The Philippines is a tropical country, so the summers here can be quite brutal. Aside from the intense heat, many Filipinos also have to deal with high levels of humidity. The latter can hinder the body’s ability to cool itself and leave you feeling sticky and overheated for a good portion of the day. This can be bad for business, as heat is a potent productivity killer. Overheated employees may find themselves with low energy levels that make it difficult to focus on their work, while uncomfortable customers will not likely wish to stay for too long inside a warm store. Thus, investing in reliable cooling solutions for your office and other commercial spaces can be a beneficial move for your business.

There are plenty of options that you can explore for cooling your office or store this summer, and one of these is purchasing appliances that are dedicated to maintaining the temperature in a room. Often, this choice comes down to choosing between an air conditioner and an air cooler. While both are effective cooling solutions, the best option is the one that matches your business needs. Here’s how you can see if it makes more sense to buy air cooler online or if you’re better off spending your money on an air conditioner. 

Understanding How Air Coolers and Air Conditioners Work

Before setting your heart on an air cooler or an air conditioner model, it’s important to know exactly how these appliances work. An air cooler may seem very similar to an aircon, but there are a few key differences in how they function. While they share the same end goal—that is, to bring down the indoor temperature—these two appliances achieve this effect in different manners.

This is quite obvious by observing the key components of an air cooler, which is also sometimes called an evaporative cooler. The appliance has three main components: a fan, a water tank, and an absorbent pad. The air cooler blows air through the water-soaked pad to reduce the temperature in the room. This works as intended, but it can also raise the humidity levels in enclosed spaces. In the long run, the rising humidity levels can make the room feel stickier and hotter than it already is.

Meanwhile, air conditioners are presented as more sophisticated devices. There are different makes and models of air conditioners, but in general, this appliance features an evaporator coil, a condenser coil, a compressor, and an expansion valve. The compressor pressurizes the liquid refrigerant, or the fluid that readily absorbs heat from the environment, while the expansion valve regulates the flow of the refrigerant into the evaporator.

The evaporator and compressor coils, respectively, receive the refrigerant and facilitate the transfer of heat. The cool side of the air conditioner features the evaporator and a fan that blows cooled air into the room, while the other components except for the expansion valve are usually found on the hot side of the appliance.

A Quick Look at the Pros and Cons of Each Appliance Type

Apart from the differences in how they operate, there are also different pros and cons to investing in either an air conditioneror an air cooler. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect from each appliance, so you can better determine the right option for your needs:

Air Cooler Pros and Cons:

• It’s more affordable compared to air conditioners.
• It’s easy to install, clean, and maintain.
• It consumes less energy and is cheaper and more eco-friendly to run.
• Its cooling capacity is limited to reducing only 5 degrees Celsius from the original temperature.
• Its water tank must be topped up once it runs out of water.
• It increases humidity levels as it cools the room.
• It requires continuous air circulation in the room to eliminate the excess humidity.

Air Conditioner Pros and Cons:

• It is capable of cooling a room down to as low as 14 degrees Celsius.
• It can reduce humidity in the room as it brings down the temperature.
• It can be a challenge to install if the room doesn’t have a built-in slot for a window-type aircon, or if you choose a split-type aircon that requires professional installation.
• It can be quite pricey, depending on the features of the model.
• It consumes more electricity compared to air coolers.
• It requires regular professional cleaning and maintenance.
• The use of certain refrigerants can contribute to climate change.

If you have the budget and you want to create a cool and comfortable indoor environment that allows people to focus on their tasks, then the air conditioner is a clear option. With such an appliance in your shop or office, you can rest assured that everyone can feel relaxed and unbothered by the heat, even at the peak of the summer season.

If you have an indoor space with plenty of windows for ventilation, however, then an air cooler may be a more practical choice. It should be an adequate solution for keeping a cool breeze circulating in the area without raising your energy consumption. Keeping these considerations in mind will help you make the best possible purchase for your business.

