Your video interview, from your own room

The interview is in ten minutes. You are in your own room, the laptop is open, and the door is shut. Last week's clothes are still on the hook behind you, and you have just noticed.

The look

Wear one plain, solid colour on top. Two ways to do it:

• Modest: a solid kurta in a colour you like, with a simple neckline.
• Modern: a collared top or a plain shirt in one colour.

Leave out patterns, thin stripes and tiny checks. They can flicker on a camera, and a solid colour keeps the eye on your face.

The one small detail: small earrings, studs or tiny hoops, nothing that swings or jingles when you turn your head.

Hair: open and set back from your face, or half up. Either way, keep your forehead and eyes clear.

If the wall behind you is busy, clear it or move the hook out of the frame. Plain is enough.

The one confidence move

Raise the camera to eye level. Stack some books under the laptop until the camera sits level with your eyes. A camera that looks up at you or down at you is the easiest thing to fix, and it takes one minute.

Then put the light in front of you. Sit facing a window or a lamp, never with the light behind your head.

When you answer, look at the camera, the tiny dot at the top, and not at the faces on the screen. On their side, that is your eye contact. It will feel odd at first. Stick a small paper arrow next to the dot so your eyes know where to go.

What to say first

When the faces appear, say this, slowly:

"Good morning, thank you for your time, I can hear you clearly."

It is a polite start, and it also checks the sound before the questions begin.

If it goes sideways

The likeliest wobble is the line freezing, or the screen going still while someone is mid-sentence. Do not guess at the question. Say:

"I think the line froze for me. Could you say that once more?"

Then sip some water and wait. A few seconds of silence on a call is often just the line catching up, not a verdict on you.

One thing to try today

Ask a friend for a two-minute test call at the same time of day as your interview, so the light in the room is the same light. Sit exactly where you will sit, with the books and the lamp in place. Say your first line. Then ask her two things: can she see your face clearly, and can she hear you without effort? Change one thing she names, and leave the rest.

Each Sunday: one moment coming up this week, the look for it and the one line to say first. Find the one-page cards at /moments.