Hello Squaddies, welcome to post 3 / 5 of our Working During A Pandemic Series, inspired by Meghan’s collaboration with Smart Works. Smart Works is known for providing women with clothing for their interviews, but less known is the work they do behind the scenes, preparing women for interviews, brushing up their CV’s/Resume, and advising on the overall job searching process.
We’ve decided to create a collection of blog posts dedicated to helping you land and keep the job during this incredibly difficult time. We hope you find it useful.
Millennials have something to look forward to when their kids come of age. Think you’re funny when you say ‘Okay, Boomer’, well, it won’t be too long before your children are saying ‘Okay, Zoomer!’
Zoom is one of a handful of tech companies that has benefited enormously from the coronavirus lockdowns as companies shift to working from home. Microsoft Team, Skype and Google Hangouts are a few other platforms that have seen a boost in user activity since the start of the pandemic, and while it has been useful in keeping teams connected, it has led to a few mishaps.
One woman found herself embarrassed when she forgot to switch off her camera and took her laptop of the toilet. It was only when her colleague pointed out that they could see her sitting on the loo, she swatted her laptop away…of course, they could still hear her – yikes!
Whichever platform you use, there are a few simple rules you should follow to remain professional and avoid embarrassing moments.
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Place a sticker on your laptop camera
Always have a sticker placed over your laptop camera, this will ensure no one can see you before you’re ready to be seen. Some platforms will have your camera and sound automatically turned off before you switch on your camera, others will not.
In our’ work from home article‘, we suggested using a separate laptop for work, but if this is not possible, make sure you have closed any non-related work windows from your screen. If you’re asked to share your screen, you don’t want anything embarrassing to pop up.
Mute your mic
If you’re in a group meeting and not required to do much talking, mute your mic to avoid background noise.
To improve the quality of your sound, you can purchase a cheap microphone with a foam cover to reduce humming and noise. This will give your voice more clarity.
Strengthen your internet connection
If you find that your sound and video becomes fuzzy during meetings, ask your workplace to buy you a wi-fi booster to strengthen the connection to your laptop. Delayed video and bad sound, are two of the most complained about issues during video calls.
Be present
Don’t multitask in the background during meetings. It can be tempting, but you could miss something important and it’s easy to see if you’re not completely focused. Also make sure to switch off desk-top notifications. If you’re having a job interview, look directly into the camera and not at the screen. It will make it feel more like you are giving eye contact to the person you’re speaking to.
Camera settings
Make sure to clean your camera lens with a wipe every now and again to clean dust. If you are using an attachable camera, ensure it is appropriately positioned and focused at eye level.
Clear your background
Try and set up your space so that you have a clean background. If you’re going to use a virtual background, keep it a neutral colour like beige, or white. Do not use background patterns filled with dancing unicorns and festival stripes. Unless you work for a cool and creative company, this will only end up looking unprofessional. Also, make sure you are in a room with good lighting. Consider getting a small desk ring light, or using a small table lamp if your space is not well lit.
Wear pants!
Think you can get away with not wearing pants? Well, maybe you can, but we wouldn’t risk it you don’t want to end up like this guy.
Happy Zooming!