As newlyweds, you and your spouse will be blending all aspects of your life, including your finances, which means the two of you will be sharing your income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. As such, it’s a good idea to discuss your financial management plan as a couple as early as possible. It’s certainly ideal to talk things through when it comes to money matters since it is one the most common sources of disagreements in the first three years of marriage.

While your household finances isn’t the most romantic topic of conversation out there, it’s a subject that certainly needs to be discussed. It allows you to plot the best ways to handle your money, from paying your bills to managing your savings, all while supporting the lifestyle that you want for yourselves. It also helps you prepare for future plans, like adding new members to your family. 

As you transition from handling your finances independently to doing it as husband and wife, here are six practical money management tips you can take into consideration. 

Buy Household Items Secondhand

When moving into your new home, it can be tempting to purchase brand new household items to welcome your new life together as a married couple. However, getting new furniture and appliances to match your new home can be a costly choice. Unless you have the budget to buy everything brand new, you can consider getting some of them secondhand. It will help you save up money and still furnish your home. 

Additionally, purchasing secondhand is a great way to discover quality items at  lower prices. You’re likely to find a second hand sofa or dining set in good condition at a fraction of the cost that you would typically pay for when you get the set brand new. Moreover, you’re also more likely to stumble upon unique pieces when you buy secondhand, since many of these items are no longer being produced or they may come from faraway places where the original owners lived. Think of furniture and decorative pieces of rare designs, or even custom creations you probably wouldn’t find elsewhere. 

Open a Joint Account for Household Expenses

Having a joint account mainly for household expenses will help you monitor the money that comes in and out of your coffers. You can also use it as your central fund to pay for your common household expenses such as food, rent, utility bills, and others. Sharing a joint account also allows both of you to access the money should you encounter emergencies.

And if you’re wondering about whether or not it’s advisable to keep separate accounts as a married couple, the short answer is “it’s totally up to you.” Many relationship experts and even long-time couples recommend the practice of letting one’s spouse maintain their financial independence while also sharing financial responsibilities.

Talk about Who Pays for What

If you have a two-income household, be sure to define what your monthly contributions will be for the household. You can also discuss how much you’ll give to the joint account monthly, as well as how much you’ll spend, save, and invest. In case you prefer maintaining separate accounts, you can assign certain payments to each other. This can depend on your earnings and if you have any loan obligations to fulfill before getting married.

Some couples assign between them who will manage certain daily expenses. One might be assigned to handle food, utilities, and transportation, while the other might be tasked to make contributions toward the household’s insurance, retirement funds, and investments. This is a practical approach because you get to distribute your household’s financial responsibilities. That said, make sure that these financial responsibilities are distributed equitably.

Set Up a Luxe Fund

Do you want a new smart TV or go on a vacation? Prepare for these non-essential expenses by creating a “luxe fund” and channeling a portion of your income into it. Doing this will allow you to still take care of essential expenses while saving up for the little luxuries you want. Also, it’s a good practice to splurge on dispensable expenses only when you already have enough budget for them. It will help teach both you and your spouse to plan and control your spending.

Build an Emergency Fund

It’s never too early to set up an emergency fund, and you won’t regret doing it. An emergency fund is a stash of money (ideally a separate savings account) that you set aside  in case the unexpected happens, such as a health emergency, a home repair emergency, or a retrenchment at work.

When considering how much of your monthly budget you should set aside for your  emergency fund, you can follow the typical recommendation of stashing away at least 6 months’ worth of living expenses. To do this, you’ll need to set aside 10 percent or more of your gross income each month, and you need to keep saving until you have the amount you need—or more.

If you want to ensure you regularly put money into your emergency fund, you can set up an automatic transfer with your bank or take turns with your spouse putting money into the account every month. If you begin creating an emergency fund now, you can slowly grow it over time, which should give you peace of mind should you encounter any unexpected issues in the future.

