How to ace an online job interview using the power of Japanese dating simulator video games

A clear file and a sheet of paper is all you need to stay smiling and relaxed during a tense video chat.

Video chats are an essential part of the business landscape during the pandemic, but they’re also an awkward one. There’s the mental disconnect of trying to put your most professional face forward while sitting in the comfort of your own home (perhaps while secretly wearing pajama pants), and technical hiccups and the need to enunciate more strongly than you would if you were talking in the same room can make things feel stiff and stilted.

It’s unpleasant enough to run into those issues when talking to a coworker or client, but even worse if you’re applying for a job and doing an online video interview with a hiring manager. Awkwardness can quickly become nervousness, which can negatively affect the impression you leave and hurt your chances of landing the job.

However, they say every crisis is also an opportunity, and Japanese Twitter user @13237sora has figured out a way to turn the online video job interview format into an advantage by channeling the power of dating simulator video games.

Step 1 is to get a clear file for documents. Next, use your word processor or photo editor to create two “text boxes” that you’ll slip inside the file. In the smaller one, put the name of the person who’ll be interviewing you (or even just “Company X hiring manager” if you don’t know their name ahead of time), and in the larger one put a line or two of complementary dialogue about yourself. For example, in the photo above the text reads “You’re a really interesting woman. Come work for us at our company.”

Then, before the interview starts, place the file over your PC’s monitor, and voila…

…you’ve got a dating simulator-style scene with the interviewer all but begging you to accept their job offer.

Aside from a tension breaker, it’s also a confidence booster by way of positive mentalization, and other Twitter users have been quick to applaud @13237sora’s job-hunting innovation with comments like:

“I need this.”
“Brilliant!”
“You should sell these in stores.”
“But if the interviewer and I are both guys, it might feel like a boys’ love story.”
“It’d be cool to have one with Dragon Quest-style dialogue too.”

A few commenters wondered if they’d be able to keep a straight face during an interview with this sort of filter in play. But as others pointed out, as long as you’re not laughing out loud at the invisible-to-your-counterpart joke, giving yourself something to smile about will make you look more energetic, cheerful, and motivated, all of which are major plusses in hiring managers’ eyes.

Just make sure to keep your eyes on theirs if you get the job and then end up talking to each other when you’re both at the office.

Source: Twitter/@13237sora via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Twitter/@13237sora
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