It’s been a long road to reach this moment. You branded yourself, networked, connected with medical sales recruiters through social media, and stood out from the crowd.

Finally, you get an email from the recruiter at your dream company.

“We would like to set up a video interview.”  

Video interviews are becoming increasingly common. In fact, a 2018 LinkedIn report found they’re one of the interviewing innovations recruiters find most useful. While they’re helpful for recruiters and hiring professionals, they can be intimidating to job seekers.

But they don’t have to be. Follow these simple steps to impress medical sales recruiters during a video interview:

Dress For Success

Medical sales is a highly competitive industry so make sure the basics are in order. If you “show up” to your video interview in a dirty sweater and pajama pants, you’re going to be denied in no time.

Treat a video interview like an in-person interview. Research the company you’re interviewing for to ensure your attire matches the company’s culture. For example, if the culture is casual, you can dress casually as well. But keep casual dress within reason. Wear a collared shirt and jeans.

When you match your attire to the company culture, recruiters take note. They see you did your homework.

Always give yourself enough time before a live or recorded video interview to frame yourself in the webcam. Review your appearance to ensure you look professional.

Is your shirt wrinkled? Does your hair need to be styled? Did you miss a button? How does your makeup look?

Put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. Ensure you are happy with your appearance before starting.

Set the Stage

Your surroundings are also important to consider. When you pick the location you want to go live or record in, check for noise, distractions, and busyness around you.

For example, a noisy coffee shop or a busy park isn’t ideal. But sitting in your car isn’t either. Instead of settling, find a quiet, secluded place where you won’t be interrupted by dogs barking, rowdy roommates, or any other surrounding disturbances.

Also, check how you frame yourself in your webcam to make sure your outfit stands out from the background. You don’t want a white shirt with a white background. It will wash you out of the video.

If you’re doing a recorded video interview, watch your responses before submitting to be certain you didn’t overlook anything when setting up. For live video interviews, do a quick runthrough with a friend on Skype, Google Hangouts, or FaceTime before you connect with the recruiter.

Let Your True Self Shine

Too many medical sales hopefuls lock up during an interview. They end up preparing too much and merely recite canned interview responses.

Recruiters don’t want to hear your script. They want to learn about you. They want a human connection.

Reciting boring, disingenuous interview answers is like copying and pasting from a cover letter template or writing a boilerplate resume riddled with jargon words — it’s off-putting.

Especially in medical sales, your personality and character matter a lot. Look for ways to weave in personal anecdotes or stories that demonstrate who you are in an authentic manner.

Create a Practice Routine

If you overly prepare and recite answers word for word, you dilute your personality. But if you don’t prepare enough, you risk being caught off guard and stumbling through an answer.

By the time you have earned a video interview, you should already have your plan established. You have a good idea of the medical sales job you applied for, what the company does, who your recruiter is, and how you best fit the role and the culture.

No matter the style of the video interview — live or recorded — you need a practice routine.

Start with reading through the standard interview questions, like the ones on strengths and weaknesses. Then, write out bullet lists for your talking points.

For example, share a story that shows you resolving conflict in your previous B2B sales role. Jot down the basic outline of the story, but don’t write a whole script.

If the video interview is recorded, shoot a few takes until you’re happy with the result. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but you do want to minimize your filler words and reduce tangents so you stay on point.

Before a live video interview, run through your talking points in a mirror beforehand. Also, record yourself with your smartphone and ask for feedback from close friends and family members on the talking points you prepared.

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How will you prepare for your next medical sales video interview? Share in the comments!