Update Your Accounts

Many newlyweds move into new homes after getting married. If you’ll have this kind of arrangement as well, make sure to notify the banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, and investment companies you have accounts with about the change in your address or contact information. You also have to inform these institutions about your change in marital status because the union will have a bearing on your legal entitlements to one another’s financial assets and estates.

When it comes to managing finances, it’s up to you as a  couple to discuss what works best for you. However, if you’re looking for time-tested pieces of advice, make sure to consider the abovementioned tips. These will help you settle in your new life as husband and wife, and they will help you prepare financially for your future. 

Katulad ng ibang negosyo, may mga maaaring gawin upang maging matagumpay ang iyong mga transaksyon sa forex trading. Isang halimbawa nito ay ang paggamit ng kalakalan ng kopya ng forex Pilipinas sa iyong mga trade. Ito ay isang mabisang paraan upang maging matagumpay ang iyong mga trade.

Subalit, katulad din sa ibang negosyo, mayroon ding mga bagay na dapat at hindi dapat gawin sa industriya ng forex trading. Ito ay impormasyon na mahalaga at dapat alamin, lalo para sa isang baguhan pa lamang sa mundo ng forex trading.

Anu-ano nga ba ang mga dapat at hindi dapat gawin pagdating sa forex trading? Ipagpatuloy ang pagbabasa upang malaman ang mga ito.

Mga Dapat Gawin:

Dapat ikaw ay may nakahandang plano para sa iyong mga trade.

Kung ikaw ay isang baguhan pa lamang, ito’y isang napakaimportanteng hakbang upang maging matagumpay ang iyong mga trade. Ikaw ay dapat handa at may malalim na kaalaman at pagkakaintindi sa industriyang ito dahil ito ang mga haligi ng matagumpay na mga transaksyon sa forex trading.

Maglaan ng panahon upang masusing mapag-aralan ang galaw ng industriya.

Bago ka sumabak sa industriya ay nararapat lamang na pag-aralan nang mabuti ang industriya at kung paano gumagalaw ang merkado. Dahil ang masusing pag-aaral ay kinakailangan upang maiwasan ang mga pagkakamaling magdulot ng pagkalugi.

Bukod dito, kung malalim ang iyong pagkakaintindi sa kung paano gumagana ang merkado ng salapi ay maaari kang bumuo ng mas maayos na estratehiya sa forex trading.

Isang paraan upang maging matagumpay ang iyong mga trade ay ang pag-aaral nang mabuti sa mga kasalukuyang pattern ng forex trading market gamit ang mga chart at iba pa. Ito ay makakatulong sa isang baguhang forex trader upang lalong maintindihan kung paano gumagana ang forex trading market.

Isaisip ang ratio ng maaring kitain at mawala.

Ito ay dapat gawin bago magsimula ng panibagong trade at siguraduhin na ginagawa ang trade sa panahong nagpapakita ng malaking paglaki o pagbaba ang merkado. Ito ay para maiwasan ang pagkalugi at mawalan ng puhunan.

Magkaroon ng malalim na kaalaman sa Fibonacci Analysis.

Ito ay isang bagay na maaaring makatulong sa isang trader, lalo na sa isang baguhan, upang malaman ang tamang panahon kung kailan dapat lumabas at pumasok sa isang trade. Ito ay dahil nakakatulong ito sa paghula sa mga maaaring maging galaw ng merkado.

Gamitin lahat ng maaaring gamitin upang lalong maintindihan ang industriya.

Isang bagay na maaaring gawin ng isang baguhan ay gamitin ng lahat ng bagay na mayroon siya upang lalong mapalalim ang kanyang kaalaman at pagkakaintindi sa industriya ng forex trading. Lalo na’t marami nang mga kurso online na maaaring pasukin upang lalong maintindihan ang industriya ng forex trading.

Mga Hindi Dapat Gawin:

Magmadali sa mga transaksyon.

