Virtual Interview Tips for Veterans: Video Calls
Why Are Virtual Interviews Different for Veterans?
Virtual interviews are now standard across most industries. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the majority of first-round interviews in 2025 were conducted over video. For veterans transitioning out of the military, this means your first impression happens through a webcam, not a handshake.
The challenge for veterans is specific. You are already translating military experience into civilian language, managing the stress of career transition, and learning new professional norms. Adding a technology layer on top of that creates new variables: camera angles, lighting, microphone quality, background distractions, and the awkward eye contact dynamics of looking at a camera lens instead of a face.
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But virtual interviews also offer advantages that in-person interviews do not. You can have notes on screen without the interviewer seeing them. You can control your environment completely. You can interview with companies across the country without travel costs. Veterans who prepare for the format specifically tend to perform better than those who just wing the technology side and focus only on their answers.
Virtual Is Now the Default First Round
Even companies that prefer in-person interviews for final rounds typically start with a virtual phone screen or video interview. Expect at least one virtual touchpoint in every hiring process, regardless of industry or location.
How Do You Set Up Your Space for a Video Interview?
Your environment communicates as much as your words. A messy background, bad lighting, or a barking dog mid-sentence can derail an otherwise strong interview. Set up your interview space at least 24 hours before the call so you have time to fix problems.
Camera Position and Framing
Position your camera at eye level. If you are using a laptop on a desk, stack it on books or a laptop stand until the camera is even with your eyes. Looking down into a laptop camera from above creates an unflattering angle and makes it look like you are talking down to the interviewer. Looking up into a camera mounted too high makes you appear small.
Frame yourself from the chest up. You want your face and upper body visible, with a small amount of space above your head. Too close and you are all forehead. Too far away and you look distant and disconnected. Think of a professional headshot framing, then zoom out slightly to include your shoulders and upper chest.
Lighting
Face a window or a lamp. Natural light from a window in front of you is the best option. If you do not have a window in the right position, a desk lamp behind your monitor pointed at your face works well. The key rule: light should hit your face from the front, not from behind. A window behind you turns you into a silhouette. Overhead lighting alone creates harsh shadows under your eyes.
Test your lighting on camera before the interview. Open your video app and look at yourself. If you can clearly see your face without shadows obscuring your features, you are good. If your face looks dark or washed out, adjust the lamp position or close blinds behind you.
Background
A clean, simple background is ideal. A plain wall, a bookshelf, or a tidy home office all work. Remove anything distracting or personal that could create an unintended impression: piles of laundry, political posters, beer signs, or anything you would not want a hiring manager to see.
Virtual backgrounds can work if your internet connection is strong and your computer handles them well. But a glitchy virtual background that flickers around your head is worse than a slightly messy real background. If you use one, test it beforehand on a call with a friend to make sure it looks smooth.
1 Camera at Eye Level
2 Light Your Face
3 Clean Your Background
4 Test Audio and Internet
5 Eliminate Interruptions
How Do You Handle Eye Contact on a Video Call?
Eye contact on video is counterintuitive. To make eye contact with the interviewer, you need to look at the camera lens, not at their face on the screen. Looking at their face on the screen makes it appear to them like you are looking slightly down or to the side. Looking at the camera lens creates the illusion of direct eye contact.
This feels unnatural because you cannot see the person's reactions while looking at the camera. The trick is to alternate. Look at the camera when you are speaking (especially for the first few sentences of each answer) and look at the screen when they are talking so you can read their body language and facial expressions.
Place a small sticky note with an arrow right next to your webcam as a reminder to look at the lens. After a few minutes of practice, the alternating pattern becomes more natural. Record yourself on a test call and play it back. You will immediately see the difference between camera-eye contact and screen-staring.
Minimize the interview window and position it as close to your webcam as possible. On most laptops, this means dragging the Zoom or Teams window to the top of your screen. This reduces the gap between where you are looking (the screen) and where you should be looking (the camera), making natural eye contact easier.
Staring at the interviewer's face on screen the entire time. To them, it looks like you are looking down or away. Reading notes placed on a second monitor to the side creates the same problem.
Looking at the camera lens when speaking, then glancing at the screen when listening. Keep the meeting window near the webcam to minimize the gap. Place notes just below the camera.
What Technology Prep Should You Do Before the Call?
Technology failures during a virtual interview are preventable. Every single one. The veterans who have the smoothest virtual interviews are the ones who did a technical rehearsal at least 24 hours in advance.
Download and install the video platform before interview day. Whether it is Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or WebEx, install it in advance and create a test meeting to verify it works. Do not wait until five minutes before the interview to discover you need a software update or that your browser does not support the platform.
Test your microphone and speakers. Join a test meeting and record yourself speaking. Play it back. Is the audio clear? Can you hear yourself without static, echo, or background hum? If your built-in laptop microphone sounds bad, a $25 USB microphone is a worthwhile investment. Clear audio makes you sound more professional and ensures the interviewer does not miss your answers.
Use a wired internet connection if possible. WiFi works fine most of the time, but it can drop or lag at the worst moment. An ethernet cable plugged directly into your router eliminates that risk. If you must use WiFi, sit as close to the router as possible and make sure no one else in the household is streaming video or downloading large files during your interview.
