It's linda Rainer of linda rainer dot com guiding you to a career in life you'll truly enjoy.

And today I'm going to dive in and talk to you about how you can look good on video calls and feel confident when you are either in a work meeting through video call or you're interviewing.

So let's get to it.

Mhm mm hmm.

As a career strategist, I have had the honor of being able to help numerous ambitious corporate professionals to land their dream job offers.

So if this is something that you're interested in working with me one on one, I can give you details about that at the end of this video.

Nowadays, many of us are faced with the situation where we have to work remotely work from home and as a result, we're having to do a lot more video calls to have meetings with our coworkers or if we're looking for a job, we're interviewing with recruiters and hiring managers, but it's all done via the web.

So whether it's Skype or facetime or zoom or google hangouts, whatever platform it is I am wanting to share with you my best tips on how you can look your best on camera during video calls so that you can set the best impression.

Now, this is a pretty in depth video because I'm gonna be touching on all aspects the camera angle on your face and hair, on the background, on the lighting, on the sound and all those other things.

So let's get to it.

So first, let's talk about the camera itself that you're gonna be using when it comes to video calls.

You don't need a high end crazy special camera.

The camera that's on your laptop should be good enough.

If not then I do recommend getting a separate plug in webcam that you can use.

Such as a logitech webcam so that the quality of the camera is a little bit higher.

It's more sharper and helps you to look more professional now besides the camera equipment.

The other next important thing is the angle that your camera is on.

So one thing that you really want to keep in mind and that I've seen a lot of people make the mistake of is they place their laptop cameras or their webcam cameras too far below their face.

And so what ends up happening is they end up looking down every single time that they're in a meeting or that they're interviewing.

And that creates the double chin effect.

You want to have your camera at eye level to you so that when you're talking to your colleague or to the recruiter or hiring manager it looks as though you're just talking to them face to face.

Let's say at a coffee shop and you're both seeing each other eye to eye.

So what I mean there is that you should place your laptop or your camera on top of a stack of books if you can place it on something so that the camera itself is eye level to you.

Now the next aspect to the camera and the camera angle is how you're going to appear once you turn on that camera so you want to make sure that when you're talking to your colleagues or coworkers that you're actually looking either at them on the screen or you're looking right at the camera itself, don't make the mistake of looking at yourself.

I've seen that happen where people end up looking at themselves throughout the entire time that they're talking and it's very obvious that you're looking at yourself and also it causes you to lose focus of what you're trying to say.

So focus on either the camera itself.

So it makes it look as though you really are looking at your coworker or your recruiter or hiring manager or looking at the person just on the screen.

So really try to focus your energy on who you're looking at.

And that will help with whatever it is that you're trying to communicate.

The next area of discussion when it comes to looking good on video calls is lighting.

So when it comes to lighting, you want to make sure that you're sitting in front of a nice big open window rather than sitting in a dark, dingy room.

So the lighting is really, really key here.

First of all, you want light to be in front of your face coming at you so that it illuminates your face and it illuminates the background behind you, you do not want to have any harsh lamps that are.

I've seen it before, where people have their table lamps sitting on their desk and then they turn that on and that's the only thing that they have on.

And so it's just illuminating only one side and it makes you look harsh and almost creepy.

So you don't want that, you want good lighting.

If the window isn't enough light, let's say it's a dark day outside.

For whatever reason, then you want to have other types of lights on in the room as well and ideally turn them so that they face you.

The reason why lighting is so important is because it really sets the tone and the impression for the individual who's watching you as to how they should feel about you.

If you look like you're in a bright, cheery environment, they're gonna associate that with you.

You know, it really does matter how you appear on camera because you want to appear on camera the same way that you want to appear in person, you want to look professional, you want to have a certain image that you're portraying.

And so having the right lighting is key to being able to achieve that.

So if you are someone who normally wears makeup, if you're a woman, for example, who normally wears makeup, when you go to the office, then I say keep it consistent, wear makeup when you're doing video calls on camera because you want to look just as professional over camera as you do normally in person.

And even if you don't normally wear a lot of makeup, I would suggest putting on just some light makeup, even out your skin tone darken your eyebrows, put on some eyeliner, put on some color on your cheeks.

Because what happens is the camera has the ability to make people look very gaunt.

That's what I've noticed personally.

And so if you don't shape up your face a little bit with some color with a little bit of makeup, it can make you look extra tired on camera and it can make it look as though you just simply rolled out of bed and turned on your camera to have the meeting.