Ang isang trader, lalo kung baguhan pa lamang, ay dapat iwasan ang pagmamadali sa mga trade dahil ito ay maaaring maging dahilan ng kanyang pagkalugi. Ikaw ay dapat magkaroon ng mahabang pasensya upang maiwasan ang mga pagkakamali na dulot ng pagmamadali.

Paggawa ng desisyon dahil sa pagmamadali para lamang kumita.

Ito ay mahalaga lalo kung ikaw ay baguhan na trader. Hindi ka dapat magmadali sa iyong mga desisyon para lamang kumita dahil maaari ito maging sanhi ng iyong pagkalugi kung mali ang iyong desisyon. Kung ikaw ay hindi pa nakasisigurado sa maaaring maging resulta, huwag mo munang itaya ang iyong puhunan.

Pagsagawa ng trade sa mga oras na patay ang merkado.

Kahit ang merkado ng forex trading ay hindi natutulog, mayroon pa ring mga panahon na ito ay hindi kasing aktibo kaya hangga’t maaari ay iwasan ito dahil ito ay maaaring magdulot ng pagkalugi.

Gamitin nang buo ang deposit, lalo sa simula.

Ito ay dahil ang maliit na paggalaw ng merkado ay maaari nang maging sanhi ng pagkawala ng iyong puhunan. Bilang isang baguhan, laging tandaan na sapat na halaga lamang ang gamitin upang maiwasan ang pagkalugi.

Pagiging sakim at emosyonal sa mga trade.

Ito ay isang malaking bagay na hindi dapat gawin sa industriyang ito. Ang forex trading ay isang negosyo at dapat iwasan maging emosyonal at sakim sa mga transaksyon lalo’t hindi ito isang bagay na inirerekomenda.

Ang pagpasok sa isang trade na mukhang hindi matatag.

Upang maiwasan ang pagkalugi sa forex trading ay dapat maging maingat sa bawat trade na iyong pinapasok. Kung hindi maganda ang ipinapakita sa mga chart ay iwasan muna ang pakikipagtransaksyon.

Konklusyon

Ang forex trading ay isang industriya na kinakailangan ng pag-iingat at masusing pag-aaral upang maiwasan ang pagkalugi at pagkawala ng iyong puhunan. Ang pagsasapuso ng mga nasabing impormasyon tungkol sa forex trading ay maaaring maging susi sa iyong tagumpay sa industriyang ito.

If you’re the owner of a micro, small, or medium enterprise (MSME), you may find the prospect of bidding for a government contract quite intimidating. Aside from having concerns about possible strict bidding requirements, you might think that the process entails a lot of stress in submitting paperwork and a lot of back-and-forth between yourself and the government agency involved. At the back of your mind, you might also be thinking about whether your cash flow can handle a project of such scale. Indeed, there are a number of things to worry about when entering a business-to-government (B2G) contract for the first time. But partnering with the Philippine government may be one of the best long-term decisions you could ever make for your business. Plus, securing that B2G partnership may no longer be as difficult, confusing, or risky as you’d originally thought.

Thanks to an online portal called the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), it’s easier for even smaller businesses to bid for contracts with the government. In the past, procurement and bidding processes tended to be circuitous and unclear—and sometimes even downright anomalous.

Thankfully, this culture of inefficiency and corruption was largely upended by passage of Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) in 2003. Among the stipulations in the GPRA was the requirement that all government agencies use PhilGEPS for their procurement processes. Over the years, users of PhilGEPS—comprising both the government and the private sector—have seen the difference for themselves. PhilGEPS is proof of how digital technology can make procurement and bidding more efficient, accessible, and transparent.

In this short guide, we’ll provide some information on how you yourself can use PhilGEPS and what advantages you can expect when you use the platform to conduct a B2G contract bidding. This should help you prepare before finally extending an offer to provide your products and services to the Philippine government.

What Will Registering to PhilGEPS entail? 

