Working from home has its challenges. Between a slew of new distractions, the fridge calling your name every half hour, your kids wanting to play, and so much more, it can be hard to navigate the work from home life.

One challenge many people are facing while working from home is the dreaded video call. Thankfully, being prepared for a video call is easier than you think!

Dress accordingly

It can be tempting to live in your sweats, or maybe not even change out of your pajamas at all. But if you want to make a great impression, it’s important to look put together.

Now, unless you work for a company that requires you to wear a suit and tie, nobody is expecting you to take the time to put on a full face of makeup, have perfect hair, and be wearing your most killer suit.

However, having washed hair and a shirt that you would be comfortable wearing in the office will make you look more professional and ready to tackle the day. Pleasantly surprise your bosses and colleagues by showing up prepared and dressed for the part.

Make your desktop screen share ready

In other words, close any tabs that aren’t directly relevant to the meeting. This is good practice whether you’re planning to share your screen or not.

You never know when you may need to share your screen and you definitely don’t want anyone to know that you binge-watch cringey vloggers on YouTube in your free time.

On top of that, closing all irrelevant tabs will ensure that you’re staying focused during the meeting. It can be far too easy to try and cross other things off your to-do list when you’re supposed to be giving everyone in the meeting your undivided attention.

Have a professional-looking home office setting

We know this may be easier said than done. Many of us have been thrust into the world of remote work with next to no notice. It wouldn’t be fair for your boss to expect every employee to have a fully functional, completely professional home office setting.

That being said, a few little changes to your makeshift home office space can go a really long way.

Consider what is within view when you are on a video call, the stuff directly behind you is exactly what people will be able to see.

You don’t want this space to be distracting for your colleagues, so try to keep the space within view of your camera: clutter-free, well lit, and professional.

Our favorite way to achieve this is to hang some tasteful wall art within view of the camera. A few simple canvas prints and/or framed prints will help you achieve a well put together home office space you can be proud of on all future video calls.

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