Skype Style

A new, and weird, feature of the already byzantine academic job market is the Skype interview. According to my illustrious elders, it used to be that you showed up to the national conference, met with some departments in person, hopefully got an on-campus interview, and with great luck landed a job. That still happens sometimes, but now the job search calendar is much longer (so the conference interview doesn't always work) and everyone's trying to save money (so no flying all over the country). And so, we have the Skype interview. 

I had my first Skype interview recently, and while I spent most of my prep time practicing pithy answers to questions like "tell us about your research" and "how do you bring current events into your classroom" (actually I didn't practice that one... oops), I did devote a good bit of time to thinking about my Skype style. Here are some of my thoughts. This is not a "How to Rock the Skype Interview" post, academic or otherwise... my Skype interview experience is extremely limited, and I don't think I "rocked" it, but I do think I successfully avoided looking crazy, which I consider a victory.

The Setup

The first challenge was finding a place to set up my Skype station. I my two biggest concerns were backdrop and lighting. I chose this spot on my upstairs landing with a solid white wall (the pictures above my head were outside the camera's view). I considered setting myself up in front of a bookshelf to beef up my academic cred, but my bookshelves all seem to be (1) near windows that would cause me to be backlit and (2) much more disorganized, fally-over, and studded with my "treasures" (i.e. statuettes of birds, giraffes, etc) than seemed appropriate. The white backdrop didn't do anything for me, but it also didn't distract from me, which I figured was a safe bet. I added the extra light from our guest room because this post told me that two lights were better than one. No clue if it helped. The empty file box that my computer is propped up on was by request of one of my advisors who delicately suggested, "Get your computer up higher so that when you lean back, I can't see up your nose." Check.

The Makeup

Then, I figured out my face. I don't wear makeup every day, and when I do I keep it really light. However, Skype is not a subtle medium, so after taking a few webcam shots of myself, I decided to ramp it up. I added an extra coat of mascara and two layers of slightly darker lipstick so that my features would be more defined. I could have gone further defining my eyebrows, eyes, lips, etc, but I didn't want to buy any new stuff and I didn't want to look like a clown.

The Outfit

And then my favorite part: what to wear. I tried on many options. Here are a few. In the top two photos, I'm wearing a jacket, which would be what I'd go with for an in-person interview. In outfit 1, I'm wearing a tweed collarless moto jacket, which is so cool and I absolutely love it but it looks kind of weird if you can't see the whole thing. Outfit 2 is my navy suit worn with a navy blouse with white pin-dots. Unfortunately, the Skype lighting doesn't let you see the pin-dots so I just look super bland. The bottom row, without jackets, is better. In outfit 3, I'm wearing a black short-sleved blouse and pearls. I think I look good in it -- I like how the black contrasts with my skin and the white backdrop -- but it felt a little too prim and proper for me. Outfit 4, classic white button-up, doesn't work as well as the black blouse. I had collar issues and the white seemed to blend in to the wall.

My Skype Style

This is the look I went with. The color of the blouse was a big factor in its favor since red contrasts with my hair, my skin, and the backdrop. Also, the simple neckline guaranteed that there wouldn't be any issues with collars or being cut off in a bad place. I added a hammered silver necklace because I have the impression -- which could be totally false -- that academics like that one-of-a-kind, handmade look. (Also antiques and stuff from Ten Thousand Villages. But I went with the modern, boutiquey, handmade look.)

This was my first Skype interview, but it probably won't be my last. I think this was a solid start.