5 Ways To Make Your Next Video Interview Easier

It's not uncommon to feel somewhat uneasy being interviewed in front of a camera.

Some people are naturals, but most of us don't spend much time in that scenario. Nevertheless, the odds are, if you're reading this, your interview is upon us. With a little preparation, this experience can be fun and low-pressure.

If you're going to be interviewed...

1. If time allows, which it should, make some notes about the topic you're going to be interviewed about. List the things you'd like to bring up during your interview. This gets the important bits of information in the front of your mind. Coming up with these things off-the-cuff during your interview can be much more difficult. Write them down in the days before your interview, so the pressure you might feel while on camera is totally off.

2. Break the ice with your interviewer ahead of time. Part of the awkwardness that can come with an on-camera interview is that the subject and the interviewer are speaking for the first time. Again, if time allows, reach out and just exchange some introductions. Game-planning an approach to your interview that you both understand would be a good subject for this icebreaker, time-permitting. If you're feeling unprepared, confused, or uneasy, just let them know and you can get on the same page.

3. Try to get to your interview a bit early if possible, to recalibrate with the person who'll be asking the questions. A short conversation beforehand to get your heads together can further relax you and prepare you for the questions and feel of the interview.

4. Relax. Unless you're on live TV, you can always start over. Realizing that is a huge part of on-camera relaxation. You can always collect yourself and start over. Many stumbles can be edited out, too. It's far more important for you to clearly express yourself, even if it takes a few warm-up tries, than it is to nail it on your first try.

5. Plan to repeat back the question asked at the beginning of each answer. If the interviewer asks you why your business is the best choice, your answer would begin with "Our business is the best choice because..." This will help the viewer of the video keep up with the context of your answers.