Zoom interview tips: setup, eye contact, notes and backups

Camera, lighting and background

Position your camera at eye level. If you use a laptop, stack it on books or a stand until the lens sits roughly level with your forehead. Looking down into a camera makes you appear smaller and less confident. Looking up into one shows your ceiling.

Light your face from the front, not from behind. A window behind you turns you into a silhouette. A window or a lamp in front of you fills in shadows and makes your face easy to read. A ring light costs between $20 and $60 and solves this completely.

Your background should be plain or tidy. A neutral wall, a bookshelf with a few items, or a clean room all work. Zoom's virtual backgrounds can pixelate around your hair and edges, which is distracting. If you use one, test it on your actual hardware before the interview.

• Camera lens at eye level, not below your chin
• Primary light source in front of your face, not behind
• Background plain, tidy or a tested virtual background
• Frame yourself so your head and shoulders fill the top two-thirds of the screen

Audio and internet connection

Audio quality matters more than video quality. A wired headset or earbuds with a built-in microphone almost always outperform a laptop's built-in mic. They reduce room echo and keep your voice consistent even if you move slightly.

Use a wired ethernet connection if you can. If you rely on Wi-Fi, sit as close to the router as possible and ask others in your home to avoid streaming or large downloads during the interview window. Run a speed test beforehand; you need at least 5 Mbps upload for stable video.

Close every application you do not need. Browser tabs, Slack, email and cloud sync tools all compete for bandwidth and CPU. Restart your computer the morning of the interview so it starts fresh.

• Wired headset or earbuds with a microphone
• Ethernet cable preferred over Wi-Fi
• Speed test run the day before and the morning of
• All non-essential apps closed before the call starts

How to maintain eye contact on a Zoom call

Eye contact on video means looking at the camera lens, not at the interviewer's face on screen. This is counterintuitive. When you watch their face, your eyes point slightly downward, and to them it looks like you are staring at your desk.

Move the Zoom window to the top of your screen, directly below the camera. That way glancing at the interviewer's face and glancing at the lens are almost the same movement. The gap between where you look and where the camera is becomes much smaller.

You do not need to stare at the lens the entire time. Look away naturally when you are thinking, just as you would in person. The goal is to return to the lens when you are making a key point or listening to a question.

• Move the Zoom window to the top of your screen, just below the camera
• Look at the lens when making important points
• Look away briefly when thinking, then return to the lens
• Avoid watching yourself in the self-view tile, it pulls your gaze down and to the side

Taking notes without looking distracted

Interviewers can tell when you are reading from a script. Long pauses followed by word-for-word answers, eyes that track left to right, and a flat delivery all signal that you are reading rather than speaking.

Use a notepad on your physical desk, positioned just below and to the side of your screen. Glancing down briefly looks natural. Glancing sideways at a second monitor or a printed sheet taped to the wall looks odd.

Prepare a single reference sheet with three columns: the role's key requirements, your matching examples, and two or three questions to ask at the end. Keep it short enough that you can find any item in under two seconds. You are not reading it, you are glancing at it.

• Physical notepad below and slightly to the side of your screen
• One reference sheet: requirements, your examples, your questions
• Bullet points only, no full sentences you might be tempted to read aloud
• Pen in hand so picking it up looks natural, not reactive

Backup plans for tech failures

Have the interviewer's phone number or email before the call starts. If Zoom drops, you can message them within 30 seconds and rejoin or switch to a phone call. Most interviewers are understanding about genuine tech failures if you respond quickly and calmly.

Keep your phone charged and nearby with the Zoom mobile app installed. If your laptop fails entirely, you can join from your phone. The experience is worse but the interview continues.

If your internet drops mid-answer, rejoin as fast as you can and say something brief: 'Apologies, my connection dropped. I was saying...' and continue. Do not over-apologise. One sentence is enough.

1. Save the interviewer's contact details before the call
2. Install Zoom on your phone as a fallback device
3. Test your setup with a friend the day before
4. Have a mobile hotspot available if your home internet is unreliable
5. Rejoin quickly if dropped and resume with one short sentence

What to do in the last 30 minutes before the call

Log into Zoom 10 to 15 minutes early to check audio, video and your background. Do not join the interview room that early unless the host has enabled it, but open the app and run a quick self-check.

Have water nearby. Talking for 45 to 60 minutes dries your throat. A glass on your desk is normal and expected.

Review your reference sheet one final time, then put it in position. Close your email and any other distractions. Silence your phone except for the Zoom app. Take a few slow breaths before you click join.