- Set up your camera well: Put the camera at eye level and look into the lens when you make your key points.
- Speak a little slower: Take thoughtful pauses. They make you sound calm and confident.
- Adjust to local customs: Handshakes, eye contact and formality differ across cultures.
Confidence is part of what people hire. Here's how to show it in person and on video: camera angle, eye contact, voice pace, and how to read local customs.
Set Up Your Video Interview
Most first interviews now happen on Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, so your setup shapes the first impression. Test everything first. These small things make the biggest difference:
- Camera position: Raise your laptop so the camera is at eye level. Looking down into the lens makes you look less confident.
- Eye contact: Look into the camera lens, not at the faces on the screen, when you say your main achievements.
- Light and sound: Put the main light in front of you, not behind. Use headphones with a clear microphone.
Voice and Presence
When we're nervous, we speak fast. Try to slow down by about 10% and pause for two full seconds before you answer a hard question. The pause feels long to you. To the other person, it looks like thinking.
Local Customs
UN staff are very good at reading cultural differences, so pause and use that skill here. In many Western business settings, direct eye contact and a firm handshake show confidence. In other places, a quieter manner and formal titles are preferred. When you're unsure, copy the level of formality of your interviewer.
Do a 5-minute test video call today. Check your camera height, the light in front of you and your sound before your next interview.