Skype Interview....awkward?

[dapper]

I was notified recently that a supervisor at my top choice school would like to interview me and since the school is in another province they requested to do it via skype.

I feel like this will be kinda awkward...has anyone done this before? Whats it like? I really want to nail it and get the position, what kind of formalities/informalities apply to this kind of interview??

[ktel]

I did a Skype interview, but I don't think we video chatted, I think we just used it as a phone. Significantly less awkward. Now, I can't really say any of my interviews with profs (on phone or in person) were really grilling interviews. They mostly just talked about their research and asked me what I wanted to do.

[psychgurl]

i did one- dress up like an in-person interview, make sure the background space is clean and professional b/c they'll see this on camera, and make sure you test your skype beforehand with a friend to make sure it works. you can set the view so you can see yourself- i liked this so I made sure i didn't look like a dope

good luck!

[tip3r]

I did this once and it was great. I think I would prefer this to an actual interview in person because they really can't tell if you are nervous. For me this was my first interview (of any sort) and I had no idea what we would be talking about. I was nervous as hell and my voice was a bit shaky. I was glad I wasn't there in person.

I sat at my desk with my bookshelf in the background. The professor was impressed. I think she got the impression that I studied a lot.

It was not awkward at all. Keep in mind that professors often interact with other professors which they are collaborating with to discuss research. They are accustomed to having online discussions so it probably won't be awkward.

[jeffster]

I did one, it was fine. I wasn't sure if the interviewer would want to use video or not, so I initially started it without, and as soon as I saw her video appear I turned mine on. Wasn't awkward at all.

[ahl389]

Kind of an old thread, but I thought I'd jump in because I have one of these today! I don't think it's an interview persay-- I emailed him just generally inquiring about research and advising and he asked to set up a meeting to skype and talk. I haven't even submitted my application yet. And I have no idea how formal this will be. I'm probably going to look nice, but definitely not wear a suit, and hope for the best. I'm pretty nervous. At least he is calling me so I don't have to make the decision about whether we use the video option.