Effective Q&A in a Virtual Interview

The sudden industry shift from in-person interviews to the online realm has fundamentally altered the way that we prepare for and conduct interviews. Rather than agonizing over the details of a physical model or debating whether to distribute tablets for an interactive presentation, we are acutely focused on understanding the constraints as well as the opportunities of our digital space.

As the most interactive portion of a virtual interview, Q&A introduces the greatest amount of variability that a team is likely to experience. However, it also represents the greatest opportunity to demonstrate team cohesion and flexibility in an online environment. The Communication Resources Northwest team has developed a list of best practices, tips, and tricks to help you approach Q&A in a virtual interview.

Listen to the Question

Answering the wrong question is the biggest mistake that teams make. Always remember that it is okay to ask for clarification. Even in timed Q&A sessions, it is better to take a moment to be sure that you are giving the interviewers the information that they want than to give an answer that doesn’t follow the intent of their question.

Listening is hard in any interview, but for some reason, teams are finding it harder in the virtual context. We recommend keeping a sticky note pad and a Sharpie marker close at hand. Write down the gist of the question on a sticky note and stick it to the side of your monitor near the camera lens. This way, you can maintain eye contact with the lens while keeping focused on the question, especially when responding to a complex or multi-pronged question.

Designate your Quarterback

Nothing comes across as more chaotic and disorganized than team members speaking over each other to answer a question. Since you won’t have the ability to cue off of body language to establish a speaking order, it becomes vitally important in a virtual meeting to designate who will take the lead in answering any question that isn’t already directed to a specific team member.

Since you don’t always know what questions to expect, designate a team member to field questions and pass them off to the appropriate subject matter expert. This ‘quarterback’ will generally be one of the primary team leaders, most often the project manager or project executive. They don’t need to address the content of the question (unless they are the subject matter expert); they simply need to verbally designate who on the team will be answering it.

An added advantage of this approach is that the quarterback can give team members a ‘heads up’ that a question is coming their way, allowing them a moment’s pause to outline an answer, perhaps even using sticky notes to post an outline on the computer screen for reference when answering. Again, post the note next to the lens to create the illusion of eye contact while you are referencing your notes.

Stick to Your Area of Expertise

It’s important to stay inside your area of expertise. Many questions are multi-part questions that span multiple topics (scheduling and estimating, or building systems and sustainability, for example) and will need input from multiple team members. The quarterback can keep handoffs organized by identifying which team members will speak to each topic and in which order.

If the quarterback has passed you part of a question, answer simply and directly and then transition the speaking role to the additional subject matter expert to add content relevant to their area of expertise. Or, if you wish to add something, wait for a pause, and then interject. Remember though, what you say must be relevant and additive vs. repetitive. Nothing kills teamwork and makes you look uncoordinated like saying, “I’d just like to reiterate what XX just said….”

Avoid the ‘Endless’ Answer

The ‘endless answer’, sometimes called a pile-on or a hitchhike, occurs when multiple team members interject, leading to an endless loop of often redundant and sometimes irrelevant answers. It’s the quarterback’s job to mitigate this, but every team member should be aware of the ground rules to avoid falling into this trap in the first place.

First and foremost, don’t overexplain, and NEVER pile on. The relevant speaker should provide a simple answer to a simple question. For more complex questions, remember the ‘rule of three’: only up to three speakers per question. The first speaker answers the question, the second speaker adds pertinent information (hopefully after an orderly handoff from the first speaker), and the third speaker can add an interesting—and relevant—illustration.

If you feel that the question was not answered clearly—or worse, if you feel the speaker answered incorrectly—you can wrap it up with a phrase such as, “Let me add a different perspective.” Avoid phrases like “Let me reiterate” or “To restate…” or “What so-and-so was trying to say is”.  A senior leader should be the one to do this vs. just anyone on the team. Remember, just because someone said it differently than you would doesn’t mean they got it wrong.

Maintain Your Grace

In many interviews, the team—or even a specific team member—will get an openly hostile question, asked in a way that is neither fair nor polite. However, encountering someone on a selection committee who doesn’t understand the polite rules of interview engagement is an all too common occurrence. Unfortunately, the impersonal nature of a virtual interview may further enable these types of questions.

Here’s the rule: the more hostile or negative the other person or their question is, the more gracious and charming you become. If a selector asks a question in an inappropriate way, it’s important to remember that the other selectors are likely to be embarrassed by the behavior and potentially sympathetic to you. If you answer in-kind with rudeness or anger, you are validating the person who asked the question. On the other hand, if you are charming, gracious, and kind, you give relief to the other selectors. So, always err on the side of nice. Always.

The ‘Extra Point’

In every question, there is an extra point to be gained. Answer the question directly, and then provide a short, value-add detail or conclusion that pushes your answer to the next level, making it memorable, poignant, and powerful. The speaker answering the question can provide the extra point. Or, the quarterback can provide it as a summary, effectively taking control of the floor back from the team.

Additional Tips & Tricks

The above items are applicable and valuable in both in-person and virtual interviews. The following are a few extra things you can get away with in an interview conducted from behind a screen that will enhance your performance and reduce your stress:

Take notes with pen and paper: Remember that everyone can see you, but nobody can see your screen. While typing notes looks identical to replying to an email, writing by hand suggests that you are engaging with the conversation. Using sticky notes and a Sharpie allow you to jot down a quick item or outline that you can then stick to the edge of your monitor, enabling you to reference your notes while still speaking directly into the camera.

Find the ‘One Thing’: Think about the one thing you would say to win the job and find a way to emphasize it through the interview. Again, sticky notes on your monitor with your key points help keep them in the front of your mind. Write your key point—or points—on a sticky; pull it off when you have ‘scored’ the point.

Watch the ‘Clock’: Disable notifications on your phone and use it as a Q&A timer. Remember, the more questions you can answer the better, so if you find yourself or a team member going too far over time, tighten up and move to the next question.

Practice, Practice, Practice: Did we mention, practice?! Q&A in a virtual interview requires more practice vs. less. Teams must practice together to learn the timing and the flow and to build confidence in the team’s online process. Plan your lean-ins and your illustrations.

Turn off the PPT: If you are using a PPT, and most are, turn it off during Q&A. In both Teams and Zoom, this will make your faces bigger, which enables the client to interact with you more during this important part of the interview.

Be ready with questions: In a virtual interview, we’re finding an increased amount of ‘dead time’. Be ready to ask the audience a relevant and interesting question or two that gets them talking with you about their project.

Don’t forget you’re always ‘on’: Finally, everyone should remember the unique requirements of the virtual interview. Because you are on camera the entire time, be aware of your body language and stay connected to the process. Practice in front of the computer. Don’t write out and read answers; just like in a ‘live’ interview, you need to be fully engaged. Nod your head, pay attention, and really listen. Just because the person speaking isn’t looking right at you, pretend they are. Make sure you are appearing totally focused and interested. Particularly in Q&A, when selectors are watching you and listening intently, this can make the difference to look.