2L Interview Headphone Etiquette

[yeezy 124]

Hey yall,

I was wondering what looks more professional for a zoom interview in terms of hearing audio through the speakers or headphones etc. The options for me are the following and Id just appreciate any thoughts anyone as to how it would look in a professional sense. Thanks

1. No headphones/earphones, just hear audio through speakers.
2. Over the ear headphones (athm50's)
3. Powerbeats pro (black)
4. Airpods

I have a desktop and laptop - the laptop has bluetooth and the desktop does not. I'd prefer to use the desktop and so that is why I am posing the question. I dont have speakers for the desktop - so would require the use of the headphones. I am just wondering if that would be frowned upon. I have a seperate mic and webcam so that's not relevant.

(I know this is gonna seem like a ridiculous question BUT honestly, some of this stuff just seems to matter and I am also in the going crazy and overthinking everything part of the 2L recruit)

Edited November 9, 2020 by yeezy

[wakawaka 397]

I wouldn’t use the over the ear headphones. The others, or no headphones, are fine. Be sure you do test runs with whatever you pick,

[LeoandCharlie 296]

If you can go without earbuds then I'd say go without them. 

[bernard 1187]

I can't imagine anyone caring. Everyone has different work from home setups that can require all kinds of different headphone/speaker setups.

[iheartbooks 637]

I don't think many firms will care if you use headphones or not. Most will care more about function - can both parties hear each other clearly and without feedback? Go with whatever setup gives you the best audio.

Some firms might care about how the headphones look, but if any firm is going to make its hiring decisions based on how your headphones looked then believe me that you likely do not want to work there anyway! 

[FortifiedEight 210]

2 hours ago, yeezy said:

Hey yall,

I was wondering what looks more professional for a zoom interview in terms of hearing audio through the speakers or headphones etc. The options for me are the following and Id just appreciate any thoughts anyone as to how it would look in a professional sense. Thanks

1. No headphones/earphones, just hear audio through speakers.
2. Over the ear headphones (athm50's)
3. Powerbeats pro (black)
4. Airpods

I have a desktop and laptop - the laptop has bluetooth and the desktop does not. I'd prefer to use the desktop and so that is why I am posing the question. I dont have speakers for the desktop - so would require the use of the headphones. I am just wondering if that would be frowned upon. I have a seperate mic and webcam so that's not relevant.

(I know this is gonna seem like a ridiculous question BUT honestly, some of this stuff just seems to matter and I am also in the going crazy and overthinking everything part of the 2L recruit)

I used overear headphones with a mic. The sound quality was great for both sides and it kept my hair out of my face I don't think anyone cared. It also eliminated odd feedback noises.

[Allardlawstudent5 7]

I use airpods in meetings at work because I find just using the computer speaker/mic leads to more feedback. However the lawyers mostly use their computer (no headphones or airpods) so I doubt they would judge a student for doing the same. Like someone said above, I would do a test run. 

[DoWellAndGood 53]

During the Vancouver articling recruit, lawyers that were interviewing me used:

1. airpods;
2. over-ear headphones;
3. laptop microphone;
4. what I can only assume was a large body of water separating their microphone and their mouth, invisible to the eye, creating a strangely distant and haunting effect, reminiscent of a siren out at sea.

Overall I don't think it matters, but as always, do what makes you both comfortable and comprehensible. If they can hear you, and you feel comfortable speaking, you should be fine.

[Psychometronic 490]

Any of the above options seem fine. I'd personally avoid large headsets like Beats, but that's not one of the things OP listed.

[Jaggers 10835]

Honestly, after 8 months of this, all of us are used to seeing all manner of setups. I'm not sure I even notice any more what someone is using. I'm not doing interviews (though I do chat with our articling students to give them work, and have can't say I recall what they do) but the likelihood that your choice of headphones/earbuds makes a difference is so negligible that you shouldn't bother thinking about it. What makes you most comfortable is likely to be a way bigger factor.

Edit to add: All of this is to say that doing the thing that makes you (a) feel confident; (b) able to hear what everyone is saying; and (c) able for them to hear you is the most important thing. If your headphones give you all three, go for it.

Edited November 10, 2020 by Jaggers

[rcfc 19]

There are programs online that let you test your mic quality by making you say something and then playing it back to you. Do this with all of your devices with both your laptop and desktop, and just go with whichever one makes you sound the clearest.

[Dgrohl 28]

I agree with everyone who said not to worry about the appearance and just focus on best sound quality. Lawyers at my firm have worn full on gaming and “call centre”-y headphones with the mic piece. I don’t think anyone will judge the appearance!

[TheScientist101 970]

Honestly we aren't going to care. 

Just make sure whatever you use works. Test it with some of your colleagues before interviewing (using whatever platform is being used for the interview). I know a lot of headsets have bad microphones and people can tend to cut in and out (that's why I tend not to use a head-set and just use my computer mic/speakers). So long as you can hear and be heard, don't worry about it.