MSMEs have the option of registering for either a Free Membership or a Platinum Membership on PhilGEPS. For the Free Membership, you will need to submit your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) as well as your Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) license or your Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) certification. For the Platinum Membership, additional requirements like your Business Permit, an audited financial statement, tax clearance documents, and a membership fee of PHP 5000 are needed. The Platinum Membership will come with a special PhilGEPS certificate that most government procurement contracts require. Though a Platinum Membership entails an additional expense, this type of membership will make it much easier for you to do business with government units, agencies, and offices.

As soon as you make your first bid on PhilGEPS, you should be ready for the possibility that it will be accepted. That, in turn, may require you to have all your resources on hand to fulfill the project. If you don’t have adequate funds to cover the project costs just yet, you may consider getting business financing from First Circle, a private financing firm. A partner like First Circle, which offers accessible credit facilities like invoice financing and purchase order financing—can help you meet your obligations for your first big government contract on PhilGEPS.

The Benefits of Taking on Contracts with PhilGEPS 

There are several key advantages to bidding for contracts on PhilGEPS. Here are four that stand out.

A Learning Opportunity for What Clients in the Philippine Government Need

A first-time user of PhilGEPS will be surprised to see how diverse the opportunities are on the platform. One important feature of the site is its catalogue of available bidding opportunities. These can be for supplying automation equipment, beverages, book publications, government vehicles, and a whole host of other things. The site will list down the exact number of opportunities available per category and which agency, regional office, or local government unit needs it. As a user, you will be able to browse through all these opportunities and explore the ones that are applicable to your business.

A Streamlined Bidding Process

With PhilGEPS, there are few ambiguities as to what each B2G contract will entail. Each opening will list the exact budget of the project, the documents required from each bidder, and the contact details of the government officer in charge. There will be no back-and-forth about basic project details, and there will be transparency in accounting for every peso to be spent on the project. All you need to do is view the opening, submit the documents, wait for the bidding results, and—if everything is in your favor—fulfill the contract.

Gateway to Lucrative Business with the Philippine Government

Government contracts are among the most lucrative contracts a small business owner can secure. Unlike many private businesses, the government has a consistent budget allowance for the services it needs. If the contract pulls through and your partner agency is pleased with your services, you might be able to bid again based on a cross-referral. Taking on additional contracts from other departments, bureaus, and attached offices in the government agency will definitely help you upscale your company’s professional abilities. 

Credibility for Your Brand

By virtue of registering to PhilGEPS, you’ll be showcasing yourself to clients of high value. This communicates your confidence that you can fulfill important projects under strict requirements. Even before they accept your bid, your government clients will have a positive view of your company. And for every completed contract, you’ll gain a standout credential in your company’s portfolio. Thus, registering to PhilGEPS is one of the best ways that you can accumulate credibility and prestige for your company or brand.

Summary

Procurement and bidding are vital processes to the Philippine government since they are essential to the fulfillment of each agency’s regular public duties. Indeed, a B2G contract may be a profitable opportunity for your company; however, it is also a chance for you to work with people who, in turn, work for the betterment of the country.

When it comes to convenience, online shopping is the best way to get your desired products at your doorstep. The Philippines has been growing rapidly in the e-commerce sector due to which the sales from online stores are also increasing simultaneously. One of the biggest reasons for this is that the latest fashion trends are inspiring individuals including men and women to express themselves more openly in society. Experiencing high growth, Philippines has a digital population of more than 67 million that attracts local and regional companies who compete against a leading company in the whole market. However, in the upcoming years, the e-commerce market is expected to grow with higher double digits. Excessive usage of smartphones, exposure to latest fashion trends, and easy internet access have played a very important role in emerging sector of online shopping.

With the facts stated above, we are sure that you would also want to explore this new world of exposed digital marketing. Consider starting to shop from the best online shopping websites for a wholesome shopping experience from these 5 online stores in the Philippines.

