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How not to give yourself away during interviews?

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Alexander5 августа 2025 г. (6мес. назад)
How not to give yourself away during interviews?

Removing unnecessary sounds

Imagine: you're asked a difficult question during an interview, and you reach for the keyboard to get help from Sobes Overlay. But the sound of keys can give you away! Let's figure out how to use the neural network so no one suspects anything.

First and foremost — complete silence on air. Any extraneous sound can give you away.

Noise suppression programs

Download Krisp or activate the noise filter in NVIDIA Broadcast. Such applications remove keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, and other background sounds, leaving only your voice.

Go to Zoom/Google Meet audio settings and set the virtual microphone from the program. Be sure to test: type something on the keyboard in a test call — the interviewer shouldn't hear anything.

Equipment (requires financial investment)

Buy a quiet keyboard and mouse. Look for devices labeled "silent."

Set up a directional microphone. Cardioid microphones pick up sound only from the front — keyboard sounds will stay off-screen.

Controlling your gaze

Sound is removed, now it's important not to give yourself away with wandering eyes.

Proper window placement

Place the window (via Ctrl / Cmd + Arrows) with hints in the part of the screen where you naturally look during conversation.

Best places:

  • Right under the camera — gaze directed at the interviewer
  • To the side of the video call window — looks like thinking
  • Top of the screen — creates an impression of contemplation

Eye movements during interviews are normal — people look at the interviewer, then to the side when thinking.

The main thing is not to place Sobes Overlay on a second monitor or too far from the main attention zone, so you don't have to sharply turn your head or look away for too long.

What NOT to do

  • Don't enable "gaze correction" — features like NVIDIA Broadcast Eye Contact create a creepy frozen gaze effect
  • Be careful with glasses — screens reflect in lenses, switch applications to dark mode, or use glasses with anti-glare coating

Speaking naturally

You've prepared everything technically, but if you read the answer monotonously like a robot — all efforts are wasted.

Text adaptation

Never read the neural network's answer verbatim! This is the first rule of natural communication.

Simplify language:

  • Break long sentences into short ones
  • Replace complex words with simple ones
  • Instead of "implementation execution" say "implementation"
  • Turn one long sentence into two or three short ones

Example:

  • Neural network: "Implementation of microservice architecture ensured horizontal scalability"
  • You: "Switched to microservices. Now we easily add servers when load increases"

Use intonation:

  • In context in your personal account, ask to add intonation marks: "Add intonation marks and pauses for natural reading aloud"
  • The neural network will add symbols like /, //, ... for pauses and accents
  • Say it to yourself — if there's time, silently read the answer before voicing it
  • Place accents on key words

Add the following text in your personal account in the "Context" section:

Give answers in format:
- BRIEF (1-2 sentences): main idea
- DETAILS: specifics

Use markers:
/ — pause 0.5 sec
// — pause 1 sec
... — thinking pause
*word* — emphasis

Add personal touches

  • Insert mini-stories: "When we were implementing this..."
  • Use specific numbers: "Reduced deployment time from 2 hours to 15 minutes"
  • Mention colleagues: "Our tech lead suggested..."

Managing time

The most dangerous moment — you're waiting for Sobes Overlay to finish writing the answer, and silence has already settled on air. Don't let the pause drag on: launch a "buffer phrase" and simultaneously gain a few seconds.

Quick filler phrases

These short remarks sound friendly, demonstrate your engagement, and give 5–10 seconds to "load" the answer.

  • "Great question, give me a second, I'll formulate my thought..."
  • "Interesting! I recently encountered a similar task..."
  • "If I understand correctly, you're asking about...?"
  • "This is exactly my profile — let me tell you more..."
  • "Let me give a short example from practice..."

How to subtly gain time

  1. Rephrase the question. "So it's important how we approached...?"
  2. Start with a general idea. "In short — we improved stability, and the details are..."
  3. Matryoshka method. First principle, then specifics, then numbers.
  4. Engage the interviewer. Ask a clarifying hook: "How critical is scalability for you?"
  5. Tell a short story. A personal case sounds lively and creates a reserve of seconds.

If something goes wrong

Sobes Overlay froze or gave nonsense? Don't panic! Try to gain time.

  1. Switch to your knowledge — it's better to say something simple in your own words than to stay silent.
  2. Ask a clarifying question — this gives time to think and shows your engagement.
  3. While you're gaining time, try to launch a new answer generation in Sobes Overlay.

Conclusion

Remember: Sobes Overlay is a helper, not a crutch. Practice in advance, prepare basic answers to typical questions, and use Sobes Overlay as backup for difficult moments.

Good luck with your interview!

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