The camera vs. screen mistake that trips up even confident candidates — and how to fix it.
Here's something that trips up even confident candidates in video interviews: they think they're making eye contact, but they're not.
In a physical interview, eye contact means looking at the person's eyes. In a video interview, it means looking at your camera lens, not the face on your screen. The difference sounds small. It's not. When you look at the interviewer's face on your screen, your gaze appears to drift slightly downward or sideways from their perspective. You look distracted, uncomfortable, or evasive — even if you're actually engaged and confident.
Understanding this one thing changes how every video interview goes.
In a physical interview, you communicate through a combination of signals — body posture, hand gestures, proximity, voice, and gaze. In a video interview, most of that disappears. The interviewer is largely going off your face, your voice, and whether you seem present.
Gaze carries a disproportionate amount of weight when other cues are stripped away.
Research in communication consistently shows that eye contact signals confidence, honesty, and engagement. In interviews specifically, candidates who maintain appropriate eye contact are rated as more credible and more likeable — two things that strongly influence hiring decisions, especially when candidates are otherwise similarly qualified.
On video, getting this wrong can undermine everything else you say.
Your instinct in a video call is to look at the face on your screen. This feels like connection. It's actually the opposite.
When you look at your screen, your camera captures your eyes pointing slightly below center (or to the side, depending on your setup). From the interviewer's perspective, it looks like you're looking down at your notes or away at something else.
When you look directly at your camera lens, you can't see the interviewer's face well — but from their perspective, you appear to be looking straight at them. That's connection.
The fix is practical: look at the camera when you're speaking. You can glance at the screen briefly to check their reaction, read their expression — but your home base for eye contact should be the lens.
The rule that works in person — look away briefly every 5–7 seconds to avoid seeming intense — doesn't translate perfectly to video. Here's a more useful breakdown:
When you're speaking: Keep your gaze mostly on the camera. It's fine to look away briefly when you're thinking or gathering your thoughts. That's natural, and interviewers understand it. But return to the camera while you're delivering your point.
When they're speaking: You can look at their face on screen now — this is actually appropriate, because you're listening, not delivering. Nodding occasionally is fine. Don't stare blankly or look away entirely.
When you're thinking: Looking up or to the side briefly is normal and human. Looking down repeatedly reads as anxious or uncertain. If you need a moment to think, it's better to say "let me think about that for a second" and pause with the camera in your peripheral view than to spend 10 seconds looking at your keyboard.
The easiest way to make good eye contact is to set up your environment so it requires less effort.
Position your camera at eye level. If your laptop is on a desk and the screen sits below your natural eye line, your camera will capture you looking down. Raise your laptop with books or a stand until the camera lens is at the height of your eyes. This alone fixes the "looking down" problem many candidates don't even know they have.
Move the interview window close to your camera. If you drag the video window to the top-center of your screen, right below or beside the camera, glancing at the interviewer's face and returning your gaze to the lens becomes almost seamless.
Remove distractions from your screen. Multiple tabs, notifications, or anything in your peripheral view will pull your gaze without you realising it. Before the interview, close everything except the video call.
Use a sticky note. Some people put a small sticky note next to their camera with an arrow pointing to the lens, or a reminder that says "camera" or "look here." It sounds silly until you try it and realise how often it helps in the first few minutes when nerves are highest.
When people are nervous, they either blink too fast (which reads as anxious) or hold a hard, unblinking stare at the camera trying to seem confident (which reads as unsettling).
Normal conversation involves a blink rate of around 15–20 blinks per minute. On camera under stress, this can jump to 40+ blinks, which makes you look much more nervous than you feel.
The fix is the same one that works for nerves generally: slow your breathing before the interview starts. Physiologically, calmer breathing reduces your blink rate without you having to consciously manage it. Spend two minutes breathing slowly before the call begins.
Imagine watching a candidate who:
That candidate reads as confident, present, and trustworthy — regardless of what they're actually saying.
Contrast that with someone who:
Both candidates might be saying the same words. The second one loses the interview on body language alone.
The best time to figure all this out is during a mock video call — not your actual interview. Do one practice round with a friend or on Nexrum, specifically asking for feedback on your eye contact and camera presence. You'll catch things you'd never notice on your own.
Nexrum conducts live mock video interviews with feedback on body language, delivery, and confidence — not just your answers. Try a session before your next interview.