Use Skype more productively with these pointers

For many of us, conference calls are a mainstay of the workday. Skype group calls provide a convenient alternative to conventional phone conference calls.

You can set one up with other Skype users, of course, but you can host group calls even if you are the only one on Skype.

Skype has become a preferred and easy way for organisations to conduct interviews with candidates, or to make long distant group or one-on-one calls.

In fact, the majority of multinational firms use Skype as the medium for conducting online interviews and holding virtual meetings across national boundaries.

To give your best in a Skype communications, you have to be careful about some serious mistakes that can leave a bad impression on the recruiter or business partners.

Let me be specific — especially about business calls involving several people where you may be less aware that what you’re doing can be seen by everyone on the call.

PROFFESSIONAL DEMEANOUR

For job interviews, a common mistake is wearing casual attire. Employers always check to ensure that you are dressed to impress from head to toe during a first interview. We all want to create a good first impression.

The person conducting the interview may even ask you to stand up and grab a document or pen just to see how professionally you are dressed.

Potential employees sometimes do not take online interviews seriously since they are protected from the pressured environment in the comfort of their own home. Consequently, they feel a little bit too relaxed.

This behaviour can annoy the employer right off the bat, starting the interview off to a bad note. Never take an online interview lightly, and keep a professional demeanour at all times.

Make sure you have good Internet connection. If a call is dropped, call participants may not bother to call you back, unless you’ve made a great impression on them.

Instead, they will move to the next potential hire in the queue. Make sure you check your Internet connection two or three times before the interview to ensure that it is working perfectly.

It is perfectly normal to feel a bit uneasy with the online (Skype) interview if you are not used to it.

However, if you show your uneasiness to the extent that you seem like you’re not confident, you could lose the opportunity.

Practice in front of a mirror or even over Skype with a relative or friend. This will make you comfortable with your background, lighting, and the volume you are speaking at.

These simple things alone will give you less to worry about during the interview or business call and help you focus on your confidence.

THE CONVERSATION

Here’s another Skype-world caution: before your call, look at the camera light and then notice what’s behind you.

How’s that artwork on your wall? Are people constantly walking behind you creating a distraction? Are your cats and dogs wrestling in the background or doing something unseemly?

Words and sentences sometimes get cut due to some delays due to sometimes the quality of connection.

The best Skype tip is not a technical one related to the software or hardware; it’s about the conversation. Leave some air in between sentences. Do not interrupt the person you are speaking with. Let him/her finish his/her sentence. Once he/she done, leave a second or two of air and then respond.

Finally, if you are hosting a conference call, remind your call participants about the “mute microphone” option when they’re not talking. Keeping everyone’s background noise to a minimum helps your call get wrapped up as quickly as possible.

Sam Wambugu is a monitoring and evaluation specialist. E-mail: [email protected]