5 objects to put in-frame during a Zoom interview to send a message

Virtual interviews can be incredibly stressful, mostly because they allow hiring managers a glimpse into our private personalities and lives. While most people consider virtual interviews more convenient than in-person interviews, they can also make some feel vulnerable by letting prospective employers into their homes, personal lives, and creative spaces. 

Here’s a list of items to keep in-frame for virtual job interviews that can help take some of the pressure off your next interview.

A real background

The most important factor in your Zoom meeting is your background. Aside from your hygiene and basic presentation, it’s highly recommended — for a job interview, at least — to have a real background behind you. As much as adding an underwater theme to your Zoom calls might be fun, a virtual job interview isn’t the best time to use one.   

A person’s workspace can say an awful lot about them. Basic clues from your space can help a hiring manager make an eventual hiring decision. While having a clean space is optimal, having a blank background can make the interviewer feel like you have something to hide. Work with what you have, whether it’s a desk, a quiet room in your living space, or a patio. Any of those are great settings to conduct a virtual interview. Make sure you feel comfortable in your space, too — you’ll be more relaxed during your interview.

Subtle sky blue

Perhaps Zoom interview preparations should begin with the same traditional English rhyme that recommends what a bride should wear at her wedding: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” 

Not only does having a good luck charm with you (borrowed or old) help bring a sense of calm to the entire interaction, but bright light, clean lines, and a hint of blue could do you some good.

Many people use blue in their brand to convey a sense of reliability, honesty, and assurance. This seems to stem from the calm people experience when viewing the color blue. 

“This color stands true to its appearance,” the Times of India wrote. “Peaceful, calm and gentle, blue has tremendous power to manage stress. It’s a very soothing color that helps calm your mind, slow down your heart rate, lower your blood pressure and reduce anxiety. Blue is believed to have a cooling and astringent effect.” 

In a nutshell, blue is comforting and seems to foster positive feelings in the person seeing it.

Books

Though book titles are rarely noticeable when in-frame during a Zoom call, the presence of books and continuing education material can make a job candidate look good during a virtual job interview. 

In-frame books can help a hiring manager see you have a degree of interest in reading. Books — or better, a bookcase — suggest you’re intelligent and serious. If the interviewer asks about the books behind you — or about your favorite author — you can potentially have that material in-frame to point to.  

If the interviewer can see the titles and authors on your in-frame books, you may want to select books that directly impact or benefit the role you’re applying for. 

For example, if you’re vying for a position in marketing, nab a couple SEO books to place behind you in-frame. If you happen to know if the CEO who’s interviewing you has a favorite author or book, it could be helpful to have that book or a book by that author in-frame, just in case.

Books — fiction or nonfiction -— can be a testament to your level of empathy. 

They allow you to dive into them to escape and learn about other people and ways of doing things. 

People with libraries — big or small — seek more than just an average amount of information, and that can be an encouraging sign to a hiring manager.

Plants

Hands down, plants are an incredible way to spruce up your in-frame space during your interview. (Yes, pun absolutely intended.) 

The greenery allows anyone you’re meeting with to see that you have basic care skills, enjoy clean air, and like nature. Plants are great conversation starters — maybe you like to bring the outdoors inside because you prefer being indoors? Plants simply elevate whatever space they are in.

That said, be sure to buy plants that bring you absolute joy. 

If you don’t love the harsh, thick, standing leaves of a snake plant, don’t bother with it. 

If you’re someone who can’t adhere to a plant-watering schedule, stick to cacti and succulents. Here’s a handy dandy guide to the best plants to keep in your office space, according to your zodiac sign. We’re partial to monsteras, parlor palms, and trailing plants to frame the space.

Lights

Even if you aren’t spending a lot of time in your space at night, lighting can be a key component of your interview. If the lighting facing you in your workspace is dull, it can make you look like a shadow of yourself. You don’t have to get a ring light to conduct meetings, but ensuring there’s quality lighting in the room, and angling it correctly, makes the experience seem more professional and could set you up for success. Lightbulbs and fixtures that throw yellow-tinted light are not suggested for interviews.

Any ambient lighting (e.g., salt lamps, desk lamps, string lights, lanterns, lighting fixtures) that’s in-frame should be coordinated with your office space’s decor. If the lighting makes the space look less professional — we all have kitschy items hanging around our homes — put them away for the interview so they aren’t a distraction. Penn State’s School of Public Policy actually has a pretty great guide to the virtual interview process that involves suggestions for lighting specifications.

No matter what you do with your space, ensure it’s inviting and devoid of clutter. Try not to have your clothing clash with any colors in-frame, and do what you can to ensure a positive visual experience for everyone involved. After all, a first impression like this could land you that job you’ve had your eye on.

Virtual interviews can be incredibly stressful, mostly because they allow hiring managers a glimpse into our personalities and lives. While they’re much more convenient for most, there is a vulnerability aspect to letting people into your creative space. Come prepared with items in-frame to take some of the pressure off your interview.

A real background

Let’s address the most important factor in your zoom meeting first, even though it isn’t necessarily an item. Aside from your hygiene and basic presentation, it is highly recommended – for an interview, at the very least – to have a real background behind you. As much as adding an underwater theme to your calls might be this, unfortunately, isn’t the place to do it. 

A person’s workspace can say so much about them, and basic clues from your space could help the hiring manager make their decision later on down the road. While clean space is certainly optimal, setting a blank background can also make the interviewer feel like you have something to hide. Working with what you have, a desk, quiet room in your living space, or even a patio would be great settings to conduct an interview. Make sure you feel comfortable in the space, as that will reflect through the experience.