Hi, this is Stephanie Maas, partner with Thinking Ahead Search. It seems kind of crazy to me that I'm having to talk about this subject, but after a conversation I had last week, I realized that this still needs to be addressed. Specifically what I need to talk about today is proper zoom. Or teams or whatever video platform you use, etiquette.
I was having a funny conversation today about a hiring manager who had a, it wasn't a final interview, but let's say it was maybe a second or third interview and they shared with me, Hey, I, I just wanna talk through with you, what do you think is proper etiquette for these video calls? And I said, gosh, sure. Okay. I mean, we talked a lot about this when COVID first hit and everybody went to these things, but okay.
The hiring manager then went on to explain that in the middle of this video interview, the candidate ate lunch. It was not a lunch interview, and it was actually a snack while they were on the golf course. Now look. I am as pretty much laid back as it comes nowadays with video calls. I've got a lot going on. I work from home. I have three kids. The likelihood of you getting me in yoga pants and a t-shirt and a ponytail, I honestly don't care who you are.
That's probably who you're gonna see of me on video. However, if I was interviewing for a job, I can guarantee you now I still might show up in that t-shirt and yoga pants. But my hair probably wouldn't be in a ponytail and I feel pretty confident I wouldn't be eating and I certainly wouldn't be calling from the golf course. I know we're all busy and we have certainly become way more relaxed in business, and I think that is a great thing. But at the same time, if you're interviewing.
Even if it's your second or third interview, there's probably some basic etiquette you should adhere to.