How do you make sure you set up the technology correctly?

- Ah, the technical mumbo jumbo. This can make you a nervous wreck if you're not the most tech savvy person on the planet. This part's pretty straightforward though. Let's break it down into two main components. Number one, the lighting. Now, understand that no one expects you to be a professional videographer here. But you absolutely want to put your best foot forward. Here are a few simple things that you can do to make the lighting work in your favor without investing a dime. First, face a window instead of a wall. Your easiest source of lighting is natural light coming in through a window. Have you ever taken a selfie where it looks like you're just one giant silhouette? That's probably because your light source is behind you. Simply turning around fixes this problem. Next, make sure you're a couple of feet from the wall behind you to give it some depth. If you're right up against it, it may look strange and you might have a big shadow around you. Also, turn off the overhead light. It can make you look really harsh on camera. And, last, put a regular old desk or table lamp on the floor behind you to give you a bit of backlight. It's absolutely worth fussing with the lighting a bit, but I wouldn't obsess over it. You're better off having pretty decent lighting and an amazing interview than amazing lighting and just a so-so interview. And the second component, your audio and camera settings. Well, that's sort of the second and the third, but we're going to lump those together to keep it simple. I can't overemphasize this advice enough. Get your audio and camera settings situated well before the interview. You're going to be awfully rattled or embarrassed if you join the interview and realize your audio isn't working, or your webcam isn't turned on. If you're a newbie when it comes to video interviews, spend time on this. But even if you consider yourself a whiz, double check your settings. I jumped on a video call with a client recently, and I forgot that I'd turned off the internal microphone on my computer while working on another project. So there I was talking to a paying client who couldn't hear a word I was saying. Now, fortunately, I knew how to get to the settings quickly and make the fix, but it was still clumsy, and certainly not my finest first impression. You absolutely don't want that moment in your interview. As for your video settings, make sure you've tested them, and for goodness sakes, remove any webcam cover or slide that will prevent your interviewer from seeing you at all. And in terms of the camera angle, it's better to position it from slightly above than below you. If you put it too low, which is super common among people who use their mobile devices for an interview, the interviewer is going to feel like they're looking up your nose. And while I'm not the hiring manager, I am pretty sure that's not going to clinch it for you.