Three years ago, I sat in my home office preparing for a final-round interview with a Fortune 500 client. The position was perfect. My qualifications aligned. The conversation had gone well through two phone screens.
Then came the video interview request.
Something shifted. The camera changed everything. Not because I wasn’t qualified or prepared, but because video interviews create a specific kind of energy demand that most career advice completely misses.
Video interviews aren’t just phone interviews with pictures. They’re a distinct format that affects introverts differently than in-person or phone conversations. Understanding why helps you prepare more effectively and conserve energy where it matters most.
Developing professional communication skills matters across all career stages, and our Career Skills & Professional Development hub covers the full range of workplace competencies. Video interviews, though, require specific preparation that goes beyond general interview skills.
What Makes Video Different from Phone or In-Person
Video interviews sit in an uncomfortable middle ground. You’re physically alone but performing for an audience. You can see yourself while trying to focus on the interviewer. The technical layer adds cognitive load that doesn’t exist in other formats.
A 2021 study from Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab identifies this phenomenon as “Zoom fatigue,” finding that introverts experience the cognitive drain more intensely than extroverts. The constant self-view creates what researchers call “mirror anxiety,” where you’re simultaneously the performer and the audience.
In my agency years, I conducted hundreds of interviews across all three formats. Video consistently showed the biggest gap between candidate quality and interview performance. Strong professionals who excelled in person often struggled on camera, not from lack of skill but from the unique energy demand of the format.
The Technical Layer Drains Energy Before You Start
Connection issues. Audio delays. Frozen screens. Each technical problem pulls focus from the conversation itself.
Test everything 24 hours before the interview. Not 30 minutes before. Not the morning of. A full day ahead gives you time to solve problems without panic.
Check your internet speed at the time your interview is scheduled. Bandwidth varies throughout the day. Run the speed test during the same hour you’ll interview to know what to expect.
Close every unnecessary program. Email, Slack, social media, automatic updates. Each running application competes for processing power and bandwidth. You want zero competition for system resources during your interview.
Position your camera at eye level. Stack books under your laptop if needed. Looking down at the camera creates an unflattering angle and makes maintaining eye contact harder. Eye-level positioning feels more natural and requires less energy to maintain.
Controlling Your Environment
Background matters more than most people realize. Research from the University of North Carolina found that cluttered backgrounds increase viewer cognitive load by 23%. Your interviewer isn’t consciously noticing your background, but their brain is processing it.
Choose a neutral background. Wall, bookshelf, or curtain. Avoid windows behind you unless you can control the light. Natural light is excellent when it’s in front of you, not behind.
Sound control requires as much attention as video. Close your door. Silence your phone completely. Ask household members to avoid the area. Background noise that feels minor to you registers much louder through your microphone.
The Self-View Problem
Seeing yourself while speaking isn’t natural. In normal conversation, you never see your own face. Video platforms force this constant self-monitoring.
Hide your self-view. Most platforms allow this. You’ll still transmit video to the interviewer, but you won’t see yourself. Eliminating your self-view reduces the cognitive load significantly.
When I stopped looking at my own video feed, my interview performance improved immediately. Energy that went toward monitoring my appearance shifted to focusing on the conversation. The interviewer noticed the difference. Hiding your self-view reduces the cognitive load significantly.
Look at the camera, not the screen. Looking at the camera creates eye contact from the interviewer’s perspective. Mark your camera with a small sticker to help your eyes find it naturally. Practice this before your interview until it feels automatic.
Energy Management Strategies
Video interviews drain energy faster than phone or in-person conversations. Plan for this reality rather than fighting it.
Schedule recovery time immediately after. Block your calendar for at least 30 minutes post-interview. No meetings, no calls, no decisions. Recovery isn’t optional for sustained professional performance.
Take notes during the interview. Note-taking serves two purposes: it captures important information and gives you periodic breaks from direct eye contact. Write down key points, questions you want to ask, or interesting details they mention.
Position a glass of water within reach but off-camera. Taking a sip provides a natural pause when you need to collect your thoughts. The pause feels normal to the interviewer and gives you a moment to reset.
Pre-Interview Preparation
Standard interview preparation applies: research the company, prepare questions, review your relevant experience. Video adds specific preparation requirements on top of these basics.
Record yourself answering common interview questions. Watch the playback with sound off. Notice your body language, hand movements, and facial expressions. Most people discover they move more than they realize or maintain less eye contact than they think. Harvard Business Review research on video communication shows that self-awareness through recording improves on-camera presence by up to 35%.
Practice with the actual platform. Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and other platforms have different interfaces. Familiarity with the specific tool reduces cognitive load during the interview. Know where the mute button is, how to share your screen if needed, and how to troubleshoot basic problems.
Many introverts discover that recognizing red flags during the interview process saves energy later. Pay attention to how the interviewer conducts the video call. Their technical preparedness and respect for your time often reflect the company culture.
Body Language on Camera
Camera framing changes how body language translates. Gestures that work in person can look exaggerated on video. Expressions that feel natural can appear muted on screen.
Sit slightly forward. Leaning back creates distance. Leaning too far forward appears aggressive. Find the middle ground where you look engaged without invading the space.
