LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 What do I do to prepare for this (other than to clean by apartment bedroom and to make sure my webcam works)? Should I dress up, or would casual cloths be fine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ydg23 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Congrats on getting an interview. I'd treat it like a face to face interview and dress up. It can't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Congrats on getting an interview. I'd treat it like a face to face interview and dress up. It can't hurt. I second that. Congrats and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balderdash Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 What do I do to prepare for this (other than to clean by apartment bedroom and to make sure my webcam works)? Should I dress up, or would casual cloths be fine? Pajamas, f'sho. But really, treat it exactly like you would a regular interview. And personally, I would have all of my application materials at hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewName Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Webcam interviews are great because you can totally create a fake world behind you. My partner had one this past summer and I spent a few hours beforehand creating the 'set' for him. To echo what's been said above, definitely dress to impress, but since you'll most likely be sitting, I'd say the bottom half doesn't matter...nothing like some exhibitionism to heighten interview nervousness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoJingly Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Webcam interviews are great because you can totally create a fake world behind you. My partner had one this past summer and I spent a few hours beforehand creating the 'set' for him. To echo what's been said above, definitely dress to impress, but since you'll most likely be sitting, I'd say the bottom half doesn't matter...nothing like some exhibitionism to heighten interview nervousness. What kind of set did you create? Did you paint a mural? Strategically place lamps and vases? Awards and trophies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langoustine Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Webcam interviews are great because you can totally create a fake world behind you. My partner had one this past summer and I spent a few hours beforehand creating the 'set' for him. To echo what's been said above, definitely dress to impress, but since you'll most likely be sitting, I'd say the bottom half doesn't matter...nothing like some exhibitionism to heighten interview nervousness. I totally did this too! Like the Kennedy/Nixon debates on TV. I turned on my camera before to see how I would look and noticed my wall was blank and there was a nice Native american poster I had been meaning to put up anyway. Done. Then I picked a decent shirt, solid color. But then I noticed since I have black hair and my desk chair is really tall and black leather - my was face blending into the back of the chair...I realize I sound like a crazy person but anyways. I hung a light colored bed sheet on the chair and now I am clearly framed! These things may not mean much in the long run but doing it did calm my nerves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewName Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 What kind of set did you create? Did you paint a mural? Strategically place lamps and vases? Awards and trophies? We were staying in this warehouse-ish type space in Berlin at the time. Lots of room to work, but the furniture and space itself was a bit dreary and straight out of a Kafkaesque/70s office nightmare (old metal desks and outdated rolling chairs). So there was this really cool staircase leading up to the second level made out of concrete slabs that just protruded from the wall. We positioned the camera up high enough that part of the staircase cut diagonally across the upper left hand side of the frame. Then under it, we put a bookcase, a small chair, and coffee table with flowers. My partner was positioned in the foreground and we borrowed some lights from the other studios in the building to make sure there were no shadows. Looking at the space while standing in it, it was a mess, but on camera it framed my partner perfectly and gave an entirely different impression of the space he was in. And, I'll add, he won the fellowship he was interviewing for too...I'm convinced it was all because of my decorating skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natsteel Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Webcam interviews are great because you can totally create a fake world behind you. My partner had one this past summer and I spent a few hours beforehand creating the 'set' for him. To echo what's been said above, definitely dress to impress, but since you'll most likely be sitting, I'd say the bottom half doesn't matter...nothing like some exhibitionism to heighten interview nervousness. So you could pull a news anchor and sit there in shorts and a dress shirt? Just hope that you don't need to get up for any reason... I had a informal phone conversation with a PA over Skype, but I think I'd have been far more nervous if we'd done it with video instead. Good luck on the interview, Deven!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Is there anything I should do to prepare. I don't have a clue regarding what I am supposed to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Is there anything I should do to prepare. I don't have a clue regarding what I am supposed to do. During the interview you will be probably asked to tell about yourself and your research interests, may be about why you have chosen to apply to this school - so you can prepare these answers, try answering them in front of a mirror, that usually helps. And you should be prepared to ask questions about the school. You want to find out if it is a good fit for you, right? Ask about community there, about TA load, funding, prof's research (if you are talking with a potential advisor), etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 I got tense... when they were asking me if I had any questions about the program, none could come to mind... Interview ended in 10 min instead of 15-20. A few of schools don't do interviews, so hopefully at least one of those don't reject me. My record is good, but my interview skills are shit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I got tense... when they were asking me if I had any questions about the program, none could come to mind... Interview ended in 10 min instead of 15-20. A few of schools don't do interviews, so hopefully at least one of those don't reject me. My record is good, but my interview skills are shit... Next time you can prepare questions on a piece of paper. This way you certainly won't forget them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandNewName Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 My trick for webcam interviews is to write out keywords, phrases, and/or questions and tape them just behind my computer. No need to consult notes and by the time the question period comes around, you've been staring at those keywords/questions so long that you don't even really need to think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangefox Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My trick for webcam interviews is to write out keywords, phrases, and/or questions and tape them just behind my computer. No need to consult notes and by the time the question period comes around, you've been staring at those keywords/questions so long that you don't even really need to think about it. Great idea!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now