Close every application and browser tab you do not need. Email notifications popping up on screen are distracting. Slack messages dinging in the background are unprofessional. Your computer running slowly because 47 Chrome tabs are eating your RAM can cause video lag. Close everything except the video platform and any notes you need to reference.
How Do You Use Notes Without Looking Like You Are Reading?
One of the biggest advantages of virtual interviews is that you can have notes on screen. The interviewer cannot see what is on your screen. But there is a difference between having bullet points to glance at and reading a script word for word. Interviewers can tell when you are reading. Your speech pattern changes, your eyes move in a reading motion, and your delivery sounds flat.
Create bullet-point notes, not full sentences. For each potential question, write four to five key words that trigger your memory for the full STAR story. "Supply chain / 200 units / tracking system / 40% reduction" is enough to keep you on track without turning into a teleprompter situation.
Place your notes directly below your webcam or in a small window just below the camera. This way, when you glance at them, your eyes only move slightly downward rather than darting to the side. The movement is subtle and looks like normal eye behavior rather than reading from a script.
Practice with your notes before the interview. Run through your prepared answers using just the bullet points as triggers. If you cannot remember the story from the bullet points alone, add one or two more keywords. But never write out full paragraphs. The temptation to read them word for word is too strong, and it always shows.
Having a well-prepared set of veteran interview question answers already developed means your notes are just memory triggers, not scripts you are seeing for the first time.
"I built BMR specifically because my own transition was a mess. I spent 18 months applying to jobs with a generic resume and getting nowhere. One thing I learned the hard way: virtual interviews reward preparation more than personality. The veterans who set up their tech, practice their notes, and control their environment consistently outperform those who just show up and talk."
What Should You Wear for a Virtual Interview?
Dress the same way you would for an in-person interview, at least from the waist up. Yes, there are jokes about wearing pajama pants below the camera. But if you need to stand up for any reason, a delivery at the door, a pet emergency, or a technical issue that requires moving, you do not want to be caught in shorts and a dress shirt.
Solid colors look best on camera. Avoid busy patterns, thin stripes, and small checks because they can create a visual distortion called a moire effect on webcams. Navy, charcoal, dark green, and muted blue are safe choices. White shirts can wash you out if your lighting is bright, so light blue is often a better option.
Your LinkedIn profile photo should align with your interview presentation. If a recruiter checks your LinkedIn before or after the video call, consistency between your online presence and your interview appearance builds trust.
How Do You Handle Technical Problems During the Call?
Technical issues happen to everyone. What matters is how you handle them. Panicking or getting visibly frustrated signals that you do not handle unexpected problems well. Staying calm and addressing the issue directly signals professionalism.
If your audio cuts out, type in the chat: "I apologize, my audio seems to have dropped. Let me reconnect." Then leave the meeting and rejoin. Most platforms resolve audio issues on reconnection. If video freezes, turn off your camera for 30 seconds to reduce bandwidth load, then turn it back on.
If your internet connection fails completely, have a backup plan ready. Before the interview, save the interviewer's email address or phone number. If you lose connection, immediately email or call them: "I apologize for the technical difficulty. My internet dropped. Can we reconnect, or would you prefer to reschedule?" Having a plan for failure removes the stress of failure.
If your phone has a strong cellular connection, keep it charged and nearby as a backup device. You can join most video platforms from a mobile app. The experience is not ideal, but it is better than missing the interview entirely. Let the interviewer know you are switching to your phone and that the video quality may be different.
The best defense against technical problems is prevention. A wired internet connection, a tested microphone, updated software, and a closed-door room eliminate 90 percent of potential issues before they happen.
Key Takeaway
Virtual interviews reward preparation over personality. Set up your camera at eye level, face a light source, clean your background, and test your tech 24 hours before. Use bullet-point notes placed near your camera, look at the lens when speaking, and dress professionally from head to toe. Control every variable you can, and the interview itself becomes the easy part.
After the interview, make sure you follow up properly — see our interview follow-up guide for veterans.
Practice with BMR: Try the free Interview Preparation tool to get AI-powered practice questions tailored to your target role.
Frequently Asked Questions
QShould I use a virtual background for video interviews?
QWhere should I look during a video interview?
QWhat do I do if my internet drops during an interview?
QCan I have notes during a virtual interview?
QWhat should I wear for a virtual interview?
QHow early should I log in to a video interview?
QDo I need special equipment for virtual interviews?
QHow do I handle a panel interview on video?
About the Author
Brad Tachi is the CEO and founder of Best Military Resume and a 2025 Military Friendly Vetrepreneur of the Year award recipient for overseas excellence. A former U.S. Navy Diver with over 20 years of combined military, private sector, and federal government experience, Brad brings unparalleled expertise to help veterans and military service members successfully transition to rewarding civilian careers. Having personally navigated the military-to-civilian transition, Brad deeply understands the challenges veterans face and specializes in translating military experience into compelling resumes that capture the attention of civilian employers. Through Best Military Resume, Brad has helped thousands of service members land their dream jobs by providing expert resume writing, career coaching, and job search strategies tailored specifically for the veteran community.
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