Halloween Special: Scary Online Interview Stories: 2025 Edition

With Halloween approaching, it's the perfect time to frighten the kids and then delight them with treats. Halloween offers a great chance for children to dress up as superheroes and collect goodies from their generous neighbors. 

In honor of Halloween this year, I thought I would contribute by providing scary online interview stories.

In this virtual world, the new fear for many candidates is not Halloween; it's the dreaded Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime interview.  But it doesn't need to be that way.  Here are a few tips and real-life scenarios to help you overcome the fear of online interviews.  Avoiding these things will help lead to a successful online interview.  While these tips may seem obvious to some, I have, as an interviewer, experienced them all to some degree, which may help those who haven't had much experience interviewing for a job online. 

Scary campfire stories:

If, like me, you were one of those kids who were sent away to summer camp, much to the joy of our parents, this will be something you can relate to.  As night fell around the campfire, Bob, the camp counselor, began to tell scary ghost stories, which, for the most part, were simplistic and unimaginative. However, when he put the flashlight under his chin for effect, it would light up his face, which became distorted in a strange, frightening, and psychotic way.  This was when things got scary, and you began to hear strange noises in the woods, getting closer and closer. 

Now switch to the online interview. The slightly nervous candidate looks down (or up) at his laptop with the lighting above or below his face. As with the camp counselor, this is not the candidate's best look and is creepy, leading me to online interview tip number one.

Online Interview - Tip 1: Don't look like Bob, the scary camp counselor.

1. Lighting is crucial: position the light directly across from your face, not too close, but just enough to illuminate it evenly, without being from below, above, or on either side.   The best light is direct natural daylight, so sitting across from a window is ideal; however, a ring or similar light can light your face evenly.  Also, ensure the lighting is not dim and that you are in a well-lit space.   Before the interview, try a few places in your home where the light may be best.  

   
   

2. Camera positioning:  First, don't use your phone or iPad.  Use your computer or laptop and position the camera at eye level. Ideally, place it on a stand or, if you don't have one, use a few thick books to elevate the camera to the correct level. 

   Try to imagine how it would look if you were sitting across from someone at a restaurant or coffee shop.  You don't look down on them, and you don't look up at them. Keep your laptop or computer at a consistent height.  Please test it out with your family member or friend well before the interview, so that it looks right, and ask them for feedback.

Werewolves and Vampires lurking in the house:

Pets. Many of us have pets in our homes these days, and it's great to have these little (and sometimes big) companions in our lives, particularly during the pandemic, when isolation can get lonely. Pets are great to have around, but they're not suitable for our formal interviews.   

Online interview - Tip 2: Keep the scary animals from interrupting the interviews.

1. If you suspect your dog may start barking or your cat may jump up on your desk or lap for a nap during your interview, keep them out of the room. If possible, ask your spouse or significant other to keep an eye on your pets or take the dog out for a walk during your interview. Nothing is worse than a dog barking loudly during your interview because someone may have come to your door. Yes, of course, we need to be tolerant given that we are interviewing from home, so if you have no other means of 100% silencing your pet, at the very least, let the Interviewer know you have a pet in the house.

Hoarders Buried Alive:   

One of the most disturbing shows on TV is Hoarders, particularly Season 8, Buried Alive.  It's essentially about individuals who have become so attached to their personal belongings that they cannot bear to part with anything, regardless of its value.  I can't watch any episode for more than a few minutes, which makes me anxious.   You may ask yourself, How does this relate to online interviews?  Well, I was getting to that.  How much do you consider your background when doing a video interview?  

While I am not suggesting you are in any way a hoarder with a bit of a messy room, your background is critical.  If your environment is cluttered and disorganized, it may distract the Interviewer and be misinterpreted as an inability to stay organized.   Keep your background well-ordered and uncluttered.   Equally strange, however, is an empty background, and you are in front of a blank wall.  Again, practice your setup with a friend or family member and ask them what they think of your overall background. 

Online interview - Tip 3: Keep your background uncluttered but not empty. 

Perhaps a lovely, organized bookshelf, plants, and something minimalistic and relatively neutral.  I am not a fan of virtual backgrounds because they often look fake. As an interviewer, I would like to understand the work environment, especially if the job is remote or partially work-from-home.   

Conclusion: Scary Online Interview Stories

Finally, I've mentioned this a few times, but I can't emphasize it enough: you must do a dress rehearsal before the interview with a family member or friend.  Ask them about sound, lighting, and background. How is your eye contact?  How do you look? Ask them to be brutally honest. 

And that's very scary, but it doesn't have to be; with some consideration, you could ace the interview if you take the time to test the medium of online interviewing first.  

I hope you enjoyed my scary online interview stories; I thought I would keep it light for this Halloween. Feel free to reach out and share your own.