So if you want to avoid that at all costs, then put on some makeup before you go on a video call because that is going to help to make you look a little bit more refreshed and it's going to add some color to your face Now for the guys, I know that makeup isn't necessarily something you might be interested in.

However, if you're someone who's normally clean shaven when you go into the office, just because you're at home doesn't mean that that should stop.

You should maintain that clean shaven, look whatever look you've had before that you felt was professional and was portraying who you were individually, then you want to maintain that on camera.

Now when it comes to hair, I find that with hair as long as you're keeping it neat, especially in the front, that's really all that matters.

So for the ladies, whether it's down or it's up in a low bun or in a ponytail, do whatever you need to do, just make sure that you feel comfortable and that it looks clean and neat and same thing for the guys comb your hair, make sure that it's clean and neat and that should be good enough.

Okay, so we have two areas left.

We're going to talk about clothing and then we're also gonna talk about the backdrop for the background.

So first let's talk about clothing.

Obviously when you're in a webcam call video, call all that showing really is whatever is from your chest on up.

So what really matters is whatever you have on top.

So you want to think of business on the top and party on the bottom, meaning where whatever you want on the bottom, if you just want to wear your pajama pants to be comfortable all day because you're working from home, that's absolutely fine.

But on top you want to keep whatever top that you would normally wear in person to the office, you want to keep that consistent when you're on camera as well.

So for the ladies, if you normally wear blouses or cardigans or sweaters, whatever it is then wear that, and for the men, if you normally wear a suit, I wouldn't really necessarily say you need to wear a suit.

I actually think that that's over the top.

That's too much because they understand that you're working from home instead.

Maybe go for a colored shirt and a sweater on top or something along those lines.

Keep it still business casual.

Also, you want to be mindful of the colors that you wear on camera.

The one thing that I've learned being someone who films consistently is that the colors that you wear are important.

For example, photographers and camera people will say that you shouldn't wear black, white or crazy patterned tops on camera because it has some sort of optical effects on the camera and it doesn't really help you to stand out all that nicely.

So instead I would say go for things in neutral colors or pastels, go for colors that are soft on the eyes that are easy on the eyes, not too harsh one way or the other and finally last, but definitely not least.

You want to think about your background or your backdrop when it comes to where you're sitting and where you've placed your camera to do a video call the background is extremely important.

A lot of people don't realize this.

What I would say is you don't want to film with a backdrop showing your entire house, showing all the things that you have set up, put away or thrown around.

That could make you look like potentially a messy person if it's not clean.

And then on top of that it's also it exposes too much.

I think what's good is to place your camera right in front of a wall so that the wall is behind you and the wall shouldn't be just simply a blank wall.

I would decorate it a little bit, maybe put up a piece of art or put up a plant, put up something so that it adds a little bit of color and it makes it look as though you're working in a professional environment as much as it can be knowing that you're working from home, you want to give the impression that you're working in a bright, airy, cheery environment that is clean.

That is neat.

That is simple.

And therefore adding a little bit of the decorations to the wall can help as well.

Sometimes I find when people only sit in front of a wall and the color is a little bit darker gray.

It can make it look as though they're working out of a prison in some cases.

So you want to avoid that and you just want to have the nicest, most pleasant background that you can possible, especially if video calls is something that you have to do on a regular basis.

Oh, I forgot one more thing I said that background was the last tip that I had but actually sound is the very last tip.

So when it comes to sound, you want to use the microphone that is coming either through the camera or through your laptop.

But if you find that that causes an echo or your voice isn't as clear, then I would consider getting an external microphone that you can plug into your laptop and then bring that around from behind your ears and have that as your microphone.

If you can find one that looks discreet, that's ideal.

If not, then you can definitely use a headset with a good quality microphone.

It is really important to have good quality audio because as much as people are looking at you when you're doing a video call, what they're really therefore is to listen to what it is that you're trying to say and what you're trying to communicate, that's not coming off clearly through the video, then that can potentially impact your professional image.

It can impact what people pay attention to when you're talking and it can impact whether they take you seriously.

So you definitely want to pay attention to your sound and make sure that it is crisp, it is clear, okay there you have it.

Those are all my tips related to how you can set yourself up for success when it comes to doing video calls, whether it's for work meetings or for interviews.

Now, if you're someone who is currently on the market for a new job, you've been looking for a while and you haven't yet found that right opportunity and you realize that you need one on one professional help from me, then feel free to reach out.

Head on over to my website, linda rainer dot com slash standout.

Get hired, read through the page, fill in the application form and from there, if it seems as though we're a potential match, then one of my team members will be reaching out to you directly.

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Thank you so much for watching and I will see you in the next video.