Jobhunters are being interviewed online as they attempt to kickstart their careers during the coronavirus crisis.
Students and graduates are more comfortable using video-conference facilities than older workers and would rather go online than attend a face-to-face interview as they try to find work.
Milkround, the student and graduate job website, found that 1.8million young, furloughed workers are taking to Zoom (44 per cent), Microsoft Teams (23 per cent) and Skype (20 per cent) to interview remotely.
The research from Milkround reveals that video conferencing has surpassed email as the most widely used form of business communication during lockdown.
Despite nearly half of all UK workers relying on video conferencing to carry out their roles, 52 per cent struggled with the platforms initially - decreasing to 31 per cent for 18-22 year-olds.
Nearly a quarter of those polled are still struggling with these platforms.
The job search site has teamed up with YouTube and podcast presenter Jack Edwards looking to interview from a far advice on how best to succeed.
Here are Jack's top tips to conduct a video interview.
Practice makes perfect
Open your webcam or phone front-facing camera, and practice answering interview questions before the video call starts.
Record yourself to check what you could be doing differently - are you fidgeting or constantly looking away from the camera? Rectify these issues before you even jump on the call, and you’ll feel much more self-assured.
Get your angle right
It sounds superficial, but it’s worth taking a moment to set up your webcam in the right location before your call.
Aim to position the camera slightly above your eye-line - try balancing your laptop on a stack of books on a desk - in a light, airy room, to create a distraction-free experience for the interviewer.
Prepare prompts if necessary
The best thing about a digital call is digital is that the person you’re chatting to can’t see everything.
Making notes demonstrates proactivity. If you’re worried you’ll forget something key, or go blank, you can have a post-it note ready and out of the sight of the camera or a document loaded up on your laptop screen with some simple pointers.
Georgie Brazier, graduate jobs expert at Milkround said: "It is no great surprise that younger workers are more at ease with using these platforms.
"What has been reassuring is that these younger workers are taking to video conferencing platforms to secure new job roles too. Their longstanding use of social media to communicate has set them in good stead for the lockdown.
Despite not having as much experience in the workforce as other colleagues, they are leading the way during isolation by leveraging their innate tech savvy skillsets."
