It is here that I would encourage you to work out the ‘Top 5’ attributes that you are seeking from your next role / employer and then use this list to assess opportunities as they arise.

 

Under 30 min commute  
This should be an easy one to assess by confirming the location of the company and if you can get there within 30 mins by walking, public transport or by driving. 

Flexibility  
Firstly work out what flexibility means to you. Is it the ability to work your own hours e.g. early start / early finish? Or is it being able to work from home where business needs allow for it? Once you know the answer, you can ask the employer whether they can offer you the flexibility you are seeking.

Professional development
This can take many forms such as formal education/qualifications, on the job training, a mentor or job shadowing. Work out what gaps you have or skills you want to acquire, and find out if your potential employer is able to support and facilitate that.

Structured career path
Knowing that you’re working towards your next step/promotion can be really motivating so ensure that an organisation can provide this for you. Find out about their current team(s), who has progressed their career, what steps were involved and what timeframes applied. Ask if they have a formal succession plan in place for their senior roles.  

Positive culture 
This can be a tricky one as culture means different things to different people. You can ask your interviewers about how they define and measure the culture of their business which should provide a good insight into their cultural objectives and how closely aligned they are to yours. Make sure to ask about average tenure of staff as this is a good indicator of how employees feel about working there.

IN SUMMARY:

One of the best things about working from home is being able to dress more casually. There is probably no need for a suit, tie clip and shoes but do put on professional clean clothing and check your appearance in the mirror before your video meeting begins.
Tip: if you are wearing activewear shorts, make sure you ‘leave meeting’ before standing up!

 

Ideally, you’ll be in a room by yourself where you can close the door. If this isn’t possible, find a room with limited foot flow through it. Depending on your situation, it could be worth explaining to roommates, spouses, children or pets that you’ll be participating in a work meeting and asking them to keep the noise (and barks) down to a minimum. The best background for video meetings is a relatively blank one that won’t be distracting. 

 

If you can’t find a quiet place, most virtual formats allow you to enter meetings on mute. During the meeting, when you’re not speaking, mute the microphone so people can talk without hearing background noises. Also, if there are numerous people on a call, by muting your microphone it can also allow for better signal to prevent a lag…. and… people… sounding… like… robots!

 

During online meetings, speak clearer and slower than usual. There is nothing worse than you speaking for a few minutes with some William Shakespeare-esque monologue, only for nobody to understand you.

 

Internet speed quality can vary from your location to strength of mobile/wifi connection. Keep in mind that there’s often a short delay when someone talks, so pause after asking a question or listening to someone’s response. It’s all too easy to inadvertently interrupt other speakers. 

 

In times like this where solitary isolation is common, it is important to display empathy and to connect as human beings not just in a professional capacity. A simple question of ‘how are you coping?’ can help people open up.

 

Good virtual meeting etiquette means resisting the temptation to check the news, social media or your email inbox. It’s clear when a participant isn’t paying attention during a video meeting and it’s distracting for others in the meeting. Also, while you are at home it may be convenient for you to eat but please don’t! Save the snacks for later, as you would do in a normal face to face meeting.

 

If you join the meeting on a mobile phone, try to avoid walking around as it can be off putting to others. If people see you shuffling around your house, trying to step over children’s toys and then falling over, it will detract from the topic being discussed and people on the call will be distracted. Sorry, what were we talking about?

 

In conclusion; this is a new situation for everybody and most people have had more virtual meetings in the last few months than they would ever have had in their whole career. Start using these pointers in your virtual meetings and wow your colleagues or interviewers. If there are hiccups, just remember that this is new for most of us. We are all in this together!