on a screen, how do you really showcase your confidence to your hiring managers on a little tiny screen? 

CORINNE VARGAS: Yeah, that's a great question. In terms of showcasing that confidence, you really want to use that combination between that written self and that verbal self. So make sure, again, that confidence comes from that resume, that you're setting yourself up for success in terms of how you organize and neatly organized that resume in a way that you feel comfortable explaining yourself. 

Give yourself some breathing room and give yourself some spaces to bring yourself back to, hey, I know they're looking at page two or a couple keywords. I know they're talking about executive leadership. That way, it'll help you focus in on what aspect of the resume that they're looking at, but two, what are applicable stories or themes. 

This kind of ties back to one, the webinar that I gave here, as well as other places, but in addition to that verbal component. So when I talk about communicating with confidence and authority, as well as authenticity, make sure that you've got those themes down, those key ideas, those key thoughts that you want to convey to your interviewers. 

So I mentioned executive presence, cross-functional team meeting, critical thinking, problem-solving, customer relationship management, and/or mitigation. Those components and your role as it currently stands, but as well as maybe a stretch role for you, as well. 

Tying that back to the verbal side, make sure that you're reviewing those answers with yourself, your network, including friends, colleagues, all of those things, and then again, if you needed a coach and/or you're struggling, sometimes it's worth just reaching out for a quick mini session to make sure that you can confidently convey changes in careers, gaps in your experience, and/or stretch roles or industry changes, as well. 

HELEN KIM: Thank you for answering that one and tying that back to authenticity and confidence. Last but not least, let's get to the D. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Yeah, D, Discovery. So within your interview, you've created a really great, authentic confident self throughout your interview, both through the Curation of yourself-- the C-- your background, including noises and visualizations, and then avoiding all those stressful things right. Well, let's really create this connection with your interviewer. 

How do we do that? Make sure that you're asking questions about any information that they provided m particularly about self or that career progression for them, or maybe the reason they chose their company. 

Everyone loves to talk about themselves, as well as their experience. So the more you can get that interviewer to connect with you and share in shared experiences and/or past experience, the more helpful, and more conversational that interview is going to feel. And both you, as well as that interviewer, are going to walk away with a good feeling in terms of how that interview went down. 

Number two, make sure that you're asking the questions that you need to know, that would be important to you and an employer from their perspective. Of course, do this in a respectful way. 

But say, for example, why did you choose company A versus company B and C? What would you, as an interviewer, say makes your company stand out from the rest? What types of opportunities am I going to get here versus elsewhere? And/or how does this allow me to bring my background, as well as grow those skill sets that I'm bringing to the table in your environment? 

Those are all on the table questions, but also important for you to make sure you're evaluating where you're moving because you don't want to just say yes to a job in some instances. In the current situation, yes, we might have to. But you want to make sure that you're making those right decisions based on who you are and what you're looking for for your career potential. 

And that doesn't necessarily change in our environment. Make sure that you're creating opportunities for you, even if this isn't the number one that you want that will allow you to go forward in the future and build that resume as best as possible in these current times. 

HELEN KIM: A question for you in terms of those who are actually recruiters or are the ones who are hiring and are conducting the interviews. Let's just twist it a little bit and then talk about it in terms of their perspectives. What is one tip that you would suggest for folks who are interviewing people over Zoom or Skype? 

CORINNE VARGAS: Oh, that's a really good question, Helen. So what I would say, for me when I'm working with my clients, and as best as I can put myself in their role, I'm really trying to understand how that individual thinks and how they operate under a multitude of situations. So being the interviewer, I want to make sure that I understand who this person is. 

One, from the side of authenticity; two, from the side of the ability to convey who they are in a stressful situation like an interview, but also within their past experience. So as an interviewer, I'm going to make sure that I'm asking you questions that might be difficult or a little bit confusing. 

But also as an interviewer, I'm looking for you to ask for clarification when I am confusing you or I am trying to throw you off your game. But also, that you are able to field those questions in a way that makes sense or that is productive for a conversation. So as an interviewer, it's kind of the same thing. It's just that tables turned from the interviewee But the same themes, so to speak. 

HELEN KIM: Yeah. I wanted to ask you that because recruiters are now also trying to figure out what is the best way to conduct interviews in a virtual world, where literally everyone is interviewing over our screens and our phones, so wanted to ask you that. 

CORINNE VARGAS: Absolutely. And it's a great question that you ask, too, because as we think about it, interviews are just another way of communicating. And ultimately, that's what I do as a speech language pathologist who really specializes in the corporate, and/or, in this instance, interviewing in an interview-readiness world, is trying to make sure that everyone's communicating to the best of their ability. And given our current constraints, it's not the easiest thing to do. 

So figuring out who that candidate is can be just as complex as being that one who's on the interviewee side. I know that might seem a little insensitive. But if you have a lot of great interview candidates, you're going to go with that one that has come across as themselves and the ability to navigate these crazy weird times the best. 

So it's a hard time, but it's also something to use to your advantage. For example, right now, I'm playing with a paper clip so that I can think through and make sure I am answering your questions. 

HELEN KIM: And the last, but not least, I want to ask you a question of what is giving you hope during this time, where we are separated from a lot of people. We are trying to figure out what's next for us. What is giving you hope? 

CORINNE VARGAS: That's a really great question. I think that the situation that we're in actually really forced a lot of us to get back to simplicity. I thought a lot about this as I've talked to friends and family about their children who are unable to go back to school in person, and the idea that we have to go to this virtual world for not only corporate, and business, and work reasons, but also school reasons. 

But on the flip side of that, a lot more families are eating dinner together. A lot more families are having Skype sessions. A lot more families are prioritizing those interpersonal relationships that are already established outside of the work component of our lives that make us who we are. 

So for me, personally, it's really allowed me, in many ways, to take a step back and be thankful for the idea that everyone that we have connections with that are important to us are still there, even if our means of connecting with them in our physical way, such as hugs and physically being together, isn't there. 

So from my perspective, the ability to reach out and have that community, even though that community isn't in the same sense, it's still there. And I hope everyone feels that, and I hope everyone makes sure to reach out to those who are important, even if it is difficult. We will get through this. It's just going to take some time. 

HELEN KIM: With that, I just want to thank you so much for sharing all the acronyms with us-- the ABCD. So we'll make sure we remember that when we go into our next virtual interview. So thank you so much, Corinne. 

CORINNE VARGAS: No problem. Remember, avoid stress awkwardness. Remember your background noise and visual. Cute who you are, and discover what you're looking for. 

HELEN KIM: Thank you for tuning into today's episode on Northwestern Intersections. For more information about our podcast, please visit northwestern.edu/intersections. Again, that's northwestern.edu/intersectoins. Until next time, stay safe and take care of yourself and your family. 

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