1. Zalora

The international-based shopping website, Zalora is one of the topmost leading websites in Asia, South America, and Russia. With over 30,000 products available and hundreds of new products being added every week, Zalora is an ambitious and constantly evolving shopping website for fashion lovers. You are provided ample choices and latest trends to keep up with the ongoing styles. Not only quality and options are available on Zalora but great prices and deals are regularly updated for the customers to shop. Apply Zalora promo code when you shop so that you can, you can avail maximum discounts on your online orders and shop with satisfaction.

2. Lazada

From auto-motives, fashion, home necessities to appliances, you can find it all on Lazada. With best services for the customers in the Philippines, it is making a dynamic change in the shopping habits of the people in the country. The store has over 1 million authentic sellers and 3k trusted brands serving millions of customers in the country through its marketplace online platform. You can flexibly shop, sell, and clear all your queries related to the online retailing system of the website. Lazada aims to reach every individual’s contentment via providing fine quality goods and services at budget-friendly prices.

3. Shopee

Another trusted shopping website in the Philippines is Shopee. The store is one of the top 5 online stores in the Philippines. It offers the same services as of other stores but the unique feature of this store includes monthly sales that people end-up staying awake all night just to catch their exclusive deals and offers. You can also apply Shopee voucher code to get discounts on products even without special deal days.

4. Metro Deal

Metro deal is an ideal platform to discover best deals for mostly searched services like restaurant buffets, entertainment deals, and many other activities. Purchase vouchers of your favorite and desired deals from the website to enjoy the day at amazing prices. The simple payment methods, user-friendly experience, and variety of options make this website a one-destination savior for all the services and facilities. The deals are regulated and updated daily so you can’t afford to miss out on what the website has to offer.

5. Carousell Philippines

This market place is best for selling and buying new and pre-owned items at great prices. Now merged with the previously known website OLX, many Filipinos choose this website to shop and sell pre-owned items. Categories like cars, home & furniture, fashion and much more are available on Carousell Philippines. Choose this website for a trading platform or hunting jobs and services and you will not be disappointed by the convenient online services it stores for your shopping and selling comfort.

 As much as the world loves shopping, the easiest way of shopping is to shop online. As the evolution of shopping practices has started from bazaars, markets, to malls and now online, we can get literally anything at the tap of our fingertip. Avoid the monotonous and tiring process of shopping by standing in queues and walking crowd and opt online shopping for super comfort and relaxation.

If you’ve been shopping around for an ERP (enterprise resource planning) or accounting system in the Philippines, you’ve probably encountered arguments for and against newer cloud-based systems that have become standard during the past decade. Not everyone is quite on board with the idea, though.

ERP and accounting systems can be tough to upgrade due to the potential cost of migrating data and the downtime that may happen when the organization readjusts to the new system. This can make many businesses resistant to the idea of upgrading. But upgrading to a newer cloud-based system is still recommended for most users for a number of reasons.

Here are some of the proven benefits of switching to a cloud-based ERP or accounting system.

1. Resilience to natural disasters

The Philippines is no stranger to earthquakes, floods, and typhoons. While these events are mercifully rare, when they do happen, data loss due to catastrophic hardware damage isn’t too uncommon. More common than losing hardware directly to these events however, is losing them due to power fluctuations caused by these disasters. In either case, having your data on the cloud ensures that it’s safe from any single catastrophe.

2. Reduced risk of cyberattacks

Counterintuitively, cloud-based accounting systems are safer from cyberattacks compared to traditional local area networks. Granted, if all your data is on one single offline computer, that would make it theoretically immune from cyberattacks. On the other hand, most organizations recognize the impracticality of still using physical media to transport data to a separate device in the 2020s.

Local area networks aren’t much safer either, as it’s known that the majority of cyberattacks tend to perpetuated by people within the organization. Outside attackers also tend to find older systems much easier to access compared to newer ones as well. With a modern cloud-based system, cybersecurity is a top priority, and the developer will likely be creating regular updates, which means outside hackers will find it harder to breach compared to an older system.

