An insider reveals top interview tips for fintech workers

Interview etiquette has taken on a whole new dynamic now that video is the norm, writes Jobbio’s Aoibhinn McBride.

Image source: Shutterstock.

Fintech continues to be one of the more robust sectors in the UK thanks to London’s position as a global hub for fintech investment.

The city’s tech ecosystem is worth £257bn – and in 2021 alone, the fintech industry attracted a record £9.5bn of investment – almost half of all investment in Europe.

But with layoffs coming thick and fast, workers are actively preparing for potential redundancies, with CWJobs reporting that 53 percent of UK tech workers are hedging their efforts and applying for new jobs due to fear of redundancies at their companies.

The highest risk area is London, where the number rose to 63 percent.

So what can fintech workers do to stay ahead of their professional counterparts who are all vying for the same coveted roles? Up their virtual meeting game.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

It is estimated that 79 per cent of companies are now interviewing candidates via video call, compared to 22 per cent pre-pandemic, and the video interview market is expected to grow to around £2.7bn by 2025.

And while you may use video conferencing every day in your current role, when it comes to an interview setting, you need to go the extra mile to ensure your meeting can go off without a hitch.

First, your laptop should be fully charged and plugged in, notifications should be temporarily blocked from appearing on your screen — important if you’re planning on screen sharing — and your background should be clear, well-lit, and clutter-free .

“I think you want to look like a pro every time,” advises Frank Weishaupt, CEO of video conferencing company Owl Labs.

“Technology doesn’t always work, so one minute before every call I open Zoom or Microsoft Teams or whatever platform I’m going to use, start a meeting and make sure my camera is working, my background is appropriate, and my audio is working.”

There are new rules and etiquette in play now. “You have a purpose in setting this meeting, and I don’t want to waste your time paying some sort of meeting tax,” he says.

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Visibility in an interview is a key component to making a good first impression, so you should always start with the camera on.

“Never assume you’re going to be audio just because I think if you go into a meeting and you don’t have the video on and someone else does, there’s a little awkwardness there,” Weishaupt says.

“There are companies that I have meetings with and everyone’s video is always off, and I think that’s really interesting because I feel more connected in our conversation because I can see you. I think video is an important part of that.”

Ready to flex your new and improved video interviewing skills and put them to the test? The AltFi Job Board is filled with opportunities across fintech, at companies that are actively hiring, like the three below.

Business Banking FinCrime SME, Monzo, London

Monzo is looking for an exceptional Business Banking FinCrime SME to drive further development of its business banking fincrime capabilities. You must understand the financial crime regulatory framework and have expertise in developing systems, rules and models to effectively detect and prevent all types of financial crime. You will work with a team of dedicated financial crime engineers, data scientists and machine learning experts to tackle all the different areas of crime as a cohesive unit. See more details here.

Android Engineer, Starling Bank, London

As an all-digital bank, Starling is looking for engineers who are able to understand and prioritize security when implementing new features, fixing bugs or making technical improvements, across all layers. As an Android engineer, you will design, build and release new screens. Testing is also an important part of this role. Applicants should have experience using espresso and JUit. This is a hybrid role and as such the new hire can work from the London, Southampton or Cardiff offices. See the full job description here.

Dev/Tech Lead, Third Republic, London

Third Republic is working with a fintech company shaping the future of banking to find a Dev/Tech Lead. Leading a small team of developers, in this role you will provide technical direction and be responsible for implementing the technical vision and contributing to product design, architecture, system reliability and scalability of the service. You need excellent knowledge of Java 8, Java/J2EE and other concepts including OO & Service Design in JSON or RESTful, experience with relational databases and SQL tuning and experience with Kubernetes and Docker. See more details here.

For thousands more opportunities in fintech, visit the AltFi Job Board today.