Mastering Your Video Interview This Year

Video interviews are now a normal part of the medical sales recruitment process.

They may be used for an initial conversation, a formal interview or even a final-stage presentation. You could be speaking live to one person or a panel, or you may occasionally be asked to record answers to questions in your own time.

The interview itself should be approached in much the same way as a face-to-face meeting. You still need to research the opportunity, prepare strong examples and demonstrate why you're right for the role.

But there are a few additional things worth preparing when the interview is taking place on screen.

1. Know What Type of Video Interview You're Having

Before you start preparing, make sure you understand the format.

Most video interviews are live conversations using platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet. These work much like an in-person interview, with the interviewer asking questions and responding to your answers in real time.

You may also encounter a recorded interview where you're given questions and asked to record your responses without an interviewer present.

If you're unsure about the format, ask. It's perfectly reasonable to want to know how the interview will work, who you'll be meeting and whether you need to prepare anything in advance.

2. Test the Technology Beforehand

Technical problems happen, but you can reduce the chances of them disrupting your interview by checking everything in advance.

Before the day, test:

• The meeting link and platform you're using
• Your camera and microphone
• Your speakers or headphones
• Your internet connection
• Where your camera is positioned
• How to mute and unmute yourself
• How to share your screen if you may need to present

You don't need an expensive webcam, microphone or elaborate home-office setup. You simply need the interviewer to be able to see and hear you clearly.

It's also worth knowing what you'll do if something goes wrong. Keep your phone nearby and make sure you have the interviewer's or recruiter's contact details available if possible.

3. Choose the Right Environment

Find somewhere quiet where you're unlikely to be interrupted.

Check what the interviewer will see behind you and remove anything particularly distracting. A plain or reasonably tidy background is fine. You don't need to create the perfect home office.

Lighting matters more than having an impressive background. Make sure your face is clearly visible and avoid sitting with a bright window directly behind you.

Position your laptop or camera at roughly eye level if you can, and make sure you're comfortable before the interview begins.

Turn off notifications on your computer and phone and close anything on screen that you don't need.

4. Treat It Like an Interview, Not Another Teams Call

Being at home can make a video interview feel less formal than meeting an employer in person, but the purpose is exactly the same.

Dress appropriately for the role and company, join a few minutes early and give the conversation your full attention.

Try not to become overly conscious of where you're looking or what you're doing with your hands. You don't need to stare continuously into the camera to demonstrate confidence.

Listen properly, look towards the camera naturally when you're speaking and avoid watching your own image throughout the interview.

Most importantly, concentrate on the conversation rather than trying to perform for the screen.

5. Keep Useful Information Nearby

One advantage of a video interview is that you can have some useful information in front of you.

You might want to keep copies of:

• Your CV
• The job description
• Your research on the company and products
• A few key achievements or examples you want to remember
• The questions you want to ask

Use these as prompts rather than a script.

If you're constantly looking away from the screen to read prepared answers, it will quickly become obvious and can make the conversation feel unnatural.

6. Prepare Examples, Not Scripts

The content of your answers matters far more than the fact that you're delivering them through a screen.

Think about the questions you're likely to be asked and prepare examples that demonstrate the skills and experience required for the role.

For an experienced medical sales candidate, that might include examples of:

• Developing a territory or account
• Winning new business
• Influencing different stakeholders
• Overcoming customer resistance
• Learning a complex product or clinical area
• Managing competing priorities
• Recovering an underperforming account or territory
• Working successfully with clinical and commercial colleagues

For competency-based questions, the STAR framework can help you structure your examples by explaining the situation, task, action and result.

Don't memorise complete answers. Know the examples you want to draw on and be prepared to adapt them to the questions you're actually asked.

7. Make Your Own Contribution Clear

This matters in any interview, but it can be particularly easy during a video conversation to give shorter or less detailed answers than you would face to face.

If you're discussing a successful territory, account or project, make sure the interviewer understands what you personally contributed.

Explain what you identified, what action you took, how you approached the customer or stakeholders, what challenges you encountered and what happened as a result.

There is a significant difference between working on a successful territory and being personally responsible for helping make that territory successful.

Give the interviewer enough information to see the difference.

8. Allow for the Slightly Different Conversation

Video conversations can sometimes feel less natural than sitting in the same room.

Small delays can lead to people speaking over one another, and it can be harder to read when somebody has finished talking.

Don't panic if that happens. Pause, let the other person finish and continue naturally.

If you don't hear or understand a question properly, ask the interviewer to repeat it rather than trying to guess what they said.

And remember that you're allowed to pause briefly before answering a difficult question. A couple of seconds spent thinking can produce a much better answer than immediately filling the silence.

9. Be Ready to Present on Screen

Presentations are common in later-stage medical sales interviews, so you may be asked to present remotely and share your screen.

If that's part of your interview, practise the presentation using the same setup you'll use on the day.

Before the interview:

• Have the presentation open and ready
• Check that you know how to share the correct screen or window
• Close unrelated tabs, emails and documents
• Turn off notifications
• Make sure no confidential information from your current employer or customers is visible
• Keep a backup copy of the presentation somewhere accessible

Don't focus so heavily on the slides that you forget you're presenting to people. Look up, explain your thinking and be prepared for questions.

10. Have a Plan for Technical Problems

Even after testing everything, technology can still fail.

Your internet may drop, your audio may stop working or the interviewer's connection may be the problem.

If something goes wrong, stay calm. Explain the problem, try the obvious fix and suggest switching to another method if necessary.

A technical problem won't necessarily damage your chances. How you respond to an unexpected problem can say more about you than the problem itself.

What About Recorded Video Interviews?

A recorded interview can feel strange because there is nobody on screen responding to what you're saying.

Before starting, check how the system works. Find out whether there is a preparation period before each question, whether answers have a time limit and whether you can re-record them.

Prepare in exactly the same way you would for a live interview. Research the company and opportunity, think about the evidence you want to use and practise explaining your experience clearly and concisely.

Try not to memorise a script. You still want to sound like yourself rather than somebody reading a prepared statement.

Make the Technology the Least Interesting Part of the Interview

A successful video interview isn't about having the best webcam, the perfect background or mastering where to look on screen.

The technology simply needs to allow you to have a good conversation.

Prepare your setup beforehand, remove obvious distractions and then concentrate on what really matters: understanding the opportunity, listening carefully and giving the interviewer clear evidence of what you could bring to the role.