Keep your hands visible. Hands below the frame make you appear closed off. Hands constantly moving distract from your message. Rest them on the desk or hold a pen to give them purpose.
Nod occasionally to show active listening. Video can flatten your engagement signals. A nod confirms you’re following the conversation and processing what’s being said. Research published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies found that visual feedback becomes 40% more important in video conversations compared to in-person interactions.
Managing the Conversation Flow
Audio delays create awkward pauses. Someone starts to speak, stops, waits. These micro-interruptions disrupt natural conversation rhythm.
Pause slightly longer before responding. The extra beat feels uncomfortable at first but creates cleaner transitions on video. The extra pause prevents the overlapping speech that makes video conversations frustrating.
Signal when you’ve finished speaking. A slight nod or “Those are my thoughts on that” gives the interviewer clear permission to respond. Video removes many subtle cues that indicate turn-taking in conversation.
Professionals often find that having specific scripts reduces the energy drain of handling difficult conversations. The same principle applies to video interviews. Prepare specific phrases for common situations: technical difficulties, needing clarification, or asking your prepared questions.
The Advantage Nobody Mentions
Video interviews offer one significant benefit: you control the environment completely.
In-person interviews require managing unfamiliar spaces, unexpected interactions, and unpredictable elements. Phone interviews eliminate visual cues. Video sits in the middle, giving you environmental control while maintaining visual connection.
Position notes strategically. Place key points, questions, or reminders around your screen where you can reference them naturally. This isn’t cheating, it’s using the format’s strengths.
Control the lighting to your advantage. Face a window or position a lamp to illuminate your face evenly. Good lighting makes you appear more alert and engaged without requiring additional energy.
Choose your most comfortable chair. Nobody sees below your waist. Comfortable seating reduces physical strain during longer interviews. Some professionals even stand for short interviews, finding it helps with energy and vocal projection.
When Technical Issues Happen
Plan for problems. Connection drops, audio fails, or video freezes. Your response matters more than the issue itself.
Have a backup plan. Keep your phone handy with the interviewer’s number or email. Know how to quickly restart your computer if needed. These preparations reduce panic when problems occur.
Stay calm if something breaks. Technology fails. Interviewers understand this. How you handle the disruption shows problem-solving ability and composure under pressure.
One client interview began with their video platform crashing. Instead of panicking, I suggested we switch to their backup option while their IT team investigated. The interviewer later mentioned that my calm response to the technical issue impressed them as much as my answers to their questions.
Post-Interview Recovery
Video interviews extract a specific kind of energy. Recovery looks different than after phone or in-person interviews.
Close your eyes for five minutes immediately after. The screen time compounds throughout the interview. Giving your eyes a break helps prevent the headache that often follows extended video calls. Research from Psychology Today shows that even brief visual rest periods significantly reduce post-video fatigue.
Move your body. Stand up, stretch, walk around. Video interviews require physical stillness that feels unnatural. Movement helps release the tension that builds from sitting stationary.
Process the interview later, not immediately. Your brain needs recovery time before you can accurately assess your performance. Wait at least an hour before reviewing how it went or deciding what you should have said differently.
Understanding how authority develops without constant self-promotion helps put interview performance in perspective. A single video interview doesn’t define your professional capability. It’s one data point in a longer career narrative.
The Reality of Modern Hiring
Video interviews are now standard. Remote work normalized them. Companies use them for efficiency. A McKinsey study found that 70% of organizations now conduct initial interviews via video, a practice that’s become permanent rather than pandemic-driven. Fighting this reality wastes energy.
Accept the format. Master the technical elements. Prepare for the specific demands. Video interviewing is a learnable skill, not an innate talent.
Each video interview improves your performance in the next one. The first few feel awkward. The camera seems intrusive. Your timing feels off. These difficulties fade with practice.
Record practice sessions. Review them critically. Notice what works and what doesn’t. This self-analysis accelerates improvement more than repeated interviews without reflection.
Consider that career security increasingly depends on adapting to new formats. Video interviewing represents one shift among many. Professionals who resist format changes limit their opportunities.
Making Video Work for You
Video interviews aren’t going away. They’re becoming more common, not less. Companies appreciate the efficiency. Candidates in different locations can interview without travel. The format serves practical purposes.
Focus on what you can control: your environment, your preparation, your technical setup, and your recovery strategy. These elements matter more than natural camera presence or extroverted energy.
The camera doesn’t change who you are or what you know. It changes how you communicate that knowledge. Understanding this distinction helps you prepare effectively rather than trying to transform your personality for an interview format.
Video interviews favor preparation over improvisation. This works to your advantage. Use the format’s structure to showcase your strengths rather than fighting against elements you can’t change.
Explore more career development resources in our complete Career Skills & Professional Development Hub.
About the Author
Keith Lacy is an introvert who’s learned to embrace his true self later in life. With a background in marketing and a successful career in media and advertising, Keith has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands. As a senior leader in the industry, he has built a wealth of knowledge in marketing strategy. Now, he’s on a mission to educate both introverts and extroverts about the power of introversion and how understanding this personality trait can unlock new levels of productivity, self-awareness, and success.