3. Scalability

An accounting system should be able to easily expand along with your company. Many older systems are limited in their ability to do this, being unable to offer the right kind of functionality to keep up with a growing organization’s needs. Cloud-based systems, on the other hand, are almost always conceptually designed from the ground up to be as scalable as you need them to be.

4. Flexibility

The main advertised benefit of cloud-based systems is their flexibility. Users can access the systems at home or on vacation, which allows the organization more options when it comes to employee arrangements. It can also save time as employees no longer need to be tied to any one physical location to be able to use or access the system.

5. Lower IT costs

The cost of maintaining local servers can be quite high. In the Philippine setting where IT teams usually have multiple responsibilities, maintaining these servers is often an unwelcome responsibility on top of everything else the team is meant to perform. This means necessary updates may not always be implemented on time and that system maintenance may cause disruptive downtime.

With a cloud-based system, it is the system developer’s team that is responsible for system maintenance. This usually creates far less downtime time as the developer will have more resources to dedicate to upkeep due to their higher specialization. This means the organization no longer has to dedicate any time or resources to server upgrades and maintenance and its IT team can focus on other more important tasks.

If you’re interested in upgrading to a cloud-based accounting system in the Philippines or learning more about the benefits of switching over to different kinds of ERP systems, the team at ANSI is ready to help with your questions.

Skype interviews are now a standard part of many companies’ interview processes, especially within the startup world. While commonly used for initial and second interviews, it’s no longer unusual to hire someone solely based on how well they perform on Skype. 

Here are a few tips for maximizing your chances of at your next video chat interview.

1. Dress like you would for a face-to-face job interview

One might think that this would be obvious because the interviewer could actually see the applicant, but many HR professionals report that they often see applicants wear ultracasual attire or even house clothes on Skype interviews. This can look unprofessional and cause interviewers to see you as unprepared. Be sure to wear interview-appropriate tops as well as bottoms, in case you need to stand up to get something.

2. Make sure your surroundings are not distracting

Try to take the call in a quiet room at home. Secure any noisy or extra-affectionate pets and make sure that family members or housemates won’t be a problem. Try to make sure that there is nothing behind you that can reflect negatively on you in the interview.

3. Try to look at the camera, not the screen

Skype isn’t always as intimate as face-to-face conversations for a few reasons. One reason is most people stare at the screen, which removes eye contact. Usually, everyone tends to look like they’re looking at something behind their conversation partner, rather than at them — even if they are actually doing that from their perspective. Looking directly at the camera will help give the illusion of eye-contact with the interviewer and help humanize you, which can give you an edge in the interview.

4. Prepare a cheat sheet

Based on your prior research, you’ll want to have a list of questions you think will be asked as well what you feel will be the best responses. You may also want to list down a few questions of your own. While this could be on your computer, you may want to have it all on a separate notebook for easier access.

5. Close all distracting apps

Interviewers will sometimes be able to notice if you are browsing Facebook or playing games during the interview. Let’s just say you don’t want most of them finding out if you are. Make sure that you are committed to the interview by closing down all distracting and unimportant applications. 

6. Use a good pair of headphones, if possible

Headphones will allow you to listen to the interviewer more closely and help give you a little bit more privacy during the interview as well. A microphone would also be handy if you already have one lying around.

7. Use a professional username and profile picture

Your Skype profile pic and username are the first things the interviewer will notice about you. If you have a potentially embarrassing username or profile pic, try to update this before you even start sending out job applications.

8. Send a thank-you email

Stand out from all the other applicants by sending a short email thanking the interviewer for the opportunity. It only takes a few minutes to write but it can go a long way into helping your application be a lot more memorable.

Conclusion

While they certainly are more convenient, we shouldn’t necessarily think of video chat interviews as being less formal or important than their traditional face-to-face equivalents. Make sure to do your homework and follow out tips to get the best possible chance at landing that position you’re gunning for.

Ready to look for a new job? Philippines job search website, like Mynimo.com. Mynimo’s powerful but easy-to-understand localization features make it simple to find your next career in locations close to where you already live.