Remote interviews deserve the same preparation as a face-to-face meeting

Whether it is a fifteen-minute screening call or a three-person panel over video, remote interviews are now a standard part of most UK hiring processes. The good news is that you have more control than you would in a meeting room: nobody can see you tap your foot under the desk, and you can keep notes right in front of you. The catch is that small problems — a crackling microphone, a cluttered background, a rambling answer — become very noticeable, very quickly. A bit of preparation pays off handsomely.

Set up your space before you set up your nerves

You do not need a home office, but you do need a space that looks and sounds purposeful. Sort this out the day before, not five minutes before the call.

• Choose the quietest room available and shut the door. Warn anyone you live with, and put a note on the door if that helps. A barking dog or a flatmate boiling the kettle can derail a good answer.
• Light yourself from the front. Sit facing a window if you can. If the window is behind you, you will appear as a silhouette, which makes it harder for the interviewer to read your expression.
• Keep the background plain and tidy. A wall, a bookshelf or a curtain all work well. Avoid making your bed, a busy kitchen or a doorway people might walk through.
• Raise your camera to eye level. A stack of books under the laptop is a perfectly respectable solution. Looking slightly up is far more flattering — and more engaged — than looking down at your own chin.
• Sit at a table, upright, with both feet on the floor. Good posture does more for your voice than any microphone.
• Silence your phone and turn off desktop notifications. A single ping mid-answer is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Test the technology properly, not just briefly

Assume something will misbehave, and give yourself time to fix it.

• Run a test call on the same platform at least a day ahead. Check your camera, microphone and speakers, and ask a friend to join for two minutes so you can hear how you sound.
• Use a laptop or desktop if you can. If a phone is your only option, prop it up rather than holding it, and keep it steady on a table.
• Use headphones with a built-in microphone. They cut echo and stop the interviewer hearing themselves twice.
• Check your internet and reduce competition. Ask others in the house to avoid streaming or big downloads while you are on the call. If you can, use a wired connection.
• Have a backup plan. Keep your mobile number to hand in case you need to phone in, and know how to switch to mobile data if the broadband drops.
• Join a few minutes early to check your name displays correctly and the camera is working — but do not sit staring at the waiting room for ten minutes, which only builds nerves.

Make the most of a telephone interview

On a phone call, your voice is doing all the work. Energy, pace and clarity carry far more weight than usual, so sit up or even stand up — it genuinely changes how you sound.

• Smile as you speak. It comes through in your tone, even when nobody can see you.
• Signpost your answers. Phrases such as "There are two things I would highlight" give the interviewer a map and stop you wandering.
• Replace filler with silence. A short pause sounds thoughtful; "um" and "you know" sound uncertain. Take a breath before you answer.
• Take notes, but quietly. Keep paper still and avoid rustling it near the microphone.
• Confirm the next steps before you hang up, so you know what to expect and when.

Practise answers that land in sixty to ninety seconds

Long answers are the most common mistake in remote interviews, because silences feel bigger when you are not in the room. Aim for concise, structured responses you can deliver comfortably.

• Use the STAR structure — situation, task, action, result — and spend most of your time on the action and the result.
• Prepare five or six flexible stories that cover teamwork, a challenge, a mistake, a success and a time you influenced someone. Most questions can be answered with one of them.
• Practise out loud. Record yourself on your phone, then listen back for pace, filler words and whether you actually answered the question.
• Ask for clarification if a question is vague. "Could you tell me a bit more about what you mean by that?" buys you thinking time and shows care.
• Have two or three questions ready for them, about the team, the priorities for the first six months, or how success is measured.

On the day, and afterwards

Dress as you would for an in-person interview — at least from the waist up — because it shifts how you carry yourself. Keep your CV, the job description and your notes within easy reach, but glance rather than read. Greet the interviewer warmly by name, and if the technology fails, stay calm, apologise briefly, phone in if needed, and move on; how you handle a hiccup often says more than a polished answer.

Finish by thanking them, restating your interest, and asking about the next stage. Then send a short, polite follow-up email within twenty-four hours, referencing something specific from the conversation. Finally, jot down the questions you found hardest and write better answers while they are fresh. Every remote interview is practice for the next one — and with your space, technology and stories prepared, you will walk into it sounding like the confident professional you are.