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SONRU ONLINE

INTERVIEW GUIDE

Sonru Online Interview Guide

https://candidates.sonru.com/nuigalway/interviews Pg. 2 of 13

Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................. 3

Preparation ............................................................................................. 3

7 Tips to Video Interviews ...................................................................... 4

SONRU System Guide .......................................................................... 6

https://candidates.sonru.com/nuigalway/interviews



Introduction

Sonru is the platform that is used for the video interview Reflection element of the

Employability Award. It will give you a random question, give you 30 seconds to prepare and

then start recording for your answer. You will have a maximum of 2 minutes for each answer.

Refer to the SONRU System Guide section below for pictures on how to go through the Sonru

Process screens. The last question of the interview asks if you have any more information you

would like to add that would make you a good candidate for this position. This is the last

chance to sell yourself to the employer for your skills and previous experience that are relevant

to the role.

In preparation for the interview, go to LinkedIn or another relevant career site and choose a

graduate position in your field. This will be the job you are applying for. Aim your answers

towards this role. Be honest about your experience and relevant work experience for the role

(don’t claim you have 30 years’ experience as a CEO of PayPal) because the interviewer will

have a copy of your CV for the assessment.

Sonru has a review feature for your answers after the interview. We recommend you watch it

back to review your performance and use it to increase your self-awareness skills. Just like in

the Employability Workshop, ask yourself would you hire yourself for this position? And if not,

what would you say or do differently?

Contact SONRU Customer Service for any technicality issues

(https://support.sonru.com)

The Career Development Centre and the Employability Award do not run the Sonru system

and cannot resolve any technical issues. The Sonru customer service is very responsive and

can handle any queries. Please do not hesitate to contact them if you experience any technical

difficulties.

Preparation

• Ensure your WiFi connection is secure and stable.

• Make sure the camera is at eye level when you are sitting up straight (no selfie angles,

just passport profiles). Prop the laptop/camera up with something if needed.

• Sit at a desk or table preferably with a blank or solid colour wall behind you.

• Dress well with a head-to-toe full interview outfit. Getting dressed up specifically for

this will put you in an interview frame of mind. Avoid wearing bright colours or black if

you can because the camera will try to auto adjust based on your surroundings, and

this could cause the camera to wash you out in the recording. You want the interviewer

to focus on your words not the visuals.

• Sit in an empty, well-lit room with little to no ambient noise (this means no parties next

door or someone barging in looking for a phone charger).

• Position a light in front of you. Not shining in your eyes but not casting shadows on

your face. A well-lit room with a light positioned overhead but in front of you is the best

set-up.


https://support.sonru.com/



• You can book rooms in the Library or Career Development Centre to do the online

interview if you do not have another suitable place.

(Library: https://nuigalway.libcal.com/ , CDC:

https://nuig.gradireland.com/student/home.html)

• The Sonru system has a practice round. Before you begin this round, it is best to

perform the camera and microphone checks. If you have any technical issues, please

contact SONRU (https://support.sonru.com).

7 Tips to Video Interviews:

Tip 1: Direction.

Keep in mind what job or position you are applying for. The key skills or attributes that are

needed for the role will be listed on the job position, so try to direct the conversation towards

your strong points that are specifically relevant to that role. Subtlety is the key here. Answer

the question that is asked, but keep the role in mind so that you can target your answers

specifically to that role.

Tip 2: Eye contact.

Making eye contact is always good advice for any interview (in person or video). The trick to

doing this in a video interview is simply to look directly at the camera, not your screen. Don’t

stare at the camera, just glance away every 10 seconds or so like you would if your interview

was face-to-face. One suggestion is to put googly eyes on either side of the camera. That

might be a bit too distracting, but it does help with Tip 3!

Tip 3: Smile.

Remind yourself to smile at the beginning and end of each answer. Smiling promotes positive

feedback and shows your interest in the role. If you don’t, you may come across as not wanting

the role.

Tip 4: Voice.

In your checks, you should record yourself a couple of times, so you know how you are coming

across with your answers. Keep practising until you are comfortable and your voice does not

waiver or break.

Tip 5: Water.

Have a glass of water (not bottle) next to your set-up that is easily reachable. You should

always accept water when offered it at an interview because it shows you are comfortable in

the environment and being able to take a sip while formulating your words for a question is

always advantageous.

Tip 6: Posture.

Sit up straight and head held high. This promotes confidence in your body and the interviewer

will see you as an equal from the start. It is also just good for your back.


https://nuigalway.libcal.com/

https://nuig.gradireland.com/student/home.html

https://support.sonru.com/



Tip 7: Nerves.

We do not expect you to have a lot of experience with video interviews, which is why we put

a video interview into the Employability Award. Just do your best and try to keep calm.

Approximately 20% of companies use online video interviews as a precursor for the interview

process or as the role interview itself, so it is very beneficial to gain experience now. The

practice questions before the interview should show you how the system works and settle any

nerves.




SONRU System Guide

Once you get the interview invite, click on the link, and the link will send you to this page. Sign

in with your student email password. You can also do the interview over a mobile device with

the Sonru app. The email will contain a code you can use for the app.

Information page provided. 1 introductory question, 2 strength-based questions, 2

competency-based questions and 1 general question.




If your Adobe Flash player is not enabled for every page, then just click this icon if it appears

and allow access to run.

Click allow for Camera and Microphone access for your computer.




Click Start the Tests to continue.

Goes through Bandwidth, Audio and Video Tests.




For the audio test, check your levels. Speak in a normal voice in the position you are going to

be sitting in for the interview. Change the audio level until your normal speaking voice registers

in green during the test.

The video test will check your camera. (All aspects of this set up are good except for the child

running into the room and interrupting the live TV interview).




The next step is the practice rounds of the interview.

They ask 2 practice questions to prepare you for the process. None of these two recordings

is shared with anyone. You can review them after, so practice your composure, eye contact,

and smile. Reviewing your answers after allows you to see objectively how you are sounding

to a prospective interviewer.




You can enable or disable hints for this section.

This is how the times appear at the top of the screen in the middle. For each question, you

have 30 seconds to read the questions and prepare your answers, and then 2 minutes to

answer.




This is the most important hint given based on previous student feedback. If you want to start

your answer sooner or stop the recording earlier, then click this button. If you have answered

the question to the best of your ability without rambling, then click this button to move on. Do

not cut off every question short to be done earlier since the interviewer will see this, and it may

reflect poorly on your performance if the answers are not detailed enough.

Once you have completed the interview, you will be able to review your answers. This is

beneficial to the learning experience of the process. Watch to assess yourself on how you

came across. Did you answer the question asked, and would you hire yourself for the job?




This is the format of the review. But you will not be able to go back and edit any of the answers

you have given.

Good Luck!


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